The evening world. Newspaper, January 6, 1915, Page 17

—_— = E as Sw 0 THE PRIMITIVE The Adventures of Two Men And a Girl on a Desert Island “The Eveain moment, please. , % save much bother if a door was jade, * should CHAPTER VII. (Oontinusd.) Problems in Woodcraft. RAY, don’t be alarmed. It ie—er—it’e all right, Miss Genevieve, I assure.you” “But what is it? Such queer noises, and I eee something alive!” “Only the vultures, if you must enone else, I assure you.” “Tt te all out of sight from the spring. ‘Fou are not to go around the bam- ‘Boos until the—that is, not to-day.” “Did Mr. Blake say that?” “Why, yee—to be gure. He also said f tell you that the cutlets were on he top shelf.” “You mean?’— “His way of ordering you to cook our dinner. Really, Miss Genevieve, I ahould be pleased to take your plate, and I have been told to keep It is hard to take orders japely Three days since she could fe conceived of their being so scratched and dirty. Yet t at thelr condition was unqualified. I have something to show for them,” she murmured. beg aid Winthrope. “Just at my hands—like a per- vant's! ashamed have: done something—some useful, I mean.’ “Useful? I call it shocking. Miss Genevieve. It is simply vile that people reeding should be compelled m work. They write oes ii 3 5 4 z i ee a gaé g mplained gt ley ef out looking up: i Hl not answer. eves. eatis- fed her thirst at the spring, she too% fro, ne was startled by the sight of a one of the bami blackening ‘returned to the fi he i i ! E i 5 Ne 4 meat to 8F iH began red old leopard. to eat. “Hold on, ‘with and se, ‘waited to gor tree that Leslie looked away, this fire businese—eh? ch, it'll go faster thie af- ood is killed Gried out, Anyway, p at it till the tree epring leopard won't the present rate of con- need th to eotne ll ‘the hang thet ete @ green wi th till we get the bows. Misa Lealie. the cleft burning out you can put in eras» and leaves fora and Mr. Winthrope off some bamboos for gushering ti tor?” whh @ wall And yet I am not nearly #0 of them as I would have icled. It is very amusing, but do you know, I actually feel proud that should try to make tion.”” the sttuat best. It is all a beastly \ 20, Winthrope, and his nervous ecraping at skin. studied his face for ao d turned away. She had He said to cook some feces of flesh, pens Aen re enting, she ¢ ved & to support the rod beside the that all the meat would roast bamboo spit from the fire pte Lag failed end bie to wi longer, ‘cat. The” cub meat Bia tender than that oi By She had helped ber- self to the second piece before the ise Jenny; fair play!" out Blake, “You've set to Satsout tooting the dinn orn, I ; don’t blame you, though. ie 4 men caught at the hot meat eagerness Winthrope promptly forgot all else in the animal leaaure of satisfying his hunger. thor no less hungry, only fill his mouth before inves- the condition of the proa- ladder. The Fomult of empt to burn the trunk did not ss ing to the others ied er not betray her, should he lect. She That smells fa that emoke back there?” “Can tt be colored and hesitated. Mke to divide off a cor- place or m and you and Mr. Winthrope sleep inside?” “We'll see about that later,” replied Blake, carelessly. ‘The girl bit her lip, and tears started to her eyes. Even Wint haa started off without expressing his tion. iy he at least ve realised how much it cost her to make ae vii er thi qe | wood smo! ie how she could rake out the ashes. His advice was to wet them down where they lay. ie was r said than done. Fortunately the spring was only a few yards distant, and after man: trips, with her paim-leaf hat for bowl, the girl carried enough water to| Laks the powdery ashes. Over om she etrewed the leaves and grass which she had gathered while the fire was burning. The driest of grass, arranged in @ far corner, promised a more comfortad! than had been her lot for the last three nights. During this work she had been careful not to forget the fire at the tree. Yet when, near sundown, s] called the others to the third meal of leopard meat, Blake grumbled at the tree for being what he termed such a confounded tough proposition. “Good thi ere’s lots of wood here, Win,” he added. “We' keep this fire going till the blamed thing topples over, if it takes a year.” “Oh, but you surely will not stay so far from the baobab to-night! exclaimed Miss Leslie. “Hold hi soothed Blak: “You've no license to get the jum; et a while. We'll have another fire baobab, So you needn't Fry. A few minutes later they went back to the baobab, and Winthrope began helping Miss Leslie to con- row entrance of the tree-cave, while Blake built the second fire, As Winthrope was unable to tell time by the stars, Blake took the firat watch. At unset, following the en- gineer’s advice, Winthrope lay down with his feet to the small watchfire and was asleep before twilight had deepened into night. Fagged out by the mental and bodily stress of the day, he slept so soundly that it seemed to him he had hardly lost consciousness when @ rou “What is it?” he mumbled. “Bout 1 o'clock,” said Blake. “Wake up! I ran overtime, ‘cause the morn- ing watch is the ane But Ican't sitting up. “Um-m,” grunted Blake, who was already on his back. Winthrope rubbed his eyes, rose wearily and drew a blazing stick from the fire. With this upraised:torch he peered around into the darkness and edvanced toward the spring. When, having satisfied his thirst, he returned somewhat hurriedly to the pale face gazing at him from between the leaves of the bamboo screen. “My dear Miss Genevieve, what is the matter?” he exclaimed. “Hush! Is he asleep?” “Like a top.” “Thank Heavey! Good- night.” “Good-night—er—I say, Miss Gene- vieve”—— But the girl disappeared and Win- thrope, after a glance at Blake's placid face, hurried along the cleft to stack the other fire. When he returned he noticed two bamboo rods which Blake had begun to shape into bow staves, B ked them over, with a sneer at mingly ungkilful workman- 6 made no attempt to finish ‘ CHAPTER VIII. A Despoiled Wardrobe. IN after sunrise Miss Les: Me was awakened by the snap and dull crash of a falling tree. She made a tollet and ran out around the baobab. The burned tree, eaten half through by the fire, had been pushed over against the cliff by Blake and Winthrope. Both had already climbed up, and now etood on the edge of the cliff, ina Je@hy!" shouted Blake. @ got here at last. Want to come up?” “Not now, thank you." “It's easy enough. But you're right. Try your hand again at, the cutlets, won't you? While they're frying we'll got some eggs for dessert, How does your" “We have no way to cook them." “Roast ‘em in the ashes. So long!” Misa Leslie cooked breakfast over the watch-fire, for the other had been scattered and stamped out by the men when the tree foll. They came back in good time, walking carefully, that they might not break the eggs with which their pockets bulged. Hetween them they had brought a round dosen id a be Blake promptly began stowing all in the hot ashes, while Winthrope related their little adven- ture with unwonted enthusiasm. “You should have come with us, Mies Genevieve,” he began, “This time pf day tt is glorious on the cliff top. Though the rock is bare, there ia a fine view"——~ ‘ine view of grub near the end,” interpolated Blake. vd ee end of the cliff is alive with them hundreds of thousands, all huddled together and fighting for room. They are @ sight, I assure you! ‘They're plucky, too, It was well we took aticke with us. As it was, one of the wannete—boobies, Hieke calle them— The Coroner's “Job” «= stile, Understand? The whole blessed cliff end is an omelet waiting for our " Pass the leopardettes, Miss jenny.” When the fast dit of meat had dis- appeared Blake raked the e, from the ashes and began to crack them, solemnly sniffing at each before he laid it on tts leaf platter. Some were a trifle “high.” Noné, however, were thrown away. ‘When it was all over Winthrope contemplated the scattered shells with a satisfied air. “Do you kno’ remarked, “this is the first time I have felt—er—re- Dealer since we found those cocoa- ere “How about one of ‘em now to top off on?” questioned Blake. Miss« Leslie laughed. “Why did you speak of them? I am etill hun- gry enough to eat more egge—a dozen—that is, if we had a little salt and butter.’ ‘And a silver cup and napkins!” added Bl ‘bout the salt, though, we'll have to get some before long, and some kind of vegetable food. It won't do to keep up this whole meat menu.” “If only those little bamboo sprouts kind said Winthrope. hem, “They eat rats, too," commented lake. “We ought at least try them,” per- sisted Miss Leslie. “How? Raw “I have heard papa tell of roasting corn when he was a boy.” “That's #0; and roasting ears are better than boiled. Win, 1 guess we'll have a sample of bamboo asparagus @ la Les-leo!” Winthrope took the penknife, and fetched a bandful of young sprouts from the bamboo thicket. They were heated over the coals on @ grill of green branches, and devoured half jay," mumbled Blake, he rum- inated on the last shoot, wet- ting on some for this hole of a coast: house and chicken ranch, and vege- tables in our front yard——We've got old Bobbie Crusoe t, hands down, on the etart-off, and he with bis ebip- tul of etuff for handicap!" ‘Then you believe that the situation looks more bopetul, Mr. Blake?" “Well; we've at least got an exten- aion on our note for a week or two. But I'm not going to coddle you with @ lot of lies, Mise Jenny. There's the fever coming, sure as fate. stave it off a while; you to one, will be down in and not @ amell of quinine in our com- missary, Then there'll be dysentery and snakes and wild beaste—— No; we're not out of the woods yet, not by a—conaiderable.” “By de Blake,” muttered Win- thrope, “ encouraging. “Didn't say | wae tryin, “But, Mr. Blake, Lam auto papa will offer « large reward when the steainer is reported aa iost. There will be ships searching for us"—— “We're not in the British Channel, and I'll bet what few boate do coast along here don't nose about much among these coral reefs.” “l fancy it would do no harm to erect a signal,” eaid Winthrope. “Only thing that would make a ghow in Miss Leslie's skirt,” replied Hlake, “here ia the big leopard akin,” per- sinted Winthrope. To hia aurprige the engineer took the sug under wertous consideration. “Well, I don't know,” he eatd. “It we had a water background, now, But against the rock and treee—no; what wo want ta whit TU tell you-- when Mise Jenn; o and makes herself a dress o akin I'll fy her skirt to the er: to be.” “Mr, Blake! really think that ta eruel of you!” “Oh, come now; that's not feir! 1 wouldn't you 4 a 1 Pi haeen 4 atly M “Now you're talking! You see, it’s not only a question of the signal, but of clothes, We've got to figure any- way on needing new ones before — Look at my pants and vest, ‘Win’e too. Inside a m be in_hide—o: joke, Win, me “But in the Misa Leslie. “In the mean time we're like to 3 wee?’ mean time”—— began out a signal that twice as far off than scarlet. Do you suppose I worked my way up from axeman to engineer, and didn't learn anything about flags?” “But it is all really too absurd! I do not know the first thing about berber) and I have neither thread nor ne ‘up to you, though, if you want to help. My eisters sewed mighty soon after they learned to toddle. "Bout time you learned-— There, now; I didn’t mean to hurt your feel- ings. You've made a fair stagger at cooking, and I bet you win out on the dressmaking. For needle you can use one of these long slim thorna—poke a hole, and nm iP je «thread through, like a shoemaker. “Ah, yes; but the thread?” put in Winthrope. “The cocoanut fibre would hardly do,” said Miss Leslie, forgetting to dry her eyes. “No. uld get fairly good fibres out of alm leaves; but catgut will be a whole lot better. I'll slit up @ lot for you, fine enough to sew with. And now, let's get down to tacks. No offense—but did ¢ither of you ever learn to do anything in all your blessed little lives?" “Why, Mr. Blake, of course I"—— ‘Of course wh: * demanded Blake, as Miss Leslie hesita: “We know bout your cooking and sewing. t else?” —I see what you meant. I fear that nothing of what I learned would be of service now.” nenereing, school ret, eh? And you, Winthrope?” “If you would kindly name over what you have in mind.” “Um!" grunted Blake. ‘Well, it's first of all a question of a practical— practical, mind you—knowledge of metallurgy, ceramics, and hi stick row through a beef i I believe T intima’ that I have some knowledge of archery. But I doubt"——- “Cut it out! You'll have enough else to do. Get busy over those hows and arrows, and don’t quit till you've Leave my bow n pull like @ mule jen Jenny, what is to do with burning china?” “Sure!-—china, pottery, and all that ow anything about it?” “Why, T have 4 friend who amunen herself by painting china, and I know it has to be burned” © that's all!” grunted Biak let me tell you. When I wi a little kid T used to work in @ pe tery. All I can remember ts th they'd take clay, shape it into a pot, dry it, and bake the thing in @ kiln We've got to work the name game somehow. This kind of eating will mean Gysentery in short order, Ho there's going to be a bean pot for our stews, or Tom Blake ‘Ii know the rea- son why. Nurse up that ankle of yours, Win, We'll trek it to-morrow cocoanut! 4 maybe something else, There's clay on the far bank of the river, and across from it T saw a atreak that looked like brown haema- tite."” CHAPTER IX. Survival of the Fittest. HE next four days slipped by simost unheeded Blake gaw to it that not only him- self but his companions hed work to occupy every Of dsylight. Ween ast cagaged ful somewhat officiously Hi pe “"Wednes agazine, Ras ing Oe a World.) in cooking and ¢uel gathering,’ Mise Leslie was learning by painful experi- ence the rudiments of dressmaking by shaping a leopard skin into @ skirt and waist. Winthrope -had been gazetted as hunter in ordinary. keep Miss Lesiie supplied with fresh eggs and each day to kill as many of the boobies and cormorants as he could skin and eplit for drying. Blake had changed his mind about taking him when he went for cocoanuts. In- stead, he had gone alone on several trips, bringing three or four loads of nuts, then a little salt from the sea- shore, dirty but very welcome, and last of all a great lump of olay, wrapped in palm fronds. With this clay he at once began experiments in tho art of pottery. Having mixed and beaten a emall quantity, he moulded it into little cups and bowls, and tried burning them over night in the watoh fire. A few came out without crack or flaw. “Pass over those keys of yours, Win,” he said once as he returned to camp with an armful of sreaes vines. “Good! Now untangle creepers. To-night we'll take turns knotting them up into some sort of a rope ladder. I'm getting mighty weary of hoofing 1t all around the point every time 1 trot to the river, After this I'll go down the cliff at that end of the sully When at sunset Miss Leslie with- drew into the baobab, Winthrope insisted upon helping her eet up her screen in the entrance, Aa he did #0, he took the opportunity to hand her a bamboo knife, and to draw her attention to several double-pointed bamboo stakes which he had hidden under the litter. “What is it?" she asked, troubled by his furtive glance back at Blak “Merely precaution, you know,” he whispered. “The ground in there ta quite soft. It will be no trouble, I fancy, to put up the atakes, with their points inclined toward the entrance.” “But why"—— “Not so loud, Mies Genevieve! It struck me that if any one should seek to enter in the night, he would find these stakes deucedly unpleasant. Be careful how you handle them. As you nee, the sharper points, which are to be set uppermost, run off into a razor edge. Put them up now, before it grown too dark. You know how nine- ping are wet—that shape, Good-night! You see, with these to guard the en- trance, you need not be afraid to go sho whispered, and kes into the ground as he had Immediately after b day, Hlake—who had a} In grinding the edges from a st and experimenting with split and bent twige—put Winthrope's keya In the fire, and began an attempt to shape them into a knife blade, To heat the steel to the required temper- ature, he used a bamboo blowplpe, with his lungs for bellows, the keys were » end, in a nar ‘The thinnest one, not fastened to the tip untl been used to burn @ groove in the edge a rib, aelected from among the « which Mise had thrown out af the boabab. The last key wan then fastened to the others; the blade ground sharp, tem~ pered, and inserted in the groove Finally, pleces of the key ring were fitted in bandw around the bone, through notches cut In the ends of the steel blade The result was a bone- handled backed — knife, with @ narrow ¢ stool “If T could get some anake polaon now,” bi id to Mine Lestic prea, arrow ti ‘That 1! hig game almost aa surely fle Polson thom?" she asked re- thas ctarve, 14 poten By Robert Minor Fir’ Woore Pammiol Hap! i Th His task was to boss (ting edge of fine & ts ed i acct Poy a" + OO ee oe ay. Jan LOVE INSURAN BY EARL DERR BIGGERS beet aet ate peer down without @ trace of the bao! ie which had been huanting her. ‘ial a tegviber ana wa CHAPTER X. The Mark of the Beast. the ekin together and walked cleft to the ladder tree. There had been time Biake and Winthrope to aignal, and si how it looked. trunk, that it means of ascent far from even for a young lady. The one dificulty was to reach lower branches. She coyld touch them with her finger tips. her barbaric fy must have the drying frames empty. Blake was staring glumly at them, with bie broad back to Winthrope, hands whon Miss Lesile appeared. ‘The sud- Setlc mn cessation of Winthrope’s com- plaints brought his companion around on the instant. The girl stood before him, clad from neck to foot In ber ts ell, “ be—dashed!" he ex- si claimed, and Be stood staring at her open-mouthed. “I fear & will Fe te oe think Jt becoming?” she asked, ing, and turning as though fit of the costume. 1 joed. “Miss Jenny, y je the skirt. it will make at uy) Boone 8 ott to do that, when we’ ‘What do you say to lea’ it fown end starting @ little ‘coidhy” ot the skirt in her tched hands. Behind it her ! f ij a8 32. H i i Hes at 5 aie H 1. “I—I—You put it in euch a horrible One must coi a af df i 4 g 2 3 lows monopolize the means duction, a man like your father—" “Mr, Blake He S 3 » position in the business etream; “Nor his, either—it'e the cussed Again jo; that’s all right, Mise i was only lustre Now, both boss like if you could get rid of Africa at the same gf = ef z E 8 Zz § 5 it sae oe it iathough, I guess you's fe sod comes "i @ eport. are rather ve me for boss, and live, than be left all by your | ‘Winthi Fa ga Ny SE to starve,” “I—I'm aure there is no qi of your leadership, Mr. Blake. 'e have both tried our best to do what , ti} UI i i [ E i i you asked of us.’ “You have, at least. But I know. i : n z £ acti 8. +f i rt i E i i Ht sure, Mr. Blake"—— ‘Oh, don’t let that worry you, Miss 1 couldn’ Jenny. It don't me, 't be Leali ler wae flushed “No weant It's no oore. iykes you Us ; ate Just Fed — downcast Bs ome pp for = fou could brain same, \w wi I i pe! MJ vd fray sch when Ion emees. ir f Hi be i iy i i A ae | 8 & f i # i own affairs, Winthrope. “You're entirely welcome. It's what Do you und Misa AL i is 5. as f : 8; E feet i “Yeu; {t ta time you gave a lit consideration to those wes deserve at! rejoined Winthrope, with a nese of tone and manner our prised Mise Leslie. “I tell you, fm tired of being treated like a dog.” “All right, all right, old man. Just draw up your chair and get all the hot broth aboard you can stow,” an- ewered Blake, soothingly. Winthrope sat down; but through- out the meal he continued to com- plain over trifles with the peevishn of @ spoiled child, until Miss Les! blushed for him. Greatly to her tonishment, Blake endured the ging without a algn of trritation, in the end took his bow and arrows and went off down the cliff, with no more than & quiet reminder to Win- keep near the £ Hy ef moving. a your at eon ing your na Winthfope turned away, crimson with indignetion. Blake paused only for @ parting word with Mise Leslie. f you want something to do, Miss Jenny, try making yourself a pair of moccasins out of the scrape of skin, You can't etay in thie gully all the time. You've got to tramp around some, and those elippere must be about done for.” “The: @tii serviceable. Yet if need tough mecenaing had a Tere with e Wass When shortly after dark the engi- lope in the neck and another in the haunch; yet both animals had made Off all the wwifter for their wounds, The noise of his approach awakened Winthrope, who turned over and be gan to complain in a whining fal motto, Ming Lesiie, who was peering “Ive the fever!” not that! peer came groping his way Back ‘Sp of consternation. 6 gorge was by no means im. make bs Gonavion Out of six shots he had hit one ante- Pi 4 Winthrope. ‘hyeute ite a ch growted nas ekittish ante- etna Nae Lastte nodded and amiled in Tesponae to his festing tone. But as he swung away after Winthrope abe stood for some time nN B00! ide off one of those It’s only— out through the bars of her screen, looked to see Biake kick the prostrate only His frown showed rly that he was in @ sav 4 a P be that alt of To hor astonishment night, I show ~ of thing tone until Wint! - oop. Then he quietly set about v2 the eee ® canopy of bamboos over the sleeper. Just why he shoua bulld this w. & pussie to the i. when Fa witin of expression she drew 0 deep edge of ber hie bow and aaeen aad aned againat the baobab, br nosi i a ang ’ nd +)