The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-07-31

l read q few words on the nalr page
above her signature"
His left arm was now so we'll estab-
llshed that his hand touched her cheek.
and he found 1t wet with tears.
"What wild conceit has crept into
your pretty little head?" he cried in
amaze. unconsciousy raising his voice
somewhat. "A letter from my sister!
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."
at is horrid of me to persist. but l
owe 1t to you to tell you what / saw.
She alluded to your 'affianced 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.
81 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. l admit. but it will
not be from sense of perfdy. But
there is one thing you have forgotten.
EIsia - And hic ynina IronnaI IN n
tense whisper again. "In telling me
your secret, which is no secret, you
have given me my answer. Your heart
must have crept out 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. l 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 q poor
sailor man happy"
Joey was highly accommodating
dog under certain conditions. He had
curled up so compacently that Elsie
found she could hold him quite easily
with one arm. So the other went out
in the darkness until it rested timdly
on her lovers disengaged shoulder.
1T 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 it not that they lost
their one sided character this time.
There was chance that Joey might
have been partly suffocated. though 70
I'll appearance he meant to die will
Ing martyr, had not Suarez leaned
over the upper rail and asked in his
grating accent if he heard the senior
captains voice below.
Elsie, ali tremulous and rosy ane
profoundly thankful for the darkness,
withdrew herself from Courtenay's
embrace and answered the Argentine.
"Ah," said SuareZ, Il 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? / have been waiting half an
hour or more"
'There," cried the captain, squeezing
Elsie's arm; chat 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 it must
be two bells or later. l will hunt
them up. Goodby, sweetheart; meet
you at supper in ten minutes"
1t was 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
to unwOnted and melancholy silence
after learning from Suarez that the
senior captain had been talking to the
senorita for q very long time on the
promenade deck Boyle should feel in
clined to sing. And then, with a chill
ing inspiration. syChristobal knew why
the chief officer had caused him to
miss the hour for relieving the watch.
Boyle had seen those two together and
had planned to leave them undis-
turbed!
The Spaniard was a dignified man.
He had inherited from his English
mother a saving sense of humor. 1t
was intolerable that the pleasant rela-
lions existing between the few sur
vivors on board the Kansas should be
disturbed by reason of any failure on
his part to acquiesce in Elsie's right
to bestow her affections where she
listed. He wondered IL the girl had
come on deck after supper. Her habit
was to retire early, as she rose soon
after the sun. He had seen her for a
moment only In passing out of the sa-
Ion, and there was a suspicious bright
ness in her eyes for which solicitude
on the dogs behalf would hardly ac-
count. Why not put his fortunes to
the test that night and have done with
1t? Yes; that was the right course.
So 1t was on the cards that Elsie
would be the amazed recipient of two,
proposals in one evening, which is
better average than most women are