Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-03-23
CHAPTER NJ.

ChAP1 Ek Nj.
"No one seemed to care. Why should
she have looked so cut to the heart be-
cause l didn't speak?" GARNER muttered
to himself irritably, as he took another
turn along the wet deck. well, I've
done the best | could for her by clearing
out, and | hope those COMPOUNDED fools
and prigs will deal more kindly by her
accordingly"
Then he started and, stopping abrupt
ly. stood staring before him blankly.
Once before, as he passed along that
side of the gangway, he had been mo-
! mentarily startled bv forlorn looking
feminine figure huddled up in a deck
chair, the face hidden by little bundle
held tightly clasped in her arms, form
which reminded him of the very girl who
occupied so large share of his thoughts
The idea had seemed so absurd that he
had chased it away with contemptuous
laugh, but when the course of his prom
enade brought him back to the same
spot, he glanced once again at the sleep
ing figure in the deck chair and with diff
| ficulty depressed the exclamation which
rose to his lips.
! During the interim the sleeper had
moved, her head had fallen backward
| showing a pale little face with dark
stains under the closed eyelids and damp
masses of hair glued against the soft
cheeks; while the bundle on her knee
| though still encircled by her arms, had
! sat up and revealed itself as small
white dog, with one brown ear, very
bright eyes, and stumpy tail, which
last he was endeavoring to wag in sign
of recognition of the friendly stranger
who had come to his aid once before on
| board a steamboat
1t was Bebe, there could be no doubt
of it-Bebe. with Trompette-though
! how she had come there, or with whom
or whittier she was going were all a
wonderful, ineXplicable mystery-one, in.
deed, he would not even pause to puzzle
over, for the dog. unhappy at having to
pass the night with no better protection
from the weather than the lee of a pad
die box. and roughly improvised tar.
paulin shed. had ventured to add plain.
tive yelp to his tail wagging, and dread
ing that the dogs mistress might oper
her eyes and recognize him. GARNER
turned and walked away as swiftly as he
had come.
He was not man of slow wit, and il
did not take an instant's thought to con
vince him that. whatever odd trick Of
fate had brought this little girl and him
self together again in the same steamer
nothing could possibly be more unfor
| tunate for Ler than that the fact should
become known to any of her friends anC
give rise to the suspicion that the acct
dent was no accident at all, but an ar
rangement planned between them.
Very possibly she and Mere Margo
were on their way to London to SCI
Bebes guardian, the "Mr Lon'lee" O.
whom he had heard such frequent men
ton. Most likely the girl herself has
insisted on the step, and of course tn,
old woman would accompany her. Thu
only puzzle was, how he could have es
capped seeing them come on board a
Caen. for as it happened he had been on,
of the earliest passengers to arrive, anC
had spent the time, preparatory to tn,
vessels departure, leaning over the bul
warks chatting to a sportsman friend
and watching the later arrivals, so tina
had Mere Margot and her charge beer
among the latter it would hardly hav,
been possible fox him to avoid seeing
them.
They must have done the canal jour
ney by tram and joined the boat a
Ouistreham-at which time he had gone
below, as the rain was pelting dowr
heavily-and was dining in the saloon
That, of course, was how he had faileC
to see them; also. in all probability, il
had left them in ignorance of his pres
ence, and he promptly made up his mine
that they should remain so, even though
to secure such ignorance he must pas!
the rest of the night on the forepart Of
the deck, among the third-class passen
gers.
First of all something must be don,
for that child, or she would catch hel
death of cold. 1t was like the selfish ole
bag to find accommodation for herself
below and leave that delicate little crea
ture to pass the night on deck without
so much as a cloak or rug TO keep hel
warm. If he had been the girls guardian
Mere Margot should have heard bit Of
his mind on the subject.
80 BE CONTINUED.