The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-08-01
By LOUISE MERRIFIELD.


iii ltlluuul
under his breath and turned quickly on
his heel toward the hotel. 1t was after
Z. If he hurried he could still catch
the night boar for Chicago Perhaps
he could even get away before she re-
turned. Ii was growing late. Up at
the hotel they We're lighting the cOlored
Japanese lanterns around the veran-
das. There was to be hop that night.
He remembered Muriel had told him
she was going to 1t with Cutler. He
avoided the main entrance, with its
palms and pretty girls, and slipped up
to his own room to pack his suit cases.
On the way upstairs he met Cutler,
who looked anxious and annoyed.
Did you see the little girl any
where?"
Tenant turned on him hOtly.
"Whom do you refer tor
Cutler laughed easily, without malice,
and ignored the resentment in the 9th
er's tone.
There's storm coming up, and l
didn't want her to go out in my boat
alone"
As he passed on downstairs leisurely
Tenant paused and looked after him,
his fists clenched tightly. He would
have enjoyed finging him down the
whole flight for those words. "The
little girl 1t was the easy proprie-
tary familiarity that cut. That any
man on earth should dare to use that
tone in speaking of Muriel-his Muriel!
Then like flash came the memory Of
that straight, cold little figure in the
launch as it had passed the pier, Of
the proud little face that would not
turn his way, and he went on upstairs
with a dogged, bitter sense of all things
gone wrong. Perhaps she was Cutters
little girl"
The Chicago boat was due at the
Glenora at $50. At the music of
the Hungarian string orchestra came
softly from the palm hidden ballroom.
For a moment Tenant hesitated on
the veranda listening to it. Muriel was
In there, he thought. She had prOba-
bly, returned and was dancing, perhaps
with Cutler, while he was going away
from her forever. He had been fool
to come at all. 1t had been her half
laughing challenge, that last night on
the roof garden. They were with the
Wilburton party. Cutler had been
there Also but Muriei had sat next to
Tenant, and he had fancied that last
instant on the stairs that she had
meant more than mere Irritation
when she had said she hoped he would
be a member of the summer colony at
GlenOra.
He had taken her at her word and
gone to Glenora, and what Miss Arden
had begun on the roof garden she fin
ished at Glenora. But Tenant was
slow, slow to fall in love, slow to be-
lieve that he had the ghost of chance
with a girl like Muriel Arden, slower
yet to risk that chance in one last
throw. Aud while he had waited, sure
Of himself, but doubtful of Murel, Cut
Ter had come down with his launch his
motor car his coach and all the other
accessories Of half dozen million or
so, and Muriel had seemed to waver.
The night air was still and heavy
Suddenly sweep Of cool, keen wind
blew in freshly from the bay. 1t
caught the frail Jap lanterns and tossed
them like leaves to and fro. The bam-
boo curtains at the long French win
dows rustIed and swung inward, and
fly, la, nd xrriI
lows bent before it with 1.-the, swift
Obeisance.
Tenant jammed his hat low over his
eyes and started on a run for the pier
The rain splashed in his face, and a
glare of dazzling light shot across the
northwest heavens. lie ran faster. If
he could make the boathOuse before
the storm broke, he could take the
steamer Just as the thunder burst
in low report from the gray edged
black clouds he passed Cutters boat
house, and as the next flare Of quick
lightning came he saw that 1t was
empty The Mike was gone from Its
place.
The pier was deserted except for a
sleepy boy at the baggage shed. Ten
nant c3lled for a boat, for anything
that 4uld ride through the black,
rolling waves that licked along the
piling by the dock. There was no time
to get back TO the hotel or to give the
alarm for the life savers MurielSWas
out there, out in the storm and the
peril of the night alone, and he must
go to her.
Shaking the boy, gripping him until
he squealed with pain, Tenant wrung
from him somehow that the only boat
to be had was Cutters electric motor
boat, a small, low affair that only car
ried one, and that in fair weather.
you amt going out on Michigan
with her.. are your asked the boy,
Tenant smiled grimly and sprang into
the boat as the next wave lifted 1t up.
1t was mere silver Of thing, built
on the lines of racing she'll He had
owned one OF his own the previous
summer and understood the mechan-
lam. With the wind cutting sharply
across his face he whipped eleanly out
into the bay. Somewhere he would
find her, he told himself, bending low
over the little pilot wheel and holding
his breath as the little boat took the
water fairly. Cutters boat! He