Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-27
III.
The Adventure Begins.
III.


1t was only when the ship was less than
| a days journey off Sandy Hook that the
| colonel came on deck once more to resume
| his interest in human affairs. How the
girl lowered about him. She tucked the
| shawl more snugly around his feet she ar
| ranged and rearranged the pillows back Of
| his head; she fed him from bowl of soup;
she read from some favorite book; she
| smoothed the furrowed brow; she stilled
the long, white, nervous fingers with her
own small, firm. brown ones; she was
mother and daughter in one. Wherever she
moved the parent eye followed her. and
| there lay in its deeps strange mixture of
| fear, and trouble and questioning love- All
| the while he drummed ceaselessly on the
arms of his chair.
And Mr.. Robert. watching all these
things from afar, Mr.. Robert sighed dol
orously. The residue air in his lungs was
renewed more frequently than nature origi-
nally intended it should be.
Love has its benelicences well its
pangs, only they are not wholly appreciate
by the recipient. For what is better than
a good pair of lungs constantly filled and
refilled with pure air? Mr.. Robert even
felt a twnge of remorse besides. He was
brother to a girl almost as beautiful as
yonder one Ito my mind far more beautt
fulD and he recalled that in two years he
had not seen her nor made strenuous eff
forts to keep up the correspondence. An
other good point added to the score of love.
And, alas! he might never see this charm
Ing girl again, this daughter so full of
hlial love and care. He had sought the
captain. but that hale and hearty old sea
dog had politely rebuffed him.
My dear young man." he said, Il do all
l possibly can for the entertainment and
comfort of my passengers, but in this case
must refuse your request.
And pray, why. sir?' demanded Mr..
Robert, with dignity
For the one and simple reason that
Colonel Annesley expressed the desire to be
the recipient of no. ship introductions."
What the deuce is he, a bfllionaire?'
You have me there, sir. / confess that
1 know nothing whatever about him. This
is the first time he has ever sailed on my
deck
All of which perfectly accounts for Mr..
Roberts signs in what musicians call the
doloroso. If only he knew some one who
knew the colonel. How simple 1t would
be! Certainly, a West Point graduate
would find some consideration. But the
colonel spoke to no one save his daughter,
and his daughter to none but her parent,
her maid and the stewardess. Would they
remain in New York, or would they seek
their far-off southern home? Oh, the thou
sands of questions which surged through
his brain, From time to time he glanced
sympathetically at the colonel, whose fin
gers drummed and drummed and drummed.
Poor wretch! his stomach must be in bad
shape. Or maybe he has the palsy War
burton unused upon the curious incertitude
of the human anatomy.
But Colonel Annesley did not have the
palsy. What he had is at once the greatest
blessing and the greatest curse of God
remembrance. or conscience, if you will.
What a beautiful color her hair was. dap
pied with sunshine and shadow PShawi
Mr.. Robert threw aside his shawl and
book Gt is of no real Importance, but l
may as well add that he never completed
the reading of that summers most popular
novel;, and sought the smoking room,
xr-Jn rr-itl, tIn nj of n ia ND a
liberal stack of blues. he proceeded to di-
vert himself till the boat reached quaran-
tine. l shall not say that he left any of
his patrimony at the mahogany table with
it's green baiZe covering and It's little brass
disks for cigar ashes, but I am certain
that he did not make one of those stu
pendous winnings we often read about and
never witness. This much. however,: he
made the acquaintance of a very important
parsonage, who was presently to add no In
significant weight on the scales of Mr..
Roberts destiny.
He was a Russian, young. handsome
suaye of what the newspapers insist on
calling distinguished bearing. He spoke
English pleasantly but imperfectly. He
possessed a capital fund of anecdote, and
Warburton being an army man, loved
good droll story. 1t was a revelation to
see the way he dipped the end of his cigar
into his coffee, a stimulant which he drank
with Balzacian frequency and relish. Be
sides these accomplishments, he played
very SmOOln nanO at the great <tliciiSai
game While Mr.. Roberts admiration was
not aroused it was surely awakened
NY hero had no trouble with the customs
officials A brace of old French duellng
pistols and a Turkish simitar were the only
articles which might possibly have been
dutiable The inspector looked hard, but
he was knally convinced that Mr.. Robert
was not a professional curlo-coiiector.
Warburton, never having returned from
abroad before found deal of amusement
and food for thought in the ensuing scenes.
There was one man, a prim. lrasclble OLD
fellow, who was not allowed TO pass IN Two
dozen fine German razors. There was
time of it. angry words, threats, protes-
tations The inspector stood firm. The old
gentleman, In fine burst of passion, tossed
the raZors into the water Then they were
going to arrest him for smuggling. A friend
extricated him. The old gentleman went
away, saying something about the tariH
and an unreasonably warm place wnlch
has as many synonyms as an octopus mas
tentacles.
Another man. his mouth covered by an
enormous black mustache which must
have received Il bath every morning IN COZ
fee or something stronger, came iorwaro
nompously. l don't know to this day what
magic word he said, but the inspectors TOOK
never a peep into his belongings Doubt
less they knew him. and that his word was
as good as his bond
Here a woman wept because the necklace
she brought trustngly from Rotterdam
must be raid for once again; and here an
other who clenched her fists tdo women
have fists?) and if looks could have Killed
there would have been vacancy IN GUS
toms forthwith. All her choicest linen
strewn about on the dirty boards, all soled
and rumpled and useless!
When the coloners turn came Warburton
moved within hearing distance. How glori-
Gus she looked in that smart gray travelling
habit! With that wel-bred indifference she
gazed upon the scene. Calmly her glance
passed among the circles of strange faces
and ever and anon returned to the great
ship which had safely brought her back to
her native land. There were other women
who were just as well bred and indifferent
only Warburton had but one pair of eyes
Signs in the doloroso again. Ha! If only
one of these meddling jackasses would
show her some disrespect and give him the
opportunity of avenging the affront!
Come now; let me be your confessor
Have you never thought and acted like this
hero of mine? Haven't you been just as
melodramatic and ridiculous? 1t is nothing
to be ashamed Of For my part l should
confess to it with the same equanimty as
should to the humps or the measles. 1t
comes with. and is part and parcel of all
that strange medley We find in the Pan
dora box of life. Love has no diagnosis.
so the doctors say. tbs all in the angle OF