Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-08-03


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did 1 shudder and shrink away?" she
asked. II didn't know it. 1 wasn't
angry; I'm lot now. But-but thai
was a horrible thing you asked of ne"
Would It have struck you as hor-
rible," he persisted. IF I had asked It
a month ago2"
thoughtfully. i've changed a good
deal in the asst month-since we sailed
away from San Francisco and left the
world behind us-our world-and came
out into this great white empty one.
I don't know why that IS"
81 know" He was speaking with a
sort of brutal intensity that startled
her. ct know. It's not in he last
month you've changed; it's within the
last twenty-four hours; it's since you
saw and fell in love with that muir
derous, lying brute of a Cayley."
st DOM know" she said very quietly,
whether you're trying to kill the love
I have for you-the old ove-or. o
Tom, but unless you're very careful,
you'll succeed in doing it. I don't think
I want to talk to you any more now,
not even sit here beside you. I'm
going to take a little walk"
He held himself rigidly stin till she
had disappeared round h end Of the
deck Then he bent over and
buried his face In his hands!
What the thing was that reused him
to his present surroundings. he never
knew. He was conscious of no sound,
but. suddenly. he sat erect and stared
about him in amazement It had grown
quite dark. 1t must be two or three
hours since Jeanne had left the chair
beside him and announced that she was
going to take a little walk.
He spoke her name. not loudly at
first, for he thought she must be close
by. But the infinite silent spaces
seemed to absorb the sound of his
voice. There was no sign that any
sentient thing, except his very self,
had heard the words he uttered. Then
he called louder.
II was not until he raised himself,
stiffly and clumsily, from his CHAIR
that he realized that it was more than
dark; that the atmosphere o him
was a q with fog.
He groped for the heavy walking
stick which leaned against the arm of
his chat and, with its aid, hobbled
SLOWLY along the deck. His damaged
ankle was held rigid in a plaster band
age. Though the pain in 1t was less,
he found locomot1on difficult.
As he opened the door at the head
of the companionway. he called the
girls name again; and this time the
absence of any answer frightened him
a little. though he tried to reason him
self out of his fears. She had gone be-
low. no doubht, to her own state-room,
and with the door shut, would hardly
hear him. But he had no thought of
accepting that explanation without in
vestigating further. Even If she were
there and quite safe. he did not want
to let another quarter hour go by with
out finding her and asking her forgive
ness. Whatever else might happen in
this world, Jeanne Fielding must not
be made unhappy. If only he could
have perceived that cardinal fact in the
universe a little sooner!
The steps were rather difficult to ne
gotiate, but by using both hands to
supplement his one good foot, he sue
ceeded in creeping down them. and
Their in making his way along h cor
ridor to the girls door.
He knocked family at first; then
louder, and finally cried out her name
again, this time in genuine alarm. He
tried the door. found that it was not
locked, and opening 1t and switching
on a light, perceived that the state
room was empty.
Standing there, utterly perplexed, un-
able either to guess at the girls pos
sible whereabouts, or to construct any
plan for finding her, he felt a sudden
rush of relief on hearing the soft
scrape of a boat against the accommo-
dalton ladder outside. 1t might be
Jeanne. II It were not she it was some