The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-08

BY RITA KELLEY.

n 4 L l. =
the corner Of the little turret on top of
one Of the boats and asked if they could
row.
We'll, I should say" the doctor
shouted
And Betsy was forced to scramble up
the perpendicular old ladder onto the
boat, thence across and down a ladder
into a f1at-bottomed old fishing boat at
the other end. Her brother took of his
overcoat and wrapped it about her care
fully before he seized the oars and fell
In with the stroke Of the old river man.
The doctor was studying Betsy closely.
II looked 10 him very much like a case
OF the heart. he speculated as they drew
near the ship. When she weakly MADE
excuse TO remain in the rowboat while
her brother clambered over the ship. ne
was certain that the masculine reason
lurked on shlpbOard SO Betsy, perforce,
boarded the Roosevelt.
The ship was in gala dress. with many
sightseeTs aboard. As Betsy and her
brother stood on the deck elutching their
hats in the stiT breeze. a young, brown.
weather-beaten man stepped Up and
rather SHgAo uti0 out MS manu- 10 Betsy
Instantly the doctor looked at mis- sister.
She was flushed. painfully embarrassed.
and was stammering like an awkward
schoolgirl. He was seized with remorse.
and DIT. Cobb came 10 her rescue. chas-
Using himself mentally.
Haven't I seen you before?' he asked
engagingly, extending his hand TO the
now embarrassed man, who, he surmised
belonged to the ship, from certain fine
manliness that Is only bred Of hardship
and self-reliance.
The man smiled a little whimslcally as
he gTipped the hand of Betsy's brother.
You are Bets-AIiss Cobb's brother.
are you not?" Then he. too. was covered
with confusion. Il beg your pardon" she
is not Miss
Betsy had turned sharply away. but
her brother ran his hand through her
arm and whirled her right about face.
See here, young lady" he said seri-
ously, Introduce me 10 this young man,
What Is it. my dear?'
To his chagrin and utmost self-reproach
she had buried her head on his shoulder
and he thought he heard something like
a sob work it's way out from the cloth
of his coat. He could not raise her head
She burrowed it there He could only
look at the young Northman and unveil
a romance.
The mans face was drawn with sort
OF starved tenderness. and his blue eyes
gazed wistfully at the golden. shiny ten
drills which escaped in the wind from the
small black turban and swept the doc
tors shoulder. Stern repression showed
in the tense mouth His whole express
i've person seemed to bespeak the pain Of
having lost forever a muCh-loved prize
haaz-or4fe - ff4~
Those people are looking at US. The
doctor, having determinedly brought on
the de!uge. was taking mans inalicnable
right c { blaming somebody else. Besides
he wanted 20 know what this was all
about,
Betsy disclosed flushed but fearless
face
mot crying" She denied the allegation
spiritedly. What is there TO cry about?
Foul I just wanted a Whit Of that nice
smelly iod0f9rm on your coat, Mr.. Jen-
sen, my brother And nOw"-she slipped
a eOmpanlonable hand through the arm
of each-'show US the bot"
This was more like Betsy.
What is your-name?" he asked, IN
voice that was too vibrant TO be called
steady.
The doctor wheeled in CONSERVATION.
=
MANI" he demanded.
Cobb" The Northman's big voice
doomed up into the masts with sheer
joy. Aren't you married." he cried. his
boyish face breaking into a pathetic
eagerness that was too beautiful and too
intimate for any one but Betsy to see.
So the doctor was thrust out into
little world of his own for a while. after
Betsy ecstatically gurgled. Gracious.
no. Betsy, dear little sister, didn't be-
long to him any more. And he had in
sisted upon getting rid Of her.
We've been engaged" Betsy's voice
reused him, ''ever since the Roosevelt
sailed two years ago but l promised not
to tell till Paul came back. Do you know
why / didn't want to come out here to-
day? / thought Paul had forgotten. He
never let me know he still cared"
Foolish girl" said Paul, gripping both
her hands in an ecstasy of recovery. ITS
all the fault of old New York. I had
forgotten in the ice foes that everybody
down here moves every six months, and
when / rushed up to Sixty-ninth street.
ali agog with delight TO get back TO the
dearest little girl in the world-they told
me Miss Cobb was married and didn't
live there any more, Think Of It! Some
other Miss Cobb nearly bowling me of
my feet like that ] knew two years was
a long time for a fascinating little girl
to remain true to a poor dub probably
frozen into an ice cake around the north
pole somewhere. so I didn't blame her
much. I was going to be everlastingly
grateful to her memory. For II it hadn't
been for the thought Of her I think l
should have lost my grit once or twice.
But as it was, just kept on a-living."
Il knew it, said Betsy. Il knew 1t
when I saw you"
Copyright. 1901. BY Homer sprare)