Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-02-28

of her dressmaker." And Daunt had
answered. II have a distinct regard for
that Chinamanr'
His black mood had vanished. and the
leering lips had flown. In the bright
ness of her physical presence. how base
less and foolish seemed his suIlen imag-
iningsl What man who owned a steam
yacht, knowing her, would not wish to
name 1t the Barbara?
The sky was duller now. Its mar
velous haze of blue and gold had turned
palIid, and the sun glared with a pale.
yellowish effrontery. A strange signing
was in the air, so faint, however, that
1t seemed only the stirring of innumer-
able leaves, the resinous raspings of pine
needles and the isping fall of the fam
ing petals from the century-old camelia
trees, that stained the ground with hot,
bleeding red At a turn in the road
stood a stone image Of Jizo, with red
paper bib aoout its neck. Before it lay
three small rice-cakes; somewhere in the
neighborhood was a little sick child,
three years old. At its base were heaps
of tiny stones, piled by mothers whose
little children had died.
They went laughing like two children.
down the zigzag stone steps, past innum-
cradle uomitei-crimson-b enched rest
ing houses where grave Japanese
pedestrians sat eating stewed cells and
chipping hard-boiled eggs-to the rocky
edge of the tide, which now rolled in
with a measured, sullen booming He
pointed to a gloomy fssure which ran
into the mountain. at little distance.
20 maiden, Journeying to Holy Ben
ten," he said. behold her shrine!"
How disillusioningr'
People find love so, sometimes
She slowly shook her head. Not all
of them,'' she said softly. IT am old
fashioned enough not to believe that"
Her brown eyes were wistful and a little
troubled, and her voice was so adorable
that he could nave gone on his knees to
her.
I'VE will ask Ben-ten about it," he
.oh. but not .wsr" she cried. ct
must go alone. Dc you know the
legend? . 1ple quarrel If they go to-
gether.
II can't imagine quarreling with you.
I'd rather quarrel with myself"
THAT would be difficult, wouldn't it,"
mot in some of my moods. Ask my
head boy Today, for instance"
''Wen?'' For he had paused
IT was meditating self-destruction
when I met YOU"
BY what interesting method, Won
.der?"
Il was about to search for volcano
to jump into"
II thought the nearest active crater is
a hundred miles away"
80 1t is. but I'm an absent-minded
beggar."
she laughed. May ask what in
spired today's suicidal mood?"
1T was-a telegram"
"Ohr She colored family. IL hope
it held no bad news
He looked into her eyes. 81 hope not"
lie said. Something else was on his
tongue, when Look" she exclaimed.
"How strange the sea looks off there"
A sinister, whitish bank. like mad
drift OF smoke, lay far off on the water.
and a~tense, whistling hum came from
the upper air. A drop Of water splashed
on Daunt's wrist. There's going to be
a blow" he said. The seaweed gath
erers are all coming in, too. Ben-ten
will have to wait. I'm afraid. See-even
her high priest is forsaking her.
From where they stood steps were
roughly hewn into the rock, winding
across the face of the cliff. Beside these.
stone pillars were socketed, carrying an
iron chain that hung in rusted festoons
Along this precarious pathway from the
cavern an old man was hastily coming,
IOllOWeQ Dy a DOJ Will a Sd5SAA6 DuA-
die tied in a white cloth. That parcel
no doubt" said Daunt, contains the
days offering Watt You're not go
ing?" For she had started down the
steps.
She had turned TO answer when with
the suddenness of an explosion, a burst
of wind fell on them like a Tapping
weight, spattering them with drops that
struck the rock as II hurled from a
sling full of melted metal. Barbara had
never in her life experienced anything
like it's ferocity. 1t both startled and
angered her. like a personal affront.
Daunt had sprung to her side and was
shouting something But the words were
she shook her head
and went on stubbornly, clinging to the
chain. a whirl of brown garments. She
felt him grasp her arm.
60 backP' she shrieked. It's bad
luckw
AS he released her there came a sec
ond's menacing hull. and in it she sprang
down the steps and ran swiftly out along
the pathway He was after her in an /
instant. overtaking her on frail board /
trestle that spanned a pool. where the
cliff was perpendicular. Here the wind, i
shaggy with spume. hurled them to-
gether. Daunt threw an arm about her. /
clinging with the other hand to the
wooden railing. Her hair was a reddish /
swirl across his shoulder and her breath. /
painting against his throat, ridged his !