Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-10

she was back in her pleasant room at the
Morrisons hacienda or tucked up in her
own comfortable cabin. Yet here was
proof positive that the terror which en-
vironed her was real. Bound up with the
thunder of the gale were the words. Your
loving sister. Madge' evidently the sister
Capt. Courtenay had spoken of-"matron
of a hospital in the suburbs of London"
he said. Would he ever see her again?
Or his mother? Had he thought of them
at all during this night OF woe? Beneath
his iron mask did tears Turk, and dull
agony and palsied fear-surely a man
could suffer like a woman, even though
he endured most nobly?
And then, not thinking in the least
what she was doing she scrutinized the
closely tied packet. She wondered idly
why he treasured so many missivcs. Each
and every one, oddly enough, was written
on differently sized and variously coored
note paper. And 1t could be seen at
glance that they were from as many diff
ferent people. The outside letter was the
most clearly visible. Miss Courtenay
wrote a well-formed. flowing hand. II
handwriting were clue to character, she
was candid, generous, open minded
woman.
But what was this? Elsie suddenly
threw down the letters. She had read
sentence at the top of the page twice be-
fore she actually grasped its purport.
When Its significance dawned on her. she
flushed violently For this was what she
read:
Il am glad of 1t, too because under no
other circumstances would l wish to greet
and embrace the woman destined to be
your wife"
The knowledge that she had involuntar-
lily intruded on Capt. Courtenay's private
affairs brought her back with a certain
slight shock to a sense of actualities. The
storm. the horrible danger she was in.
emerged from shadow land. Why had he
not come for her? Surely there must
have been some further mishap, Heavens,
Was she alone on the ship, alone with the
dead men and the dying vessel? Her
head swan with a strange faintness, and
she placed h|G3 % her eyeA >Ae felt
that she must leave the cabin at once
and strive to make her way unaided along
the deck. Yes, whatever happened. she
would go now. 1t was too dreadful t.
wait there any longer in ignorance as to
her fate.
way and. with that splendid disregard for
sentiment displayed by a fox terrier who
has just come out of a first-class fight.
shock his harness until 1t ratified
But he eyed the thrush of the sea with
much disfavor, SO he leaped up on the
table beside Elsie, and looked at her as
though he would ask why she had per-
United this sacrilege.
Though the dog was apparently I'M
scathed and in the best of condition. his
head and forepaws were blood-stainod.
His advent dispelcd the mist which was
gathering in the girls brain. She feared
a tragedy yet joey assuredly would not
be so cheerful so daintily desirous to
avoid the splashing water in the cabin if
his master We're injured. She was doubt
ful now whether to go on deck or not The
mere presence of the dog was guarantee
that Courtenay had not quilted the ship.
Indeed, Elsie colored again, and more
deeply, at the disloyalty of her ungov-
erned fear. Josys master would be the
last man to desert a woman, no matter
what the excuse She strove to listen for
any significant noises without, but wind
and sea rendered the effort useless to IN
trained ears, and there was no shooting