Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-12-21
GRAUSTARK
BY =.
GEORGE BARR MCUTcHE0S
Copyright. 1901, bv Herbert S. Stone 4

After hasty breakfast in New York
he telephoned to the steamship COM
pany's pier and asked the time of sail
ing for the Kaiser Wilhelm. On being
informed that the ship was to cast off
at her usual hour he straightway call
eel a cab and was soon bowling along
toward the busy waterway. Directly
he sat bolt upright. rigid and startled
TO find himself more awakened to the
realization OF his absurd action. Again
IL entered his infatuated head that he
was performing the veriest schoOlboy
trick in rushing TO a steamship pier in
the hope of catching a final and at best
unsatisfactory glimpse of young wo-
man who had appealed to his sensitive
admiration. a lovesick boy could be
excused for such a display of imbecil-
fly, but a mana man of the world!
Never!
THE idea of chasing down to the
waters edge to see that girl is enough
to make you ashamed of yourself for
| life. Grenfall Lorry." he apostrophized.
Its worse than any lOvesick fool
ever dreamed of doing. | am blush
ing. III be bound. The idiocy. the
rank idiocy of the thingl And suppose
she should see me staring at her out
| there OH the pier? What would she
think of me? I'll not go another foot!
| l won't be fool"
He was excited and self conscious
and thoroughly ashamed of the trip
into which his impetuous alteration
had driven him. Just as he was tug
| ging at the door in the effort to open it
that he might order the driver to take
him back TO the hotel a sly tempter
whispered something in his ear. His
fancy was caught, and he listened:
"Why not go down to the pier and
look over the passenger list just to see
if she has been booked safely? That
would be perfectly proper and sensi-
ble and. besides, it will be satisfac-
ton to know that she gets off all right
Certainly! There's nothing foolish in
that. Especially as | am right on
the way there And as | have
come so far there's no sense in
going back without seeing whether
she has secured passage. can
find out in a minute and then go home
- There won't be anything wrong
In that. And then | may get a glimpse
of her before the ship leaves the pier.
She must not see me, of course. New
er! She'd laugh at me. How I'd hate
to see her laughing at mer' Then,
sinking back again with a smile of
justification on his face, he muttered:
eve won't turn back; We'll go right
ahead. Wen be a kind of a fool. but
not so foolish as to allow her to see US
and recognize us as one"
Before long they arrived at the
wharf, and he hurried to the office
near by. The clerk permitted him to
look over the list. First he ran
through the first class passengers and
was surprised to find that there was
no such name as Guggenslocker in the
list. Then he went over the second
class, but still no Guggenslocker
Hasn't Mr.. Guggenslocker taken
passage" he demanded, unwilling to
believe his eyes.
Not on the Kaiser Wilhelm, sir"
'Then, by George, they'll miss the
bOatr Lorry exclaimed. Maybe they'll
be here in a few minutes"
They can't get anything but steer
age now. sir. Everything else is gone
"Are you sure they haven't taken
passage" asked the bewi!dered LorrJ
weakly.
You can see for yourself" answered
the young man CURLY.
Lorry was again in a perspiration
this time the result of vague. grow.
ing suspicion that had forced itself IN
TO his mind. Gradually he came tc
the conclusion that she had fooled him
had lied to him. She did not intend
to sail on the Wilhelm at all. 1t was
all very clear to him now-that strange
ness in her manner, those odd OCCASION
al smiles. What was she-an adven
turess? That sweet faced girl little
ordinary coquette, a liar? He turned
cold with the thought.
The Changing of bells broke upon hi!
ears, and he knew that the great shiI
? was about to depart. Mechanically
discensolately, he walked out and pace
the broad, crowded wharf. All wa
excitement. There were the rush O
people, the shouts, the cheers, the puff
I ing of tugs, the churning of water, an
= the Kaiser Wilhelm was off on it's lon
= voyage. Half heartedly, miserabl
-, and in a dazed condition he found
= place in the front row along the raj
There were tears in his eyes, tears @
e anger. shame and modification. Sh
had played>with him,
Gloomily his disappointed eyes sweI
along the rail of the big steamer, hal
s interested in spite of themselves Twic
they passed a certain point on the fo
ward deck. unconscious of a force tia
9 was attracting them in that direction
The third time he allowed them to Sc
tie for an instant en- the group of face
and figures and then stray off to otht
parts of the ship. Some strange powt