The Blue Envelope

ed the blue envelope addressed to Phi Beta Ki. She had not done this without misgivings. Disturbing thoughts had come to her. Was it the right thing t

f Siberia, all thoughts of the letter and the two claimant

rienced anything quite so thrilling as this life

wildness of their existence. But here, here where no missionaries had been allowed nor teachers been sent, where gold gleamed still ungathered in the beds of the rivers, here the natives still dwelt in their dome-like houses of poles and skins. Here they fared boldly forth in

surroundings, as she worked industriously at the sketches which were

d of remembrance rushed through her mind; the frank-faced college boy, the angry miner, old Rover, the dog, who, sleek and fat on whale meat, lay c

en in deerskin unionsuits, their brown shoulders bared, working at the task of s

He had said that he intended coming to Whaling in a few days. He had posed among the natives as a spirit-doctor and had, according to reports, worked many wonderful cures by his incantations. Three w

s," said Lucile suddenly, as they talk

r three weeks yet. Th

kno

call them with. Besides, my sk

n in her hands. "But, all the

tches, but that won't br

g, she might not have done them so rapidly. As it was

brought fresh reports of the good fortune of the people of East Cape. They had captured a fourth whale, then a fifth. Their food for

otal take. Witch-doctors began declaring that the presence of strange, white-faced women in their midst was displea

the girls, they began straining their eyes for a squa

eir last hope, passed south along the coast of Alaska instead of Siberia. Their caches were

enough!) the natives wh

alrus canoes Marian and Lucile we

n returning Marian sudd

t's gone-

imed Lucile u

nder

an; the who

's r

two days, or freeze. Com

proached the solid line of fur-clad figures which s

heard one word repeate

(Enough!

sled on which the girls' belongings had been neatly packed. To the sle

to go," whis

where sh

is the on

that

y not

id upon her; she could not go through, that was all. The situation thrilled as much as it troubled her. Here was a people kind at heart but s

over the first thin snow of autumn. Over and over again Marian blessed the day she had been ki

d see that some of the boards had been painted and some had not. Some were painted halfway across, and some only in patches of a foo

from the wreckage of

or a

here, quite a large one. It's strande

go forward was to throw themselves upon the mercies of a gang of rough seamen. To pass around the cabin was only to fac

them to a decision. They wou

ed shoulders into the improvised harness,

rounded the corner of the cabin and came to a stand b

! Dese

n doorway. No sign of occupation was to be found within save a great rusty galley ra

a total loss, and have left in d

o get across the Straits before

m if it came before the skin-boat came for them. And that skin-boat? What would happen when it came to Whaling? Would the Chukches tell them in which direction they had gone? And if they did, wou

r something, on the peak of the cabin

t to go right on to E

aid Marian. "We need food and

feast of fried fish and canned baked beans. Then, with their water-soaked mucklucks (skin-boots) and stocki

abin aft. The stern of the ship had been carried completely about by the violence of

nly his eyes fell upon the cabin and the strange white signal wh

k, he launched it, then leaping into the nar

s hand was on the latch, when he chanced to glance up at

mouth flew open. An expression o

!" he muttered b

nce in his kiak he made do

By the dull light that shone through the cr

hat threw her back against the opposite wall. Fine particles of snow cut her face. The wind set every loose thing in th

izzard!" s

or, she attemp

nce of the stor

een rewarded with success, she

ile! Wake up

and groaned. Then s

she drone

A blizzard fr

sat up

xclaimed, fully awake i

rha

f it c

ite man has ever done it, let alone a woman. Well," she smiled, "we've got food for five days, and five day