The Washington times., 1936-09-24

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quietly on their comrades, asking
them to vote for Doniphan. No
other name was put forward and
Doniphant looked upon his cleo
ton as assured.
The tenth Of June arrived.
Everyone except Moko voted. That
made IA votes. Eight would win.
, When the ballots were counted
this was the result:
Briant ...........,.. 8
Doniphan ........... 3
Gordon ...............
Gordon and Doniphan had not
, voted. Briant had voted for
Gordon.
. When the result was announced,
Doniphan could not hide his dis
appointment and irritation.
Briant, very surprised, was about
to refuse the honor when he looked
at his brother Jack and said:
Thank you, my friends. I &C
cept."
In eIecting Briant his friends
wanted to show him their apprecia-
tion of his character, his courage.
and his infallible devotion to the
general interest of all. They all
liked him. Alone, Doniphan, Cross,
Wilcox and Webb refused to recog-
nize his qualities, but in their own
minds they knew that they were
unjust to him.
Gordon warmly congratulated
Briant, although he saw that the
C h would accentuate the
division which already existed, and
he feared that Doniphan and his
partiSanS would take some regret.
table course. 1t was easy to see
that Doniphan and his three
friends had made up their minds
not to give in, although Briant
had promised himself not to give
them any occasion to do anything
rash.
AS for Jack, it was with surprise
that he saw his brother accept.
you're willing then - he said
to him without completing his
thought, which Briant completed
by answering him in a low voice:
eyes, I want to be in position
where I can do even more than
we've already done to make UP for
what you did"
THANK you, brother" said Jack,
"and don't spare mel"
The next day began the same
course Of existence which the long
winter days were going to make
still more rnonotonouS. Briant
took precaution, before the
extreme cold weather should pre-
vent an excursion to Sloughi Bay,
to replace the signal on Auckland
Hill, now torn to shreds. It was
important to replace it with some
thing capable of Withstanding the
winter storms. Baxter made 8
kind Of balloon of pliable reeds
which would resist the storms,
since the wind could blow through
it. A last excursion was made to
the bay on June II to replace the
Union Jack with the next signal.
The thermometer was slowly go.
ing down. The yawl was drawn
up in the angle of the counterfort
and covered up with thick tarred
sheet. Baxter and Wilcox set
snares around the inclosure and
dug new pits at the limit of Traps
Woods. The net again was fixed
along the Zealand River to catch
water fowl. Doniphan and his
companions made excursions to
the South MoorS, from which they
never returned empty handed.
Winter Arrives
The routine of winter life was
the same as that of the preceding
year. Briant saw that it was kept
but tried not to show his
authority Everyone obeyed him
willingly and Gordon tried to
make it easier in setting the
example of always doing what he
was told. Doniphan and his
partisans did not put themselves
in a position of being reproved,
although they continued to keep
together, talking in whispers and
seldom joining the general conver.
sation even during the meals or
during the leisured evenings.
Were they planning something
underhand? No one knew! Briant
did not intervene. He was fair
to everybody, doing most of the
ehard and difficult work, and never
sparing his brother, who tried to
do his best. Gordon noticed that
Jacks character had changed, and
= Moko saw with pleasure that since
1.-THE confession" to his elder
brother, young Jack mixed more in
the conversation and the games
: of his friends.
Briant never ceased to think Of