The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-06-18

mo one. 1ndeed-indeed, i alone am
to blame You will he angry with me,
but could not help 1t"
She could say no more. II she had
uttered another syllable just then she
would have broken down completely.
Courtenay placed his hand under ber
chin and lifted her unresisting lips to
his. He kissed her twice and laughed
softly, with glad confidence that sent
wave Of delight cOursing through e.
sizes veins.
Sweetheart" be whispered, 81 am
sure you would not have allowed me to
speak so plainly If you were going to
send me away. Now. don't want you
to bind yourself irrevocably tonight.
| That would certainly not be fair
| don't know why ! am to be angry or
what it was you couldn't help. and
| don't care q red cent All ! want to
know is this-if the Kansas brings US
both back to the outer world once
| more, have as good chance Of win
ming your love as any other man"
"But must tell you. could not
look you in the face If you did not hear
it. When l was left alone In your
cabin the second time and the sea
came in, a packet of letters fell out Of
some clothes which picked up from
the floor. There was one from your
sister. / hardly knew what was do.
ing, but saw her name, 'Madge,' and
read a few words on the half page
above her signature"
| His left arm was now so well estab-
lished that his hand touched her cheek,
and he found ii wet with tears.
What wild conceit has crept into
your pretty little head?" he cried in
amaze, unconsciously raising his voice
somewhat "a letter from my sisterl
She Is the most Straightforward wo-
man breathing assure you. Never a
line has she written to me which could
bear any construction such as seems
to trouble you. Why, on the contrary.
Madge has often chaffed me for being
so like herself in giving no thought to
matrimony."
1T is horrid of me to persist. but
owe it to you to tell you what I saw.
She alluded to your 'afianced wife
and said that under no other circum-
Stances whatever they were, would
she receive her."
| Then Courtenay laughed again, and
Elsie found it was absolutely essential
If Joey were not to be crushed that
her head should bend little forward.
with the obvious result that it rested
on Courtenay's shoulder.
II must show you the whole of that
letter." he cried, land the others which
are tied up In the same bundle. You
will see me blush. admit but 1t will
not be from a sense of perfidy. But
there Is one thing you have forgotten.
Elsie" And his voice dropped to a
tense whisper again. I'm telling me
your secret, which Is no secret, you
have given me my answer. Your heart
must have crept out q little way to
meet mine, dear, or my sisters words
would not have perplexed you. So
that is why you have avoided me dur
ing the past few days! But there!
Now, indeed, I am not acting quite
fairly. 1t is unfair to ask you to con-
fess when l want you to wait until we
win clear of our present difficulties be-
fore you decide whether or not you can
find it to your liking to make poor
sailor man happy"
Joey was a highly accommodating
dog under certain conditions. He had
curled up so complacently that Elsie
found she could hold him quite easily
with one arm. So the other went out
in the darkness until it rested timidly
on her lovers disengaged shoulder.
ut is easy to confess that which
Is already known" she murmured.
whether we are fated to live one day
or fifty years. it will be all the same to
me, dear"
She lifted her face again to his and
would have returned the kisses he
gave her were 1t not that they lost
their one sided character this time.
There was chance that Joey might
have been partly suffocated. though to
all appearance he meant to die a will
Ing martyr, had not Suarez leaned
over the upper rail and asked in. his
grating accent II he heard the senor
captains voice below.
Elsie, all tremulous and rosy and
profoundly thankful for the darkness,
withdrew herself from Courtenay's
embrace and answered the Argentine.
"Ah," said Suarez, II am glad you
are there, too, senorita. Will you tell
him that l am very hungry and that
have not been relieved at the proper
time? I have been waiting half an
hour or more"
There" cried the captain, squeezing
Elsie's arm; that comes Of using so
many unnecessary explanations.
ought to have adopted the recognized
Jack tar method and just grabbed you
round the waist without ceremony.
wonder where Boyle Is. He and Chris
tobal take the first watch, and 1t must
be two bells or later. will hunt
them up. Goodby, sweetheart; meet
you at supper In ten minutes
It was a strange and peculiar fact
that Boyle had cornered Christobal In
the salon and had insisted on telling
him various remarkable anecdotes con-
corning the one legged skipper of the
| Flower of the Ocean brig. 1t was still
more odd that when Christobal yielded
| kn