The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-11-24
cHAPTER xxYIl.--c0ntInued.


And when the endless meal was
over. and yards OF white wells had
been tied over pounds Of hair--or Is
K. too. bought by the yard?--and
some eight ensembles with their abb
lect compliments had been packed
into three automobiles and trap, l
drew long breath and faced about.
| had Just then only one object in life
Ito find Alison, to assure her OF my
absolute faith and confidence In her,
and to OFFER my help and my poor
self II she would let me, in her
service.
She was not easy to find. searched
the lower floor, the yeranda and the
grounds. circumspectly. Then | ran
into little English girl who turned
out to be her maid, and who also was
searching She was concerned be-
cause her mistress had no dinner, and
because the tray OF food she carried
would soon be cold. l took the tray
| from her, on the glimpse of something
white ON the shore, and that was how
| met the girl again.
She was sitting on an overturned
boat, her chin in her hands, staring
/ out to sea. The soft tide of the bay
/ Tapped almost at her feet, and the
draperies Of her white gown melted
| hazily Into the sands. She looked like
| q wrath, respondent phantom of
the sea, although the adjective is re-
dundant. Nobody ever thinks of a
cheerful phantom. Strangely enough,
considering her evident sadness, she
/ was whistling softly to herself, over
and over, some dreary little minor air
! that sounded like bohemian dirge.
She glanced up quickly when | made
misstep and my dishes iingled. All
picture; the sea, the misty starlight,
the girl, with her beauty--eyen the
sad little whistle that stopped now
and then to go brayely on again, as
though Il fought against the odds of
trembling lip. And then | came,
accompanied by tray Of little silver
dishes that lingled and an unmistak-
able odor Of broiled chicken!
"oh!" she said quickly, and then,
| "ohl thought you were Jenkins"
"Timeo Donaos--what's the rest of
itg" | asked, rendering my offering.
you didn't have any dinner, you
know" sat down beside her, See,
III be the table, What was the old
fairy tale? Little goat bleat; little
table appearr I'm perfectly willing
to be the goat, too"
| Cha NynV lauVhtng nathan fpanYt.
lousy.
1--WE never do meet like other peo-
pie. do WEI" she asked We really
ought to shake hands and say how
are you"
Il don't want to meet you like other
people. and | suppose you always
think OF me as wearing the other fell
lows clothes" returned meekly.
I'm doing II again; don't seem to
be able 10 help II. These are Grang-
er's that have on now"
She threw back her head and
laughed again. joyously, this time.
"Oh. it's so ridiculous" she said.
"and you have never seen me when
was not eating! It's too prosaic!"
(which reminds me that the chick.
en- 10 getting cold. and the ice warm"
/ suggested. AT the time, thought
there could be no place better than
the farmhouse kitchen-but this is,
l ordered all this for something Il
want to say to you--the sea, the
sand, the stars"
How alllteratiye you aro!" she
said, trying to be flippant, you are
not to say anything until | have had
my supper. Look how the things are
spilled aroundl"
But she ate nothing, after all, and
pretty soon put the tray down In
the sand. said little; there was no
hurry. We were together, and time
meant nothing against that age-long
| wash OF the sea. The air blew her
hair in small damp eurls against her
face, and little by little the tide re-
| treated, leaving our boat an oasis in
waste OF gray sand,
IF seven maids with seven mops
i swept II for nalf a year
DO you suppose, the walrus said, that
they could get II clear?"
she threw at me once when she
must have known | was going to
sneak. | held her hand. and as long