The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-09

than when the girl had last seen him. His cheeks were hollowed and his lips cracked by the wind. but his eyes were af1aIne with the old light. His smile was for her alone.
 He never remembered the spoken greetings nor the looks the others gave him, for her soft, cool hands lay in his hard, feverish palms, and she was smil- ing up at him.
 Alton Clyde was at his heels, and he felt Mildred disengage her hand. He tore his eyes away from her face long enough to nod at Marsh, who gave him a menacing look, then turned to Wayne Wayland. The old man was saying something, and Boyd answered him unintelligibly, after which he took Mildred's hands once more with such an air of unconscious proprietorshfp that Willis Marsh grew pale to the lips and turned his back. Other people whom Boyd had not noticed until now came down the deck-men and women with f1eldglasses and cameras swung over their shoulders He found that he was being introduced to them by Mildred, whose voice betrayed no tremor and whose manners were as collected as if this were her own draw ing room and the man at her side CASUAL ACOualnEduCGs 4n0 strangers mingled with the little gfoup, leveled their glasses and made senseless re marks after the manner of tourists the world over. Boyd gathered somehow that they were officers of the trust or heavy stockholders and their wives. He led Mildred to a deck chair and seated himself beside her.
 'sAt lastr' .he breathed. 'fYou are here, Mildred. You really came, after au?"
 "Yes, Boyd"
 "And are you glad?"
 '1ndeed I am. The trip has been wonderful Z
 'It doesn't seem possible. can't be Neve that this is really you-that I am not dreaming, as usual.''
 "And you? How have you beenT
 "I've been we'll guess have. haven't had time to think of myself. Oh, my IadyY' His voice broke with tenderness, and he laid his hand gently upon hers.
 She withdrew it quickly.
 '.Not herei Remember where we are. You are not looking we11S Boyd. I don't know that ever saw you look so bad. Perhaps it is your clothes"
 tT am tired,'' he confessed, feeling anew the weariness of the past twen- ty-four hours. He covertly stroked a fold of her dress, murmuring: tsYou are here, after all. And you love me, Mildred? You haven't changed, have you2"
 Mot at all. Have your'
 His deep breath and the light that famed into his face was her answer. CT want to be alone with you,'' he ss1Fx1 o1Vh<1 +I,,. r1<,y, Come away from here; this is torture. I'm like man dying of thirst"
 No woman could have beheld his burning eagerness without an answer ing thrill, and, although Mildred sat rnotionless. her lids dropped slightly and n faint color tfnged her checks. Her idle hands claspedN themselves r4H- idly
 'eYou are always the same" she smiled. 'tYou sweep me away from 1 myself and from everything I have never seen any one like you. There are people everywhere. Father is somewhere close by.'
 q don't care''-
 ''I do"
 My launch is alongside. Let me take you ashore and show you what have done. I want you to see.''
 T can't I promised to go ashore with the Berrys and MT. Iarsh.''
 t'Marshv'
 '.Now don't get tragicI We are all going to look over his plant and have lunch there. They are expecting me. Oh, dearr' she cried plaintively. "I have seen and heard nothing but can neries ever since we left Vancouver The men talk nothing but fish and packs and markets and dividends. It's l all deadly stupid, and I'm wretchedly tired of it. Father is the worst of the | lot, of course''
 Emerson's eyes shifted to his own cannery. You haven't seen mine ours,'' said he
 EtOh, yes, have. MT. Marsh pointed it out to father and me. It looks just like all the others There was an in stant's pause before she ran on. sDo you know, there is only one interesting feature about them, to my notion, and that is the way the Chinamen smoke Those funny crooked pipes and thoseeI little wads of tobacco are too ridicu- 1ous." The Hghtness of her words damped his ardor and brought back the sense of failure.
 sI was down with the fishing fleet at tho mouth of the bay this morning when you came in. thought I might see you,'' he said
 'tAt that hour? Heavens! was sound asleep. It was hard enough to get up when we were called. Father might have instructed the captain not to steam so fast.''
 Royd stared at her in hurt surprise but she was smiling at Alton Clyde ill the distance and did not observe his look.
 Don't you care even to hear what I have done?' he inquired
 "Of course said Mildred, bringing her eyes back to him.
 Hesitatingly he told her of his dis appointments. the obstacles be had met