Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-02-06

to JarambO: keep this house
well, Jarambo."
He assented. eyes. But better
you CO."
They moved down the path togeth-
er. Jarambo spoke to her, and she
turned. He thrust into her hands a
little twist of tappy cloth, and he
said:
"You keep. Belong to you" She
slipped the packet into her waist,
and turned and faced Peter.
''Come along, Mary" he said.
otis late already"
She followed him toward the boat.
When she was seated, she looked
back and saw Jarambo standing
alone where the path emerged
from the trees. She touched the
packet inside her dress, wondering
what it contained, pressing it with
her fingers. She felt in it some
small, hard, round objects. Several
of them. Her heart began to pound.
She knew even then, without see
ing them, that they were pearls.
The sun was already below the
mountains when Peters boat with
Mary in the stern sheets came
alongside the Venturer. George on
his stretcher lay on the main hatch
amidships, and Mary stopped with
him there. Men were at the wind
lass, and aloft making sail but be-
fore the anchor came aweigh, Rich
ard picked George up in his arms
with feminine gentleness, and car
ried him like baby aft and down
the companionway.
Richard laid George for the pres
ent on the long bench in the COM
mon room. He felt the Venturer an
swer her sails and turned to go on
deck. The sun was gone, night had
fallen but there was light enough
to see the bold headlands at the
mouth of the bay. He took the
ship in hand, and Mat Forbes spoke
at his elbow.
"a white man came aboard just
now, Cap'n Corr" he reported. "He
swan off to us in nothing but his
pants, with handkerchief around
his head and parrot hanging to
it. Name of Corkran, he says, and
calls himself a sailor"
Richard asked sharply: "Was he
off that schooner the islanders
burned?"
"No, he deserted from the Sum
set, the ship that brought Mr.. and
Mrs. McAusland. He looks scared"
Scared of WHAT"
''He didn't say. He doesn't look
like one that's easy scared, either"
Later Richard met the sailor I'M
der the boat house.
"Your names Corkran?"
'Aye, sir"
"Where did you come from?"
"Of the ship Sunset"
"Deserted?"
eyes, your honor, SIR"
GIVE no use for deserters."
Corkran nodded respectfully. "Nor
I, sir! But l did think himself and
the, young lady might be needing
good man with his fists some day, on
the island, sir. Himself is good
plucked one, but he knows nothing
at all, and such gets themselves into
trouble they can't get out off,
"You weren't much use to him
when he did need you"
cts sorry am, sir. Would your
honor be telling me what hap
pened?"
"You don't know"
81 know twas bad" Corkran
looked around. '"They had me
asleep, your honor, sir" he said in
shame.
Drunk"
II would not say so. I no more
than noticed a queer taste to the
coconut juice, not bad at all; so I
drank it, and fell for bit of a nap.
The next I knew, an old man of
them came to see was I still asleep.
l was awake enough by that time to
pretend to be asleep; but when a
troop of them went up the trail
past my house, I could look with
one eye; and after that I sweated
cold blood till l got away from that
island, sir"
''What did you see?"
Save me from remembering,
your honor. Would your honor be
needing good harpooner, maybe?"
you've served on whalers?"
aye, sir. Nineteen months. l
can earn my way, you'll find"
Richard nodded. Cali right, Cork
ran. The less talk about that back
there, the better. Go forward now"
Richard went below. George still
lay on the bench in the common
room, Mary beside him; and Rich
ard said: 'We've a friend of yours
aboard. Corkran, off the Sunset"
George exclaimed: "Corkran?"
Mary looked up at Richard quickly.
eyes. He swan off to us with
his parrot on his shoulder"
"Swam off? You mean he was at
Gilead?"
Richard was surprised. Didn't
you know it? He must have kept
out of your way"
George looked at Mary, and saw
confession in her eyes, and smiled
Understandings. "You knew it?"
eyes. was afraid it would both
er you to know he was there
''It would have" he admitted.
Dofor coy,,o Jo1.yy, tho oo,o~ooson