Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14

vested and involved in his businesses
with. however. the colossal plant at his
disposal, and by aid OF the fine character
which he had won for honesty and good
years to pile up fortune vast even in
| nation where multi-millionaires are scat
tered about freely. Then he had mar
rfed. wisely and happily. But no child
pair who SO loved each other till good
many years had come and gone. Natural
ly the child was idolized by her parents.
and thereafter every step taken by either
was with an eye to her good. When the
| rieor OF winter and the heat of summer
told on the child in way which the
more hardy parents had never felt. she
was whrled away to some place with
more promising conditions Of health and
happiness. Palm Beach. the Green noun
tains. Los Angeles. Banff-that wonderful
plateau In the Canadian Rockies, had
been tried. and with good success. When
the doctors limited that an ocean voyage
and a winter in Italy would be good,
those. too, were duly undertaken. And
now, the child being in perfect health.
the family was returning before the
weather should get too hot to spend the
summer at their chalet among the great
Like the others on board. Mr.. and Mrs.
StOnehouse had proffered travellers civil
tiles to the sad, lonely young man. AS
to the others, he had shown thanks for
their gracious courtesy. but friendship. as
in other cases, did not advance. The
Stonehouses were not in any way cha
grined: their lives were too happy and too
full for them to take needless offense.
They respected the young mans manifest
desire for privacy, and there. so far as
they were concerned. the matter rested.
But this did not suit the child. Pearl
was a sweet little thing, real blue-eyed,
golden-haired little fairy, full of loving
kindness. She insisted on friendship with
h @v,es 4aI r1,n oil
ural inclination of innocence which rises
high above shame. Even the half-hearted
protests of the mother. who loved to see
the child happy, did not deter her When
Mrs. StonehOuSe would say:
There. darling! You must be careful
not to annoy the gentleman Pearl would
turn a rosy Accommodating face to her
and answer:
But. mother. want him to play with
me. You must play with me!' Then. as
the mother would look at him. he would
say. quickly. and with genuine hearth
ness. too:
ooh. please. madam. do let her play
with me! Come. Pearl Then the child
would spring on his knee with a cry Of
delight. and their games began.
The presence of the child and her little
loving ways were unutterably sweet to
Harold. but his pleasure was always fol-
lowed by a pain that rent him as he
thought of that other little one. now so
far away. and Of those times that seemed
so long since gone by
In the long hours of the sea voyage the
friendship between her and the man
grew and grew. He was the biggest and
strongest. and therefore most lovely
thing on board the ship, and that sufficed
her. AS for him, the child manifestly
loved and trusted him, and that was all
in all to his weary. desolate heart.
The fifth day out the weather began to
change. or perhaps it was that the ship
on her journey ran into a different zone
of weather. That a storm had been in
this belt was evident. for the waves grew
wore on and the ship advanced west. Not
even the great bulk and weight of the
ship. which ordinarily drove through the
seas without pitch or roll. were proof
against the waves. so gigantic that their
moving slopes were as vast and as steep
as the fields on mountain farm. The
Scoriac rose with them; seemed Ito top
them as they died away under. her keel;
then as they passed the screws. left ex-
posed in the empty air, raced till the
great ship trembled and the captain had
to consider whether he had not better
lie by for a while lest his gear should
take injury. Then the wind began to
roar Wind at sea, which whistles in the
tophamper. can be alarming. but it has
its pleasant possibilities. but wind which
roars makes a sound of dread. This wind
grew fiercer and fiercer. coming in roar
ing squalls from the southwest. Most OF
great waves were very dreadful to see.
and the sound of the wind was trumpet
call to fear.
The sick stayed down in their cabins;
the rest found an interest If not pleas
ure on deck. Among the latter were the
Watford and Stonehouse families all of
| whom were old travellers. Even Pearl
had already had more sea voyages than
falls to most people in their lives. AS for
Harold. the storm seemed to come quite
naturally TO him Those rOnph pe G
of his forebears among northern seas,
though they had been a thousand years
back. had left traces on his imagination.
his blood. his nerves! AS the storm in
to the war note of the deeps; the old
Berserker spirit. whicM had drowsed
through ten peaceful centuries. had walked
again. He paced the deck now like
times memory. awakened by some in
cident of the moment. recalled him to his
sadder self that he was lost in his great
sorrow.
1t was fortunate for the passengers that
most of them had at this period Of the
voyage got their sea legs. otherwise.
walking on the slippery deck. that seemed
to heave as the rolling of the vessel threw
Its slopes up or down. would have been
impossible to them. Pearl was. like most
children. pretty sure-fo footed: holding fast
to Harolds hand she managed to move
about ceaselessly. She absolutely re-
fused to go with any one else. When her
mother said that she had better sit still
she answered.:
But. mother. / am quite safe with
The Man, THE Man. was the name
which she had given Harold. and by
which she always now spoke Of him.
They had had a good many turns to-
gether. and Harold had. with the cap
tain's permission, taken her up on the
bridge and showed her how to look out
over the ''dodger" without the wind hurt
beef-tea hour. and all who had come on
deck were cheered and warmed with the
hot soup. Pearl went below. and Harold
in the shelter OF the charthouse, together
| with good many others. looked out over
the wild sea. Miss Molie Watford stood
close to him. looking more charming than
ever in q scarlet tam-o'-s hanter, a safe
headgear eminently suited to the occa-
sion. as its softness gave way to the wind
She did not. however. speak to Harold
but with a charming pout stood close at
hand. ready to be spoken to.
| Harold. despite the wild turmoil of
winds and seas around him. and which
| usually lifted his spirits was sad feeling
| lone and wretched; he was suffering from
] the recoil of his little friends charming
presence. Pearl came on deck again look
| ing for him. He did not see her, and the
child. seeing an opening for a new game
avoided both her father and mother. who
also stood in the shelter of the chart
house. and ran round behind 1t on the
weather side. calling loud Boo to
attract HarOld's attention as she ran.
| A few seconds later the Scoriac put her
| nose into a coming wave at just the angle
which makes for the full exercise of the