Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

78 favorite salads, were naturally terra incog- nita to the Totuluans; but there had been the important matters of sickness to discuss, of patent medicines and the proper handling of husbands, that had all gone swimmingly, despite the lack of mutual vocabulary. Also, Mrs. Boyle had discovered a sad state of affairs concerning Women’s Rights in the despotic little monarchy which she had already determined to alleviate. But of this she said nothing. “Well,” said the skipper, “if you’ve set your mind on staying, it can be arranged. T’ll leave Jimmy with you.” “That sparrow! I can take care of my- self.”’ ‘“‘There’s no question of that, my dear. They are perfectly friendly natives. It’s a matter of your own dignity. Besides, Jim- my has work to do, getting the cargo ready.” “As long as he attends to his own busi- ness?” “We'll fix him up a tent. As for your quarters——”’ “‘T shall sleep in the Queen-House.” Visions of Mrs. Boyle—who was fond of her comfort—trying to sleep in a grass house open to the four winds and wandering ‘Insects, on a mat bed with a wooden pillow, surrounded by a score of queens, half of whom were obese and given to snoring; flashed across the skipper’s mind. “You wouldn’t like that, my dear: Those grass houses are full of spiders—and centi- pedes.”’ “Ugh!” “T’ll have a proper bed fixed for you in the king’s storehouse—we’ll take out the pictures. ‘There’s a high fence on three sides and the lagoon in front. Besides, it’s practically tapu. You’ll need privacy.” ‘““We-e-ell,”’ said Mrs. Boyle, her flesh still crawling at thoughts of marauding spiders. “Perhaps that’s the best thing to do.” ‘“‘That’s settled then. I'll go talk with Jimmy.” B® THE Margaret Ann left on the afternoon tide, with Tamatau, ac- a companied by the repentant Fatua —under discipline—ensconced in state upon the after deck. The orchestrion sobbed out ‘“The Wearing of the Green” as a fare- well lament, and the village, in canoes and afoot along the curving beaches of the la- goon, accompanied the barkentine to the Adventure reef-passage. Mrs. Boyle was in the king’s whaleboat, manned, at her insistence, by men instead of it’s regular crew of queens. Jimmy had proved less difficult over the matter of staying behind than Boyle had feared. ‘The work the skipper had men- tioned was largely hypothetical until the barkentine returned; and the supercargo had six unused canvases and a new outfit of oils and brushes. Besides, there was Fuatina. Mrs. Boyle’s quarters had been established to her satisfaction and Jimmy had a tent, improvised from a spare awning by Billy-Boy, set up on the beach away from the village. The first two days passed quietly. Mrs. Boyle was in constant companionship with the select female society of the atoll, save when she was taking lessons in Totuluan from Kokua, who had acquired a fair knowl- edge of English on whaling voyages. Jimmy was working hard on a canvas ata general picture of the head of the muleshoe- shaped lagoon. Fuatina, adoring at his feet, held the spare brushes. “Hits ’ell, getting this sand right,” com- plained the artist, squeezing prodigally from fat tubes. “Hit looks w’ite, but hit hain’t, w’en you see the foam. Hit’s pink, hand yeller, hand the shadders his bloo.”’ A long cobalt shadow fell across the can- vas from behind. Atupa, honorary pay- master of Totulu, spoke his approbation. “Maiti, no,” he said. “You like?” asked the flattered artist. “Maiti. Coco-palm plenty much good. All same walk about in wind. I like you make um pikitura my house.” ; “This paint, this canvas, cost plenty much money,” said the astute little super- cargo—Atupa had pearls. ‘This picture I sell um Sydney stop along.” “How much?” “Maybe one hundred dollars.” Atupa mused. ‘You take um pearl?” “Hill look hem _ hover. ’ouse?”’ The home of Atupa was on the windward side of the atoll in a clump of glossy bread- fruits with the tumbling Pacific beyond. Both the view and a fine pearl stimulated Jimmy’s ambition, and with the spell- bound Fuatina as official assistant, he started work the next day. In the afternoon Atupa came to overlook the satisfactory progress. Jimmy’s palette stopped mostly W’ere’s the COMmMichoooks (©