A woman's face with some meaningless name beneath filled each page.
Along the top ran the heading, "Famous American Beauties." So it was a
woman! She skipped backward and forward among the pages for further
possible enlightenment, but there was no article accompanying the
pictures. It was merely an illustrated section devoted to the
photographs of prominent actresses and society women, most of whom she
had never heard of, though here and there she saw a name that was
familiar. In the centre was that tantalizingly clean-cut edge which had
subtracted a face from the gallery--a face which she wanted very much
to see. She paused and racked her brain, her brows furrowed with the
effort at recollection, but she had only glanced at the pages when the
magazine came, and had paid no attention to this part of it. Her anger
at her failure to recall this particular face aroused her to the fact
that she was acting very foolishly, at which she laughed aloud.
"Well, what of it?" she demanded of the empty room. "He's in love with
some society ninny, and I don't care what she looks like." She shrugged
her shoulders carelessly; then, in a sudden access of fury, she flung
the mutilated magazine viciously into a far corner of the room.
The travellers slept late on the following morning, for the weariness
of weeks was upon them, and the little bunk-room they occupied adjoined
the main building and was dark. When they came forth they found
Chakawana in the store, and a few moments later were called to
breakfast.
"Where is your mistress?" inquired Boyd.
"She go see my sick broder," said the Indian girl, recalling Cherry's
mention of the child ill with measles. "She all the time give medicine
to Aleut babies," Chakawana continued. "All the time give, give, give
something. Indian people love her."
"She's sort of a Lady Bountiful to these bums," remarked Fraser.
"Does she let them trade in yonder?" Boyd asked, indicating the store.
"Oh yes! Everything cheap to Indian people. Indian got no money, all
the same." Then, as if realizing that her hasty tongue had betrayed
some secret of moment, the Aleut girl paused, and, eying them sharply,
demanded, "What for you ask?"
"No reason in particular."
"What for you ask?" she insisted. "Maybe you b'long Company, eh?"
Emerson laughed, but she was not to be put off easily, and, with
characteristic guile, announced boldly: "I lie to you. She no trade
with Aleut people. No; Chakawana lie!"
"She's afraid we'll tell this fellow Marsh," Fraser remarked to
Emerson; then, as if that name had some powerful effect upon their
informant, Chakawana advanced to the table, and, leaning over it, said:
"You know Willis Marsh?" Her pretty wooden face held a mingled
expression of fear, malice, and curiosity.
"Ouch!" said Fraser, shoving back from his plate. "Don't look at me
like that before I've had my coffee."
"Maybe you know him in San Flancisco, eh?"
"No, no! We never heard of him until last night."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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