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