Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11

well" he said, 1--WE will be very glad to go
Cant you take us with you to morrow!
CHAPTER ~.
MOT a single member of Smiths staff at
: Horse Island was married. This
due to something more than chance. The con-
ditons were too primitive. the work too hard,
| the percentage of emergency calls in every
| man work was too large. during the early
days of Smiths command, to make married
men desira BILE lieutenants. So when they were
in town the staff messed together and lived III
| little of portable galvanized iron cot
| tages halfway up the hill. 1t happened almost
never at all that the nine men had an oppor-
| tunity to sit down to meal together during
those early days. Things were not settled in
that placid routine where they could be di-
| rected from a comforta BILE office. The staff had
to remain on the firing line, just like everybody
else.
| But by the time young Rogers came down
to take charge of the transportation depart
ment things were altered very much for the
| better. though the old way of life had persisted
And when he. at the end of his third month on
| the island, had asked permission to bring his
sister down for visit. Smith had seen no reason
| to object to the plan, and the other men of
| the staff had greeted it with tumultuous ap-
prevail
Florence Rogers was two years, perhaps
older than her brother,-a good looking, ath-
letic. efficient sort of girl. with as the staff
agreed. no nonsense about her..
1t was current gossip in Georgetown that she
had received seven proposals of marriage
during the first six weeks of her visit at the
| island. 1t was impossible to verify this myth.
| as the only person in possession of complete
data refused to open her lips on the subject
There were nine men the staff, including
Smith and her brother. So the number was
| rather naturally arrived at. Smith himself
had always appeared to be entirely immune
from feminine charms of every sort. Little
Beatrice Citation, the Governors fifteen year
old daughter was the only person of the OPP
pOsite sex to whom he had ever paid any at
| tention that could be called marked.
If Florence Rogers had received seven propos-
ais of marriage, she had certainly framed
equal number of kind, sisterly refusals In
general way she had propounded the theory
man on desert island, as it were, would be to
take an altogether INSCRIPTIONS advantage of
a temporary, accidental alteration in per-
spective.
planned for six weeks. had stretched itself out
indefinitely 1t might be interruptions to
marry yone of those nine forlorn men: but
it would be absolutely inhuman to go away and
leave them. So she had stayed on and on. and
Horse Island was much more cheerful place
for being able to count her among its per-
| manent inha bitants.
SHE and her brother lived in the largest cot
~ tage in the row the ONLY one built to &C
commodate two persons. and it was here that
OBrien found them together at breakfast the
| morning following Smiths dinner with the
Beaumonts at Georgetown.
They greeted him cheerfully and asked for
the news as Florence poured him cup of tea.
Il can see something exciting in your eye"
she said: so you may well out with it at
once"
81 suppose you have heard" said O'Brien.
peering into his teacup. - of the possibility that
we to be honored by a visit from that Ma
poleon of American finance. Christopher Beau
month"
Its rather appalling isn't it," said the
girl. We are wondering whether we ought
not to begin practising dropping curtsies and
getting out of rooms backward"
It's more appalling than you think" he
told her. Beaumont has his daughter with
him. and she's coming too, also her maid and
his secretary.
Both his auditors stared at that. wide eyed.
Since that last cabinet meeting two days be-
fore the staff had talked of little else than the
approaching visit and the wild surnise that
Smith S significant words about the date of the
stockholders meeting had suggested
Informally Florence counted as one of the
staff, and it was across her tea table that
guesses. prophecies. and expedients for de-
priving the big millionaire of his liberty flew
thickest; but thought of daughter, let
alone maid and secretary, had ever entered
into their calculations an more than they had
entered into Smiths