SYNOPSIS.
Philip Cayley , accused of a crime of
which ho Is not guilty , resigns from the
army in disgrace and his affection for
his friend. Lieut. Perry Hunter , turns to
hatred. Cayley seeks solitude , where he
perfects a flying machine. While soaring
over the Arctic regions , he picks up a
curiously shaped stick he had seen In the
assassin's hand. Mounting again , he dis
covers a yacht anchored In the bay. De
scending near the steamer , he meets a
girl on an Ice floe. He learns that the
girl's name Is Jeanne Fielding and that
the yacht has come north to seek signs
Of her father , Captain Fielding , an arctic
explorer. A party from the yacht Is ma
king search ashore. After Cayley departs
Joanne finds that he had dropped a cu
riously-shaped stick. Captain Planck and
the surviving crew of his wrecked whaler
are in hiding on the coast A giant ruf-
man namedRoscoe , had murdered Fielding
and his two companions , after the ex
plorer had revealed the location of an
mormous ledge of pure gold. Roscoe then
took command of the party. It develops
that the ruffian had committed the mur-
3er witnessed by Cayley. Roscoe plans
to capture the yacht and escape with a
big load of gold. Jeanne tells Fanshaw ,
owner of the yacht , about the visit of the
'sky-man ' and shows him the stick left by
Cayley. Fanshaw declares that it Is an
Eskimo throwing-stlck , used to shoot
darts. Tom "Fanshaw returns from the
searching party with a sprained ankle.
Perry Hunter is found murdered and
Cayley Is accused of the crime but Jeanne
believes him Innocent. A relief party goes
to find the searchers. Tom professes his
love for Jeanne. She rows ashore and
enters an abandoned hut , and there finds
her father's diary , which discloses the ex
plorer's suspicion of Roscoe. The ruf-
flan returns to the hut and sees Jeanne.
He is Intent on murder , when the sky
man swoops down and the ruffian flees.
Jeanne gives Cayley her father's diary
to read. The yacht disappears and Ros-
coe's plans to capture it are revealed.
Jeanne's only hope Is in Cayley.
CHAPTER XII Continued.
"And that's what might have hap
pened , oh , so easily , to you. Yes , it
might Tve been realizing that. And
I sha'n't forget. " Her eyes had bright-
jened and she pressed her hands to
[ them for Just one moment ; then she
straightened up briskly. "Anyway , I'll
not make a scene about it now , " she
'said. ' "I'll show a little practical
[ sense and help you with the break
fast"
"No , we're camping out today , and
on such occasions the men always do
the cooking. Go back to your book
while I skin this fowl and dress It. "
Then as she utill hesitated , he went
on : "The must beautiful garment I
ever saw , anywhere , was on a Chu-
cotte Indian girl. It was made of noth
ing but the breasts of these eiders.
'But ' the process isn't pretty. I'd much
rather you went back to your book. "
Seeing that he meant it , she did
as he asked. A single half page of
Jwhat was written upon those closely
ruled pages was enough to absorb her
again completely. The power it had
over her seemed to grow rather than
to lessen. When Cayley came up with
the big bird which was to serve for
their breakfast , impaled upon a sharp
stick ready to be roasted over the
fire , she no more than looked up at
him , with a smile very friendly , but
half-apologetic , and then went on with
her reading. He crouched down near
by her , built a little frame-work of
sticks above the fire and began his
'cooking. '
It was , perhaps , ten minutes after
[ that when he saw the book drop sud-
jdenly from her hands. When he
glanced up at her , she was looking
seaward out over those miles of
plunging , heaving ice. And , under his
eyes , her face turned white as marble.
Her bloodless lips were parted. They
did not move at all and they looked as
If they were frozen. He could not
see that she was breathing. Her eyes
were turned away from him and he
was glad of that For another moment
more , at least , he nee"d not read the
look in them. For now , at last , he
was sure she understood. He himself
fixed his eyes upon the fire and
waited.
"There's something here , " she whis
pered , "here in this book of father's ,
that that I want you to read. "
It was still open at the page she had
been reading when she had dropped
it. With his 'first glance at what was
written there he saw how she had
come , so suddenly to understand.
"September 18th. Field-ice came
into the bay last night , just as it has
come at about this season in the two
preceding years a dense fog and a
whole gale blowing from the east. To
me its , coming is a relief. It is , in a
way , the official beginning of winter.
The tantalizing hope of a. rescue is
now put away on the shelf to wait for
another summer. After all , to men in
our condition a temporary hopeless
ness is much more comfortable than
hope itself. The long winter night
gives an opportunity to revive our be
lief that with another season of open
water , rescue will' come.
"I have been very busy lately stock
ing our larder for the next six months.
Fortunately , I have succeeded in killIng -
Ing bears and walruses enough to keep
us supplied. I wish I could feel as
easy about our fuel. We have swept
the beach clear of drift-wood , but shall
have barely enough to get through
the winter with. For myself , who have
no real hope at all , it doesn't greatly
matter. I greet the dawn of each of
these interminable arctic days with
intense weariness. And I never bid
farewell to the sun for another winter
without an involuntary 'In manus
Tuas. ' "
Cayley read the entry through slow
ly. "I'm glad it happened this way , "
he said when he finished , "glad it was
your father who told you. All this
past hour I've been -wondering how I
could tell you , how I could make you
understand. "
The girl had been half-reclining up
on the great sheepskin , her weight
supported by one hand. While Cayley
read , this support failed her , and'she
sank down , rather slowly , until her
head was burled in the arms which
were stretched out as If in blind sup
plication.
As Cayley spoke , he covered those
clasped , outstretched hands with one
of his own. The touch and the sound
af his voice steadied her a little.
"You've known , then , from the
Brst ? " The words came brokenly ,
tialf-voiced , muffled.
He bent down over her to hear
them. "Yes , I knew from the first. "
He said no more than that just
then , but remained as he was , his.
aand covering her two , holding them
tight , his body bending over hers
irotectingly.
After a little while she ceased shud-
lering , and answered the pressure of
lis hand with a sudden clasp of her
.wo ; then drew them away again and
sat erect
Her eyes , when they rose to his
'ace , were still wide with fear a
leeper-seated fear , really , than her first
noinentary panic. But now she had
That Gocpei Begins With Breakfast , ' * He Said.
I91O BY TH * CENTURY CO
COPYPIOHT 1010 Or THt SUCCCSS CO
It in control and spoke steadll ;
enough.
"There is no chance at all , do yoi
think ? "
"For the Aurora to come back ? No
not this season , at least ; no possibli
.chance. "
"And how much ammunition hav <
you , Mr. Cayley ? "
"Thirty-one cartridges , besides th <
ones in the revolver. "
He would have said something more
but with a little gesture she prevented
him. "You've been thinking it out , '
she said. "You know what it mean :
now , and I I feel that I don't. I can'i
quite realize it yet. You. must give
me a little time to think , too. "
He had to assent to that , though h <
knew , in advance , the direction hei
thoughts must take , and foresaw the
dreadful conclusion of them. And the
answer he had to make to that con
elusion ? Well , he had it ready.
How long that silence lasted , neith
er of them knew. He sat there beside
her , and yet even his eyes allowed
her perfect solitude. He mended the
fire and attended to his cooking as
quietly as before , when the girl was
I reading.
Finally a little move of hers , pre
paratory to speech , gave him leave
to look at her. In those silent min
utes , however long they were , her face
had changed. It was grave now , in
tensely thoughtful , but the color had
come back into it. It was alive again.
"When I asked you a while ago if
there were any chance , you asked me
if I meant a chance for the return of
the Aurora , and said there was none.
That was what I meant then , but it's
not what I mean now. Is there any
chance at all ? I haven't been able to
see any myself , and I've been over it
all pretty carefully. Do you see any ?
You you must tell me the truth ,
please. "
"I haven't ben trying to assess the
chances. I spent my hour thinking
about something else , and I can't an
swer your question really with a yes
or a no. "
"Not with a yes , but can't you an
swer it with a no ? Aren't you per
fectly sure , in your heart , tiat there's
no chance at all ? "
"Not yet , " he answered. * There may
be a chance , and if there is , we
can meet it half way. " Then he
stretched out his * hand. "That red-
bound book there is our Bible now.
Do you remember what your father
said ? 'We , can live like Christians , and
we can always hopeHe thought ,
when he put that bottle , which con
tained his message , into the sea , that
there was hardly one chance in a mil
lion of its resulting in an effectual re
lief. Yet he went on living as a brave
man lives , a day at a time. And when
he died , he died without fear. Doing
that , he not only helped himself , but
he helps us in a way that he couldn't
possibly have foreseen. "
Her eyes filled suddenly with tears ,
and a smile , of a divine sad tender
ness , touched for an instant her
mouth. "But that isn't our case , you
know. Ours isn't as simple as that. "
"What makes the difference ?
"Your wings. " She said it hardly
above a whisper , and as she said it
she turned a little paler and her brave
lips trembled. But in an instant her
will had taken command again. "I
am sure you see. It's quite plain , "
she went on steadily. "If you will
spread them , those great wings of
yours , and take to the air with them ,
and fly away , as you are free to do ,
and leave me here alone , as I really
am aione , the only person marooned
here if you'll do that , then I'll fol
low my father's gospel. But you won't
? o away. You can't not a man like
you , and I know that. I know I
mustn't even suggest it. "
Her voice sank again and grew un
steady. "While I am starving , you
will be starving , too. And while I am
freezing , you will freeze. " She !
stopped there with a shudder and a
leep , gasping sob ; then , "Won't you
jo ? " she cried out. "You said once
; hat one of us might be dreaming , but
.hat one was not I. Can't you believe
t's so ? Can't you wake up from the
iream that is turning into a night-
nare , and fly away ? . No , you can't !
iTou can't ! There is only one way out
f it ! "
There was the conclusion he had
oreseen , had foreseen long before he
: ould formulate it the inevitable con-
dusion that had led him to pray fern
: n hour. .And , now he thanked God
hat the answer was ready.
But before he could speak she
urned to him with a sudden transi-
ion of mood , which left him gasping.
? he face she turned upon him now
ras radiant , flushed with life , fear-
5ss. She held out both hands to him.
Come , " she said ; "that's over. You're
o forget it ever happened , and you're
D do something for me that I want.
7111 you ? I want this for a holiday ,
list as I set out to make it when I
aw the yacht was gone. The day's
s bright as it was then , and we
an make the hours pure gold. It all
epends on us. Come , will you do that
ar me ? "
Giving him her hands , she had
leant him to assist her. to rise , but he
isregarded the intention and knelt
D one knee beside her. "Jeanne , "
e said.
Har color fluttered like a flax at
that , and she caught her breath
"Thank you Philip. "
"We'll have our holiday , Jeanne , bul
we must have a better understanding
first. "
"No ! No more ! I can't ! "
But he went steadily on : "You sale
there was only one way out , and ]
knew what you meant. It is a way
out a way that I can't deny youi
right to take , if we're talking oi
rights. During the five years that ]
spent at Sandoval I always regarded
it as a right that I could exercise
when I chose. Perhaps that is pne ol
the reasons I never exercised it. But ,
Jeanne , if you elect to take that way ,
I shall take it with you. "
She struggled away from him , turned
and faced him with horror-stricken
eyes. "You must not say that ! You've
no right to threaten me with that !
No right ! " Then , clutching at his
hands again , "You must promise ! "
Again she pulled her hands away
and covered her face with them. She
was trembling uncontrollably.
"It was not a threat , " he said stead
ily. "It was a promise , a promise I
have the right to make. I make it
again , now , Jeanne a solemn prom
ise before God. Whether it's living or
dying , I shall go beside you. "
"No right " she repeated In a whis
per. "What possible right could you
have to make a promise like that a
threat that calls Itself a promise ? " .
"I have the only right there Is.
Listen. Last night , when you were
lying there asleep , I sat thinking ,
thinking about you , about the love I
had for you ; about the change which
that love had made in me and would
go on making after I had lost you. For
I faced losing you. I knew that when
they sent a boat ashore for you , I
should have to let you go without a
word. If I could have heard a prophecy
then , that today I should be telling
you I loved you , telling it vith a clear
heart and conscience , I should have
gone half-mad for joy. It seemed as
if the thing could never happen. I am
a man with a stain upon me , and yes
terday that stain made It Impossible
to say anything to you but goodby. I
meant to say it , and take my way
through the air again and live out the
rest of my life on what , from your
bounty , you had already given me.
"But the coming of a new day has
changed-all that. It has given me the
right to tell you what I have told you ,
and it gives me the right to make that
promise. Isn't that quite plain ? Don't
you understand ? "
"I must think , " she gasped. "You
must let me think. "
"No , " he said , "I have not asked for
an answer. There is nothing that you
have to tell me. Nothing that I'm
waiting to hear. No decision that you
must make. You understand what I
said and you know it's true. The
supreme fact in my universe is
just you. That gives me the
right to follow you wherever you
go. But you are still free. You
can stay here , where Fate has put you
and let me stay here , too , being sure
that all the happiness in the world
there is for me is to be found here at
your side , in helping you. And then if
the torture of privation , loneliness and
despair become too hard "
She turned to him then and inter
rupted. Her words came quietly , un
accompanied by any gesture of her ex
pressive hands. She spoke with the
utmost simplicity.
"They won't be too hard , I think
neither the privation nor the loneli
ness. There won't be any despair
not with you , my friend. And and
we will follow my father's gospel. "
She saw the blood go ebbing- out of
tiis face , and then come back with a
surge. He drew in two or three great
breathe of the keen , winelike air.
Then , in a strangely matter-of-fact
fashion , he seated himself beside her.
"That gospel begins with breakfast , '
de said.
CHAPTER XIII.
Captain Fielding's Gospel.
Side by side , upon that great sheep
skin , they sat , those two people , in
he very lap of death. A reasonable
; stlmate of their chances would give
, hem , perhaps , a week to live. With
jxceptional fortune , that week might
itretch itself into a month. The great
> lue spirit of the arctic would darken
o purple , and to black. The icy hand
if the savage polar winter would get
ts clutches upon them. They had
lothlng to resist it with. No stores of
immunitlon or of food. No clothing ,
ixcept what they wore. No fuel , save
? hat they could contrive to gather
Jong the talus before the winter gales
rould make further search Impossible.
Neither Jeanne nor Cayley was of a
ort to face the prospect of that death
irith resignation. They were young ,
atensely alive , and with Jeanne , at
sast , the best and biggest part of life
ly , or had lain until yesterday , in a
road open road before her. But a
respect like the one that lay before
hem brings its own anaesthetic with
It was so utterly hopeless that it
ecame unreal. The face of the future ,
ito which she had cast just one hor-
Ifled glance , was so hideous that to
tie girl , at least , it was Hke some
lonster mask of carnival too gro-
ssquely horrible to be taken seri-
usly.
That IB partly the reason why ahe
, succeeded in surprising Cayley by sit
ting down to breakfast with him Ii
the same mood and spirit which sh <
had shown before when she did nbi
know.
"I'm about half famished , " she sale
as they began their meal , "at leasi
that duck smells perfectly lire
sistlble. It's done to a turn , I think
In a way , It's rather a joke that we
should begin our arctic privations
with a roast duck. "
"There's something queer about thai
hut , " he said , "something that gets
queerer the more I think about it
Why do you suppose the Walrus peo-
pie abandoned it ? Or , rather , do you
suppose they did abandon it ? They
couldn't have built another house
without dismantling this one. There
are no trftes on this land to furnish
timber , and there certainly isn't any
hardware store where they could have
those doors swung on hinges. But
those doors swung on hanges last
night and the bolt worked , and , more
or less , the walls and roof kept out
the gale. For this style of architecture
it's in pretty good repair. "
The girl was only half convinced.
"That great heap of stones in there , "
she began , "doesn't look like good re
pair or recent habitation. "
"No It doesn't , " he rejoined. "It's
been made to look as little that way
as possible. It wouldn't have got into
that condition otherwise In 100 yeara
Come , let's have a look. It's something
to hope for , at any rate. "
"To hope for ? " she repeated ques-
tloningly.
He had already entered the hut , and
did not at once volunteer any further
explanation , but from the shine of ex
citement she could see in his eyes , It
was evident that he contemplated
something better than merely holdIng -
Ing deajth at arms' length for a
little while.
To the girl's eyes there was but lit
tle about the interior of the hut to ac
count for such a hope , even though
she saw that all of the things he had
said about It were true. The flimsy
inner doors were still hinged to their
frames , and were provided with a
miscellaneous assortment of catches.
It was marine hardware , all of It , evi
dently from her father's ship , the
Phoenix. The bunks and shelves which
lined the walls looked perfectly solid
and well built. But the general ap
pearance of the room presented a look
of disrepair. It was absolutely un
furnished. The great heap of smoke-
blackened stones , of various sizes and
shapes , and the hole in the roof above
them , attested that they had once
been a fire-place.
From the forlorn aspect of the room
the girl gladly turned her eyes away
and stood looking at Cayley instead.
He had been sweeping the walls , roof
and floor in a general survey. Now ,
abruptly , he went over to the heap of
stones , picked up one of them , rubbed
his thumb over it and scrutinized ,
with an air of considerable interest ,
the black smear It left.
"That would account for the drift
wood , " he said absently.
At that he might have seen in the
; irl's face a look of half-amused im
patience , but his abstraction was too
leep for him to notice it.
He walked over to one of the side
walls , pulled open what proved to
3e a big solid shutter , revealing a
jlazed window , and , for a long while ,
stood there , unconscious of the look
: he girl had turned upon him , uncon
scious of his present surroundings.
"Yes , something to hope for , certain-
y. " He turned away from the win-
low as he said it , and smiled at her.
'A good hope a good fighting hope
hat when the relief comes back next
iummer they'll find you here alive. "
"If you say so , I'll believe it , " said
he girl , "because you told me the
ruth before. But do you mind telling
' *
ne why'f
"I should have thought of it soon-
sr. I should have noticed it last
light. My guess was right , that's all.
? his is not an abandoned hut. Don't
'ou see , It's in almost perfect repair ?
'he hinges on this shutter work , al-
hough If you look closely you can see
hat some one gave a tug at them not
Dng ago In an attempt to pull them
ut. And that patch on the wall was
ut on within a month. The men
rho wrecked this placed worked hastl-
T and showed no great degree of Imag-
lation. They hadn't much time , you
ee , because they couldn't have begun
ntil they caught their firat glimpse
t the yacht. They had finished the
> b before they could send a party
shore. "
t
"But why in the world should they
o such a thing ? " the girl protested. 1
He shook his head. "I haven't ]
orked that out yet , not fully , at any
ite. After * all , it's not the question
lat concerns us. "
"I'm still In a maze about it. What
id you mean about the drift wood ? "
"Why , the soot on these stones
lowed me that. They haven't been
Liming drift wood In this fire-place ,
hey've been burning coal or oil , per-
ips. I hadn't thought of that. That's
hy the drift wood collected again out I
tere on the talus. You remember
> ur father speaks of having used it
1 ? There have been a dozen men
ring here ever since , and they didn't
> ed it. So they must have had some
her sort of fuel , *
"You mean they've got a supply
somewhere hidden ? "
He nodded. "Not only a supply of
fuel , but of food , too. You remember
your father also speaks of having his
larder completely stocked for the win
ter at this time ? Well , these fellow \ .
weren't expecting any relief. They
must have stocked their larder , too.
Of course , " he went on a moment
later , "I realized vaguely all alonjf
that there must be stores somewhere
here on the land because men were
living here , but on the theory that
they had abandoned the beach and
were living in some undiscovered part
of the mainland , our chance of finding
those stores was almost nothing at alL
Finding them would be like trying to
find Point Barrow in a fog. But you
see , if they kept them here in thesa
huts , and- then hid them when they
caught sight of the yacht , while they
may be well hidden , they can't be far
away. There wouldn't have been tlma
to move them far ; certainly not over
the glacier and into the Interior there.
It must all be hidden somewhere , here
on the coast. When we find that hiding ;
place , we shall probably find all th
stores we need .for the winter. "
"Then , I suppose , the next thing ferns
ns to do is to go out and find It. "
"Not quite the next thing. Unless
we have exceptional luck , we can
hardly hope to find It for several
days ; it may take a fortnight , and we.
must have some temporary security
first. In the meantime there Is no
telling what sort of weather we will
have. It's rather late for these beau
tiful , mild days , I fancy. No , the first
thing to do Is to rebuild this fireplace
and bring in a lot of drift wood and
all those birds that were killed last
night by flying against the cliff. When
we have made this hut habitable
against a spell of 40 below zero weath
er , such as we're likely to have at any
time , and have accumulated stores of
fuel and food for a few days , thea
we'll begin our search. I had better
zet to work at once. I think I can re
"You'd Better Take Belt and Holster
and All. "
build this fire-place by myself. Will
you go and begin carrying in fire
wood , and as many of those ducks and
geese and loons as you can find there
along the talus ? "
She nodded , and turned to leave the
hut. "Take the revolver with you , "
he called after her.
At that she halted abruptly in the
doorway. "Why should I have it any
more than you ? " Then , answering his
smile with one of her own , she added :
"I suppose a well-trained crew doesn't
demand reasons for the captain's or
ders only "
"There's a perfectly good reason ,
rm working In the shelter , and you
In the open. Besides that , I'm stronger
and I have my sheath knife. If I were
attacked by anything , I could give a
better account of myself than you.
could. You'd better take belt and
holster and all , and buckle it right
around your waist. "
When Philip finally had his fire
place rebuilt , in a temporary fashloa
which he thought would serve till
greater leisure should allow him to
perfect It , he stepped outside the hut
md looked , first down and then up-
: he shore in search for her , and was
lisappoint&d at finding her nowhere
n sight.
She must be dreadfully tired , he
bought , and with that thought decid-
5d to set out to find her. First , how-
iver , he transferred the remnants of
he fire from the flat stone before the
mt to his newly constructed hearth ,
leaped on more wood and noted , with ,
atlsfaction , that his makeshift chim-
ley drew well and did not smoke in-
olerably. He had discovered an empty
: ask under a heap of rubbish in the-
toreroom and this he filled with
hunks of ice and set by the fire to
aelt
Five minutes later he was just a
wheeling , glinting , sun-bathed specie
a the amber air , the thrilling , prin
ting , winelike air. He had taken to
Js wings , upon leaving the hut , sinx
ly because they offered him th
ulckest , easiest way of finding Jeaat
e. *
BB COMTJLN U E1X&
