Adventure, February 1917 — page 87: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Nobody’s Island — “Why, sonny-girl, you were asking me to take you away a minute ago!”’ exclaimed Jennifer, his full-moon face displaying BE a large area of pure astonishment. “I know, Pups, but I forgot.” Murua’s face was turned a little toward the bulkhead as she lay on the cushioned bench. Jennifer could not see what she looked like. “Well,” he said after a pause, “‘maybe it’s better so. You’re getting rather old to be bushwhacking all over the country in pants. You'll be a young lady some of these days, Murua, and then I’ll have a daughter, but where’ll my sonny-girl have gone?” . Murua took his huge hand and caressed it, laying it against her cheek. “You must lose him sometime,” she said a little sadly. ‘‘We’ve played this game a long time now, Pups. And I wish——” ‘What, then?” Murua was looking out across the still waters of Lalang Bay at a man in a smart white suit handing a tall woman over the gunwale of a boat. She did not answer for a minute. “T think,” she said presently, “that I won’t wish anything. Or else [’ll wish that _ things may go on just the same, in an un- varied even tenor, not including— I did want new dresses, but what use would they be away in the bush?” “Why, not much, sure,” agreed Jennifer, somewhat puzzled. “Or out of it?” “Or out of it, for the matter of that,” re- peated Jennifer. “Well, sonny-girl, stay with Mrs. Slade if she wants you this time, and afterward— we'll see, we'll see. You are growing up. We'll have to give you a trip to Sydney one of these days. ss But the promise of a passport to the heaven of the island girl did not awake the eager burst of thanks that he had expected. Instead, Murua leaned her head against the mountain of khaki shirt and said with al- most a break in her voice: “Oh, Pups, I’d rather stay with you. Let me always stay with you!” “Right,” agreed Jennifer; he always agreed to everything women said, and never expected to understand them. “Now we'll take the dingey and row over to Slade’s launch and see what plans they have.” , The day had been a trying one to Murua. / 85 Campbell had walked beside her, and helped her through bad places—which, indeed, she was quite as competent to manage as him- self—had talked to her quite a good deal, and right through the walking and the talking and the helping, had never, she thought, taken his eyes off Edith for one moment. She was sure that he did not like her, and yet thought that he did. She could not understand, and her great, small. heart was sore. As for Campbell, he had been delivering useful warnings to himself off and on all day. “No nonsense,” he told himself, even while he climbed in Murua’s rear and talked to her, as the slope and the ground allowed. “Don’t lose that brass-bound, teak-built head of yours about Godfrey’s widow at your time of life. Or if you do, don’t let it matter. ““Aye, aye, sir,’ he answered himself. “Very good, sir. Ill remember. “Mind you do,” he warned himself, and then “Miss Murua, can you tell me what they call this very odd little beggar of an insect —the thing like a little peacock with a white tail, strutting on my hand?” To himself, ““The woman’s a queen, yes, but there are two kinds of queens, spelled dif- ferent ways. Then aloud: “Oh, I don’t want the scientific name—I shouldn’t re- member it two minutes. I only thought you might have some funny name for th beggar. That’s the first glimpse of sea. shall be down in half an hour now, and that’ll be the end of our warlike trip. Good thing it turned out that way, wasn’t it?” Again he thought: “One can almost see him swaggering over her—like a kid with a feather stuck in its cap. I hate your miscalled Australian in- dependence, it only means “No, Murua, I’m not exactly disappoint- ed,”’ he went on, ‘‘but I wouldn’t have minded a little more fun, since we really were out in the bush. I’m sure you are disappointed, though, my small fire-eater, aren’t you?” Murua was. She had been beaten by Edith on her own ground, as well as on Edith’s, and it smarted. But there was not a grain of spite in the little creature’s com- position. She answered bravely: ‘“‘No one ought to be disappointed at any- thing, so long as our friends are safely back.” Gomichoo Ss W. ‘ (E@)