The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-11-26

Huxby dropped as if hit by a sledge
Yet 1t was not complete knockout
After three or four seconds, he sal
up, blinking like a dazed owl, and
rubbing the flattened wad of beard
on his paw.
Garth had stepped back. He said
"Apologize, or get up and take what
is coming to you."
Hubby stopped blinking. The daze
cleared from his eyes. They took on
their usual calculating look. He felt
again at his sore jaw, and replied
with cold elaboration: IT withdraw
the term"
Arrogant as was the tone, the
words were an unqualified apology.
Garth turned to Lilith, who stood
gazing at him with a peculiar hard
glow in her blue eyes. He spoke as if
nothing had happened:
Some of the ashes are now cool
enough for you to use, Miss Ramill.
Rub them on as mud paste till the
potash cuts the grease, then scour
with sand, and rinse Better take
your ashes in the blanket, and use it
for protection while you do your
laundering. The skeets and bulldog
flies are swarming. You'll find bit
of sand beach just under that clump
of spruce"
Without a word of thanks, she
dragged the blanket to the edge of
the nearest outburnt fire and began
brushing the fluffy gray wood ashes
upon it with a spruce spray. Her
father had been gazing thoughtfully
at Garth. He took up his empty fox
skin bag.
"Come on, Vivian. This is wash
day. Take Lilith's bag and get your
potash"
The wolfskin knapsack, with its
platinum alloy treasure, had been
left attached to the mooring line of
the canoe. There was no bag for
Garth. He made one by opening the
front of his bucksking shirt and
hand-ladling wood ashes inside.
Lilith went over beyond the
spruce thicket with her blanket-bag-
ged ashes Garth led Mr. Ramill and
Hubby to the strip of sand below
the beached canoe. There he showed
them how to cheat the buzzing in
sect pests. In stead of stripping for
his laundry work, he muddied his
ashes and plastered the paste all
over his body and on the inside and
outside of his clothes.
He rubbed in the mess and gave
the weak solution of potash I've time
to act. After that came the rinsing.
He Waded out and sat down in the
water up to his neck. Thus protected
from the sWarms of stingers, he
stripped off one garment at a time,
wash it clean of ashes, and tossed it
upon the edge of the beach. Before
coming out, he took a luxurious
swim in the clear river water.
First Ramill and then Hubby rath-
gingerly copied Garth's method Like
him, both wound up with a SWIM
Neither, however, ventured far out
into the vast slow flood of the
Mackenzie.
With the landing came the come
edy. The others ended their bathing
before Garth. He tread water to
watch them. Both had Wrung out
their clothes and flung them well up
the beach. The moment they splat-
tered ashore, the waiting swarms Of
blood-suckers buzzed to the feast.
Huxby cursed, snatched up his
half-dry rags, and dashed back in,
to dress under water. Mr.. Ramill,
however, had no desire to put on wet
clothes. He beat at the zizzing pests
with his tattered union suit. It en-
abled him to get into the leather
trousers and coat without being
stung more than half a hundred
times.
Garth's mirth was mixed with adj
miration for the mine investors
nerve. Along with this he felt glow
of satisfaction over the results of