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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1917)
A red image stood upon the sleigh, an image twice as tall as Oona-giak's. THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, MARCH 4, 1917 lli thins wrapped In the pelt of the great musk ox. Straight past the shouting villagers staggered the team and its driver. Down lb the rock and snow igloo of Aganyik's father theyiwent. There the little cav alcade of onlookers halted behind the sleigh. " "I bring the red Frost Devil," said Teeshwinah loudly. "I bring that beside which the ivory image is as a child's toyr" And he unwrapped the bundle. A -red image stood upon the sleigh, an image twice as tall as Oonagiak's, and with great green eyes that caught the light of the burning blubber oil from the door of the igloo and seemed to dance in the night. The new god was red, red as the sunset of early October, and so heavy that two men had to lift it. THE red devil was not snaggle toothed like Oonagiak's, and around its neck was a necklace of red stones that flashed greater fire than the green eyes. And the legs were lenger. the arms shorter, and the whole. body more symmetrical than Oonagiak's " ivory Koonagoyiak. Upon its head was a strange crest, and on its chest was a row of strange carv ings. Aganyik stared long at them and then looked at Teeshw!nah. "What knife carved this so smooth ly 7" she asked, "and where doca the scar faced one learn to make the . strange marks on the breast ? This is not your work. It is magic, and bad medicine. I will ""not be bought with bad medicine, for it metwus death in my father's house. TeU us who made it, that wo may know who carves better than you do in the strange ret! -metal, and from whom you stole it!" ,; . . "I made it myself," said Teeshwinah. But he stared at (' the snow, and when men would have looked him in the eye, averted his gaze. But Aganyik's father was satisfied. ':- The girl ia yours," ha said, "and also Jhe ivory handled whip, for she does not look pleasantly ou your scarred face, ami It is bad for a woman to say in open council, that she thinks her husband is a liar and a thief." The next day, Teeshwinah having feasted and slumbered, he dragged Agan yik to his own house, and Oanagiak, mourning in his 'igloo, held his hands to his ears to shut out the echo of her screams as the whip which is nieant for the backs of women rose and fell. For Aganyik had said publicly that her hus band was ugly and that he spoke with the tongue of a liar. When Junius Craig had exhausted all other devices for amusing himself, he hit upon the idea of an arctic trip. Kn thusiasm sustained .him for the fifteen months his boat was building. The pub- liclty his millions and eccentricities earned for the venture prevented his changing his mind after the arctic vet-, erans had unfolded statistics in imposing array. The Caliban sailed, to the accom paniment of cheers, band music, and the clicking of the moving picture cameras. Three peop'e were enthusiastic over the venture. One was Alex Ciaylord, the young naturalist, whom Craig as pleased to make official scientist. An other war Chester McFarlane, erstwhile newspaper correspondent. He wanted color for northern stories, and the fat emolument tlat went with writing Craig's signed account of the expedition. The third was Craig's wife, who stayed ashore and hoped he would never get back. , . ' t" She had heard of the ferocity of the ' bears of Kadiak Island, and hoped for the worst. She told Jeanne Jordan that if anything happened to Mr. Craig "she wanted the intelligence rushed. - Jeanne listened witlfaympathy in her mild gray eyes. She surmised; that she knew how '" the poor wife of the erratic man of wealth would worry. And she made a memo random of the instruction In her little red notebook." "If Mr. Craig is eaten by a bear or a Seal or anything, wire or wireless Mrs. Craig." Miss Jordan didn't know which of the two species was the more fwocious. Shft had never seen a bear, nid.the seal in the local zoo, he thought, was a young one. She hoped that they didn't go in for attacking steamships, however. She . vowed that tOie'd never set foot off the Caliban until safely back in Puget Sound. IT WAS a ridiculous venture for hr. . She had been Craig's private secretary lor almost three months before the sail- " leg. Her folks said people would talk. She said herself that she "hated the cold, "and wouldn't like musk ox and the like nosing around the ship at night. But Craig said that he would double her sal ary. She went. Craig was trying to write a book, and dictated interminable reams of stuff about African hunts and South Sea exploits In which he had fig ured. In the afternoon there was noth ing to do "but permit McFarlane and Gaylord to make violent love to her. Maybe it was merely propinquity. Save for the chaperon, a crusty old In valid ot , who essayed the trip for net health, despite descriptions of the food to be allotted north of M. she was the only woman aboard. There shouldn't hav been any. y, ' " X t.N -l a t:t,-wi I- ' - --- fetching laughs and childish Vays. Gay lord favored tall, languid blondes, on emotional., their i pallid beauty frosted with hauteur. Miss Jordan was neither. jiitt iiui a 1'iuiriy, rixj trjreu girl, wun, fiery red hair, ami an honest camaraderie that was neither Qaylord's idea nor Me Fartane'a The fermer thought that her features were toot regular, and the latter that she was too self-reliant. And before the Caliban had S passed the Charlotte group each had decided that he couldn't live without her. j , - By the time the dreary, rainy Etfo medes httl thrusf their dripping granite cliffs out of the j hissing green of the Bering Sea both sad made declaration, of love. Mtas Jordan laughed at them, with the chin breeze whipping a "gorgeous red into her cheeks Her sable hat and Jacket relieved the fine, fresh tints of-her skin and eyes, and Craig, gray haired and gruff, hovered near and grinned irt