Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-05-18
CHAPTER XVII.
he Sea, the Sand, the Stars.

/ uIlCil Heartfelt IudI Sic Was OuI "
town. I hung up the receiver, almost
dizzy with disappointment, and it was
| fully five minutes before I thought OF
calling up again and asking if she
was within telephone reach. 1t
seemed she was down on the bay stay
/ ing with the Samuel Forbeses.
Sammy Forbes! 1t was a name to
conjure with just then. In the old
days at college l had rather fouted
him, but now 1 was ready to take him
to my heart. l remembered that he
had always meant well, anyhow, and
that he was explosively generous. l
called him up.
"By the fumes Of gasoline!" he said,
when 1 told him who I was. Blake
| ley, the Fount of Wisdom against
Woman! Blakeley, the Great Un-
| kissed! Welcome to our city!"
Whereupon he proceeded to urge
me to come down to the Shack, and
to say that 1 was an agreeable sur
prise, because four times in two
hours youths had called up to ask If
Alison West was stopping with him,
and to suggest that they had vacant
| day or two.
"Oh-Miss West!" I shouted polite
| ly. There was a buzzing on the line.
''Is she there?"
Sam had no suspicious. Was not
I in his mind always the Great I'm
kissed (which sounds like the Great
| Unwashed and is even more of re-
proach. He asked me down promptly,
as l had hoped, and thrust aside my
objections.
Nonsense" he said. Bring your
self The lady that keeps my board
ing-house is calling to me to insist.
You remember Dorothy, don't you,
Dorothy Browne? She says unless
you have lost your figure you can
wear my clothes all right. All you
need here is a bathing suit for day
time and a dinner coat for evening"
cit sounds COOL" l temporized. eff
you are sure l won't put you out
very well, Sam, since you aGd your
| wife are good enough. | have
couple of days free. Give my love to
Dorothy until l can do it myself"
Sam met me himself and drove me
substantial house overlooking the
water. On the way he confided to me
that lots of married men thought they
were contented when they were mere
ly resigned but that it was the only
life, and that Sam, junior, could swim
like duck. Incidentally, he said that
Alison was his wife's cousin, their re-
spective grandmothers having, at
proper intervals, married the same
man, and that Alison would lose her
good looks if she was not careful.
81 say she's worried, and l stick to
it." he said, as he threw the lines to
a groom and prepared to get out.
"You know her, and she's the kind of
girl you think you can read like
book. But you can't; don't fool your
self. Take a good look at her at din
ner, Blake; you won't lose your head
like the other fellows-and then tell
me what's wrong with her. We're
mighty fond of Allie"
He went ponderously up the steps,
for Sam had put on weight since /
knew him. At the door he turned
around do you happen to know the
MacLure's at Seal Harbor?" he
asked irrelevantly, but Mrs. Sam
came into the hall just then, both
hands out to greet me, and, whatever
Forbes had meant to say, he did not
pick up the subject again.
1--WE are having tea in here" DOro-
thy said gaily, indicating the door
behind her. "Tea by courtesy, be-
cause I think tea is the only bever-
age that isn't represented. And then
we must dress, for this is hop night
at the club"
(Which is as great a misnomer as
the tea," Sam put in, pOnderously
struggling out of his linen driving
coat "It's bridge night, and the only
hops are in the beer"
He was still gurgling over this as
he took me upstairs. He showed me
my room himself, and then began the
fruitless search for evening raiment
that Kept me home that night from
the club. For I couldn't wear Sans
clothes. That was clear, after a per-
spring seance of a half hour.
ST won't do it, SAM" I said, when /
had draped his dress-coat on me toga
fashion. who am to have clothing
to spare, like this, when many a poor
chap hasn't even a cellar door to
cover him. won't do it; I'm selfish,
but not that selfish"
Lord" he said, wiping his face,
''how you've kept your figurel I can't
wear belt any more; got to have
suspenders."
He reflected over his grievance for
some time, sitting on the side of the
bed. "You could go as you are" he
said finally. 1--WE do it all the time,
only tonight happens to be the an
nual something or other, and" he
trailed off into silence, trying to
buckle my belt around him. "a good
six inches" he sighed. 81 never get
into a hanson cab any more that l
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