The Blue Envelope
The taller of the two, a curly-haired, red-cheeked girl of eighteen, was rowing. The other, short and rather chubby, now and again lifted a pocket net of wire-scree
o the out-of-doors. Lucile Tucker, the tall one of curly hair, was by nature a student; her cousi
"What's that out at the entrance of
Watch it bob. It
lifted a light rifle from the b
teadied herself for a shot at the object which cont
rabbits, ptarmigan and even caribou and white wolves with her father in
led. "More waves out there
gone u
here i
it
second the boat was quiet. The brown spot hung on the crest of
d; a something which sent the rifle clattering from nerveless f
to the brown spot, a slim white line against
ose he came from?" she wa
wing vigorously. Marian, having hung the shrimp trap across the bow, drew a second pair of oars from beneath the seats and joined her in sending the clumsy craft toward the brown spot still bobbing in the water, and which, as the
nd was doubtless exhausted, the two girls now gave all their strength to the task of rowing
f the shore line of a small island which on this side faced the open Pacific Ocean a
ncerned about this; they had lived much in the open and rather welcomed the opportunity to be alone in the wilds. It was good preparation for the future. They had pledged themselves to spend the following winter in a far more isolated spot, Cape Prince of Wales, on Bering Straits in Alaska. Lucile, who, though barely eighteen years of age, had finished high school and had spent one year in normal school, was to teach the native school and to superintend the reindeer herd at that point. Marian had lived the g
was but a preparatory one to fit them the mo
mer they were surprised to find him a
Marian, when they had assisted th
e wore a single garment, cleverly pieced together till it seemed one skin, but made of ma
ply stared at them a
once," said Lucile. "He m
at, Lucile came upon Marian picking the feat
xplained, tossing a handful of feathe
glance at the s
he's oriental?
hough; he doesn't speak our language, it seems, nor any other that I k
trying to
ay
oriental," said Lucile, l
o meet. There was something of the clean brown, the perfect curve of the classic young Italian; something of the smoothness of skin na
mos we have on the stre
o light-complexioned.
me two thousand miles in a skin kiak to have his c
hen we reached him he was a mile from any land, with the sea b
h preparing the evening meal, and for a t
in a wondering stare. They were at once shifted to the kett
all right,"
oden plate to one side. Their guest was being offered only the broth. This he sniffed for a moment, then, pla
I don't know as a full meal is good
y paused to stare, then to point a finger at them, an
r ate potatoes?" exclai
of boy mu
ato in half and
brown boy's face as he proceeded to
getting this meal," smiled Lucile;
from one of the tents and offered them to him. Wrapping himself in these, he sat down
Indians lived that way, but they don't and haven't for some generatio
selves everywhere, to be at last dissolved into the general dar
tand the first watch until one o'clock, Lucile to finish the night. In the morning they would take their small gasoline launch, wh
lock in the morning, she found herself unspeakably drowsy. A brisk walk to t
she thought she caught
told herself, "yet who would be
that glistened in the moonlight. Not hearing or seei
by the bed of darkening coals. Then, creeping inside the tent, she drew
e slept she could not tell. She awoke at last with a start; she felt grea
stared at the boy's place by the
, shaking her cousin in
The brown b
ants him?" Marian
e's keen ears caught
for him. Someone has carried him away. I heard him try
les they crept stealt
seen save the ca
as she struggled into her shoes, wrapping the lace
ably rough men and we're only girls. But w
ard the beach. As they paused to listen they heard no sound. E
circle of her fla
red Marian in alarm
Lucile suddenly;
ey found it was all too true
n," exclaimed Marian
ken our boat a
e. "I just saw a track in the sand. T
to the water's edge where a boat had been grounded. These same foo
e marks closely. "He limps; one step is long and one short, also one
said Maria
sued there came the faint
e point,"
oat!" whisp
d close by Marian. Tripped by creeping vines, torn at by underbrush, swished by
whispere
would find him. As soon as we were asleep, he crept away and towed the schooner down the river, then he flashed a signal and the
as a serious matter. They had but a scant supply of food, and while their aunt might arriv
ight have engine trouble, or something, and be oblige
. "It's a good thing we had our food supply
, "I'm hungry. We'd better have