The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-29
THE EVENING Story

The Delineator.
DIV STACY %. Bakery

(By Stacy E. Bakery
"How did you get here?" demanded
Stanley, impatiently. He owned this
little dot in the sea, and. for purely |
personal reasons. he wanted to bel
alone. |
The, appeal in the pretty black eyes
of the maid. as she stood humbly be-
fore this suddenly appeared island
monarch, made no visible impression
on the youth.
Ell came" The voice of the girl
was as soft and lulling as the breeze
that occasionally crept through the
branches of the tropical trees on
Stanleys possession. It should have
1t didn't M
'I notice that you are-er-here."
responded the man dryly, "but III be
hanged if L know how Two minutes
ago this beach was deserted. NOW
you are here There isn't g. boat in
sight, and the sky is frankly clear of
airships. Il know you came, but what
want to know is. how you came"
The girl. a trim, dainty little thing,
with great soft eyes. nerveusly fin-
gered a stray curl. She stared. fas-
cinated at this great blond giant
who seemed about to deny her the
privilege of stepping her dainty feet
on the property he claimed.
IL just came" she reiterated
lamely. Hssi as
Stanley approached and stared keenly
at the giri--"there isn't any doubt
of that at all; you came, all right,
because, well, you see. you're here;
That proves it, even if I were at all
keptical-which 1 am not. But one
thing is obviously certain, you can't
stay! If you don't want to tell me.
how you came here-er-aH right, but
how and when are you going? in
sist. upon knowing this. you know
lTT. H.. i . Va, cot tn
The frightened girl suddenly burst
into tears. "I-I can't SWIM" she
walled, and in an abandonment to
grief, threw herself down on the rank
foliage under a stunted palm.
Stanley surveyed the weeping girl
for one tense second A great hand
rumpled his thick thatch of yellow
hair.
"Oh, I say" he protested. Nobody
expects you to swim, you know. Y GU
certainly didn't swim out here. All
ask you to do is to go as you came.
If you understood. you would see
things as I do. You simply can't
stay here-it is impossible! / am
the only one here, you know. You'll
-er-compromise yourself If you
stay"
The girl had suddenly ceased cry
ing and sat staring at the insistentI
youth. ST can't CO." she ventured-
eat least, I can't go now. There is
no way
Stanley didn't answer for a mo-
ment. At last he turned to the girl.
lover there in Gods country" he
began, pointing away from the island,
st used to be rather-a-gentlem
Out here L haven't had any occasion to
be-until now I guess I have been
rather abrupt, to say the least"
For the first time he inventoried
the maid with apprecfative eyes. tits
ali right. II you don't want to ex-
plain things, why-ferget it! I've
got a cottage a little distance from
here. and you are welcome to stay
there for as long as you care to stay.
There is just one part of the island
on which you must not tfespass-nul
will explain about that later.
my name is Mildred Allen said
the girl, simply, and seemingly tax
| ing the arrangements as matter of
course. 81 live in Los Angeles and
II won't intrude upon you any
| longer than I have to-
| Stanley thought of the boat that
was scheduled to stop for him several
weeks from that day. 1t was prob
able that the girl would be a resident
| of this remote little spot longer than
she imagined unless-pnless she went
| the dickens did she come. anyway?
! And why was she SO reticent about It
all? She was a pretty little thing. and
1 a miracle of neatness in her trim sail
| or suit.
the island magnate; "Berts Stanley
| and, as 1 have said, I am on this ISL
and for a particular purpose, +! own
it-or rather the company that l
represent owns it, He stopped alb
ruptly. Come he said, TN show
! you the cottage :.
The cottage was a bungalow, and
| the girl, with seemingly never an
other thought of her unceremonious
coming, took enthusiastic possession
at once. Stanley was ashamed OF the
appearance of the house. He hadn't
expected company. In rear room
packed away was a dog tent. STAN
| ley dragged this out and erected 1t at
some little distance away. This, IN
the future, would be his sleeping
| apartment.
| The metamorphosis of Stanley's
Temporary home under the girls cap
liable and expert fingers made 1t ap-
parent to the shamed Stanieythat ms
System of slovenly housekeeping was
mot to be tolerated further. As the
days went by, he appreciated her
thandicraft more and more. He took
This meals at the house Delicate
dishes made their appearance daily.
and dining became a pleasure instead
/ of duty.
| Two subjects, by mutual-if un-
tspoken-consent, were tabooed in the
Stanley camp. One was the unknown
manner (to Stanley in which the girl
i came to the island, and the other was
1.-THE unknown work (to Mildred) that
kept Stanley away from the bungalow
the greater portion of the day, ana
brought to her ears the almost con-
slant sound of hammering. Despite
these hidden chapters, the girl and
! Stanley became great friends.
The two had been island companions
for some three weeks when two
most dramatic events crowded the be-
i ginning of g. day Stanley had gone
learly to his work in the interior OF
the island An y hour had passed
Suddenly the girl heard him CALL
Ishadow, huge grotesque, fell at her
fleet She raised startled eyes, and
i There towering above her, was a
huge, strangely constructed aeroplane