The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-06
MRS. WHITEHEAD.

vor are more or less bound to see it
through. Gilchrist went to Las Palmas,
in Grand Canary, by British African
boat, because they start from Liverpool,
near which port he resided. Mrs. White
head went by the same steamer, because
she thought there was less likelihood OF
meeting people who knew her there than
there would be on one of the bigger and
faster Cape boats which go from the south
of England. And, to further this coy de-
sire, she decapitated her name and ap-
peared on the purser's list as Mrs Whlte.
C3jlcbrist foregathered with her before they
had brought Holyhead over the quarter,
because he and she were the only two pas
sengers who had not seen the necessity OF
going below to lie down.
:tWill you let me lash your deck chair?"
he said by way of introduction. "The
sea'll get worse soon when we open up the
channel more, and you may get nasty
spill"
He very naturally got leave to do that
and quite naturally wedged himself in a
corner beside her and began to talk. That
was the beginning of it all. By the time
they had got abreast of Lands End he had
discovered that her Christian name was
Edith. and by the time they had crossed
tine bay and were carrying the brown hills
of Portugal along on their beam he had
dropped into the habit of letting slip the
name of Edith with the most skilled I'M
consciousness whenever there was none
else within earshot
He was not exactly new to this sort OF
game, and no more was she. They owned
up to the fact cheerfully. "I do hate cal
low youths" said Mrs. White, and,
"When I find myself paired off with
schoolgirls under two and twenty" said
Gilchrist, 81 bolt as soon as convenient
ly can and have comfortable swear. Let
me drag you chair behind the lifeboat
there, and then you can smoke cigar
eGte."
lone more cushion, please; just under
the head said Mrs. White. "And now
tuck the rug in round my feet. There,
thanks; that's nice. Now, some men
would be shocked at my sitting here and
smoking when half Portugal might be
looking on at us through race glasses for
anything we know Others would be
greedy and keep all their cigarettes to
themselves. You are neither one nor the
other, and therefore like you.
"Therefore I'm an infinitely lucky
man." said Gilchrist.
st think you are pretty lucky all the
way round. Nothing to do except amuse
yourself. You certainly aren't going to
Grand Canary for the good of your health,
because you 're the picture of that already,
and I can't say you've got the cut of a
man who's going there on business"
'Oh, I'm going to kick up my heels and
walk about and climb the mountains, and
eat oranges and avocado pears. At inter
walls I shall play little golf.
Delightful programme Nothing to do
but amuse yourself But don't you get
rather tired of it sometimes"
''It hasn't bored me so far. When q
mans had enough of one thing, he can try
another"
''That depends on the mans income.
I5'san expensive game ringing the changes
too often"
''Well, suppose it is, come to think of
it,, said Gilchrist. IT started the yacht
ing mania last summer. That came in
rather heavy for first outfit of materials"
Evidently" said Mrs. White, with
sigh, "you are young man having many
possessions What blessed comfort it
must be to get away from the region of
narrower means"
Gilchrist thought the matter over at
greater length that night when the lights
had been switched off in the smokeroom
and the other passengers had turned in,
and he came to several conclusions. Above
all things, he was satisfied that it was en-
tirely without drawbacks to be well off.
He also gave good deal Of his time to
thinking over Mrs. White. He didn't
quite know whether he was in love with
har OF not-he couldn't quite define what
being in love meant-but he was complete
ly satisfied she was the incest woman on
thst particular steamer and possibly on
msny steamers. Moreover, he reminded
himself that he was 80 and was under IN
structions from various relatives who TOOK
an interest in him to get married without
any further dawdling over it.
To think over matter of this KIND
solus at sea and under the suggestive
stars is a very different affair to doing the
Same prosaicalIy at home. Mrs. White did
not turn up all the next morning, and he
WIS bored with his own company. In tho
afternoon she was also absent, and he grew
more bored. And in tho evening when
size turned I'D again he proposed in the
first ten minutes out Of sheer relief at Sec
ing her again