Part 10 (2/2)

CHAPTER VII

THE BLUE ENVELOPE DISAPPEARS

When Marian heard the voice outside the cabin on the wreck, she realized that a new problem, a whole set of new problems had arisen

Here was a rizzled miner who had demanded the blue envelope? If so, what then? Was there more than one man? What was to coh heron her parka The next moment she had opened the door, stepped out and closed the door behind her

”Ah! I have the pleasure--”

”You?” Marian gasped

For a second she could say no more Before her, dressed in a jaunty parka of Siberian squirrel-skin, was her frank-faced college boy, he of the Phi Beta Ki

”Why, yes,” he said rather aardly, ”it is I Does it seee? Well, yes, I dare say it does Suppose you sit down and I'll tell you about it”

Marian sat down on a section of the broken rail

”Well, you see,” he began, a quizzical s about his lips, ”when I had completed my--my--well, my mission to the north of Cape Prince of Wales, it was too late to return by dog-team I waited for a boat I arrived at the P O you used to keep You were gone So was my letter”

”Yes, you said--”

”That was quite all right; the thing I wanted you to do But you see that letter ison was coe She ran into a mess of bad luck First ere picked up by an ice-floe and carried far into the Arctic Ocean When at last we poled our way out of that, ere caught by a storm and carried southith such violence that ere thrown upon this sandbar The shi+p broke up soed to stick to her until the weather cale into the forrinned

Marian nodded

”Well, the shi+p was hopeless Natives came in their skin-boats from East Cape”

”East Cape? How far--how far is that?”

”Perhaps ten irl's startled face

”Nothing; only didn't a white man come with the natives?”

”A whitethere”

”No, he didn't come”

Marian settled back in her seat

”Well,” he went on, ”the captain of this craft traded everything on board to the natives for furs; everything but soht that froet away as soon as possible I was just as determined to stay I didn't know exactly where you were, but was bound I'd find you and--and the letter” He paused