The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-11-22
THE main hnildfl


Curt stepped inside and began ex-
aiming their duffle. to make sure
he had overlooked no label or initial.
ing which might give them away to
a suspicious prowler. While he was
doing this. he heard Paul stop pound
ing and say "Bon soir" to someone.
CHANGING out the fiap-front he saw a
girl go past. carrying a fish rod,
creel and canoe paddle.
He had only a fleeting glimpse OF
her. but that glimpse made him
straighten up and stare. She was
wearing blue corduroy dress. laced
moccasins, tam, and a sweater
blouse with one elbow worn through.
Her hair was a brownisf golden:
she walked along with a lance.like
erectness Of body: and her face--he
saw it only in profile-was so beau
tiful and so strange in its type of
beauty that he kept staring through
the flap-front for moments after she
had gone by.
When he finished and went out.
side she was already out upon the
lake in a birchbark canoe, skirling
toward cluster of wooded islets
half a mile offshore. Trouting, he
guessed. If she was anything OF a
fisherman she ought to snag some
big ones in the shadows around
those islands; but from the awk,
ward way she handled the paddle
she was plainly tenderfoot.
He turned to Paul. who was. watch.
ing her too. who is she. d,you
know?"
"a stranger to me. to my regret. !"
Curt smiled at his rapt gaze. "You
find her pretty. don't you? As pretty
as p'tite Regina Ducharme at Fort
Chipewyan?"
"Almost!"
"Humph! That; big admission.
from you'll"
THE girl disappeared among the
islands. Curt went on with the
camp work. Bending down a nearby
sapling. he tied their grub pack to
the top Of 1t and dipped the sapling
up again. safely caching the supplies
from stray huskies.
He stepped back into the timber
to find dead birch for fuel. The
tropical luxuriance of the woods
amazed him. even though he had
made trips up juneau way and
knew the "drizzle country" well.
The pines and cedars weres lordly
things. eight feet across the stump
and towering above two hundred.
The air was heavy with the odor
OF summer flowers banked IN great
heaps in the open spots. The moss
under his feet was like walking on
three inches OF softest plush. The
whole woods was dominated by
moss. 1t carpeted the ground and
windfall logs. ran over the boulders
and up the tree trunks. and hung
In festoons from the branches.
"Pm plain lucky" he thought
gratefully. ito be hunting Karakhan
in country like this"
He pushed over dead birch,
dragged 1t back to camp. and told
Paul: I'D better step out to the
trading store now and get the hang
of things there. so that tonight we
can put across the Job we talked
about. While I'm gone. you can be
bringing our canoe from the pier. :"
When he returned. half an hour
later. Paul was standing on the land.
wash. The young Canadian beckoned
him down.
"That girl over among those Is.
lands is likely to experience trouble
If We don't so over there"
whats upg'
Paul told him. A few minutes after
the girl had padded In among the
islands. one OF those haif.breeds
had come down the shore. furtlvely
secured canoe. and slipped across
the water on her trail. He was
drunk. Paul added.
Curt looked out at those low dim
masses and swore 10 perplexity. II
he went over there and interfered
he would make an enemy OF that
halt-breed. and II was bad policy
to have enemies at Russian Lake
The girl should have known better
than to wander away at twilight
when irresponsible men were loaf.
Ing about the post.
But still. she was q girl. alone out
there. -.
On the rocky tip OF an island,
where the waves Tapped close TO her
moceasIns. Sonya was having fine
luck with the butterfly lure which
old John Paxton had made for her.
In forty minutes she had caught
eleven trout. some OF them 50 biz
that their tails stuck out OF her
creei.
She was conscious OF no danger.
fcepRrtcAs. 1858. Wntlasa 3. Mors-yl
Curt. sorserross. sakes q heavy
rixk.