Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-28
THE MESSAGE
BY LOUIS TRACY.

Copyright. 1903. By Edward ]. clode.,

Seating himself. with rapid movement.
quite close to her. he said. softly:
More. much more. the heart may feel
Than the pen may write tho lip reveal.
Evelyn turned with startled cry. She
was conscious that some one had elected
to share her bench: at the first sound OF
Wardens voice she was ready to spring
up and walk away. without looking at
him. Her bright face crimsoned with de-
light when she grasped the wonderful
fact that he was actually at her side
She closed the magazine with bang
and held out her hand
This is indeed surprise" she cried
How in the world did you know | was
here?"
II didn't know" he. said. clasping her
fingers firmly. AT least that cannot be
true. My ordinary eat-three-meals-a day.
keep-away-f from the-fire-and you won't
get-burned wits informed me that YOU
were in far-off Oxfordshire. but some
kindly monitor from within, unseen, un-
heard. Yet most worthy of credence. led
me here to your side-may l say-to your
very feet"
Laughing and blushing. and vainly
deavoring to eXtricate her hand from his
grasp-because truly she began to fear
that he was drawing her toward him
her first uncontrolled action was to glance
around and discover If any passersby
were gazing at them. Instantly she knew
she had made mistake. and the impris-
oned hand was Snatched away emphatic
ally. If anything. this only added to her
CONFUSION. for IL bore silent testimony to
her~knowledge of his loverlike attitude.
But she CALAMITY essayed to retrieve lost
ground.
II was not an hour at home" she ex-
planned. volubly. before Mrs. Baum
gartner telegraphed and afterward wrote
an entire change of arrangements. l am
not going to Milford Haven. Miss Beryl
Baumgartner came with some friends to
little place down the coast there
place called Salcombe. / think. and the
Sans Souci arrived there yesterday. They
all come on to Plymouth this evening,
and they wish me to be ready to go on
board about o'clock. when we sail for
Oban. only stopping twice on the way to
coal"
Marvellous cried Warden. you reel
off amazing statements with the self
possession of a young lady reciting a
Browning poem No. / shall not explain
what I mean-not yet at any rate. The
glorious fact prevails that you are free
till g.
Free she repeated, not that she was
at a loss to understand him. but rather
to gain time to collect her thoughts.
Absurd. of course. 1 mean bound
absolutely bound to me for a superb vista
of-let me see-lunch-long drive in coun-
try-tea-more driving-dinner. All. let
us not look beyond the dinner"
But"
But me no butts. / shall butt myself
violently against any male person who
udfcS " lay prior CldlIl u you, Willie.
should the claimant be a lady, 1 shall
butter her till she relents.''
Still"
Il suppose / must listen,' he COM
planned well, what is the obstacle?'
She hesitated an instant. Then, aban-.
doning pretense-for she, like Warden.
had lived through many hours of self
scrutiny since they parted at Portsmouth
she laughed unconcernedly.
There is none that / know Of she
admitted. Il had never seen Plymouth,
SO 1 travelled here yesterday evening. My
belongings are in the big hotel there. I
am a mere excursionist. out for the day.
And now that L have yielded all along
the line l demand my woman's rights.
My presence here is readily explained.
What of yours?"
He hailed a passing carriage and d.
rected the man to take them to the
hotel
Il don't think / can really clear mat
tiers up to your satisfaction unless you
permit me to call you Evelyn" he said,
daringly irrelevant
(To be continued tomorrow