The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-18
PICK S
BY PHILIP S. HIcHB0RN
eo-r..eHr. .,.s. sr 41r PEARSON PUBLISHING co,

i COPYRIGHT. .s,o. BY TEE PEARSON PUBLISHING co,
The thousand-ton yacht Dora, her
! black-enameled sides shimmering IN
| the water-refiected sun, slipped into the
great harbor silently, with barely q
| ripple at her bow. Her large yellow
| funnel from which poured tiny RIB
bon of blue smoke, her many brass
ventilators. indicated powerful engines
below, and her high clipper-built bow
| stout seaworthiness. She dwarfed the
| other yachts that had seemed large be-
| fore, and as the Doras engine-room
| bell rang for reverse propellers to hold
| her, and the sea churned into soapy
| white foam at her stern, the others
bobbed ridiculously in the stirred wa
| tiers.
On the bridge a gray-haired sea cap
tain Of the old school, but neatly
| clothed now In blue and gold lace,
shouted an order, and the white-jack-
eted crew sprang as one man to obey.
There was kissing roar from tue sea
again. more white foam, and the Dora
| had dropped her anchor.
Carter, watching from an oyerhsng-
ing cliff, put down the book he had
been reading with an exclamation.
Good Lord deliver us!" he solilo-
QuiEed. more money; it's everywhere.
dare say the man that owns that
yacht Is worth not a cent less than
twenty million dollars, and here am
without enough even to fee the sery-
ants of the people with whom I'm stop
ping. believe / am fast becoming a
socialist"
He regarded the yacht with frown.
A girl of eighteen perhaps. IN white
linen suit, ran along the deck
Spoiled brat, III bet" Carter NUT
tered, and then, as the frown disap-
peared. but she looks like a peach
from here. wish she'd turn around:
she certainly has remarkably fine hair
Never saw prettfer color"
He watched q moment longer, then
closed his book, stood up, stretched his
long arms and legs and strobe OF along
the ellis in the direction of the Casino
and swimming pool, his tall weliknit
figure conspicuous IN white flannel
against the green pine woods
From the stern OF the Dora, beneath
the awning shaded from the sun, a
woman watched him until he disap-
peared, and then, with shrug which
might have been taken to mean much
or little, had 1t been seen, disappeared
below.
Carter felt out Of touch with things.
In days gone by-he had been coming
there for years-summer after summer
1t had been different, for there was
the family then, and he, boy in school
or college. Now all was changed. the
place did not even look the same and
was crowded with new people Money
was king it seemed.
That evening Carter had dinner
alone. under the vengeful eye Of
forbidding English butler who had
been obliged to stay and serve him, for
| his host and hostess were dining out
| Under the new regime, guests were e1-
| pected to take care OF themselves Car
| ter felt perfectly certain that the but
| Ter would have liked TO poison him,
and he did not care much ii he did.
! After dinner he lit a cigar and
walked down to the yacht club landing,
where he could sit in peace and watch
! the water and the changing lights in
! the haTbor. For some reason he could
| not explain, the picture OF the girl with
/ golden hair in the white linen suit
| as she raced along the deck of the Dora
| had occurred and reoccurred to his
mind all day. He knew a hundred
| girls who wore white linen suits and
! some of them owned yachts and had
| golden hair. but there was something
| different, something about the way this
! one. He gave 1t up.
/ There was no moon, but the sky was
| starlit, and out In the harbor the white
| lights mingled with green and red,
blinked and reappeared as the vessels
/ swung to the tide. The slender bare
| poles of white schooner yacht tow
/ cred ghostly not far away and the
light at her masthead rocked I'M
steadily to the slight swell. Carter
looked for the Dora and discovered her
/ half hidden By projection of the
| Cliff. He watched her swing slowly to
the tide and then stand out in a sharp
relief against the sky, a glare of gel
low lights shining from portfolios and
| dining saloon. Her lines were perfect,
he thought; she looked the miniature
| ocean greyhound.
A small rowboat for the convenience
Of guests ierked al its painter rot far
from where he sat, and pair of oars
lay By 1t on the float Acting upon a
sudden impulse he united the painter,
shipped the oars, got in the boat and
began 10 row slowly in the direction OF
LIZ bpFn. S1s LAY not more ridn an
eighth Of mile away and in a few
moments he was within the range of
her lights. He rowed around the bow
and looked up, where dozen Of the
! crew we're longing upon the forward
deck. smoking their pipes and talking
The bow seemed to tower above him in
the senidarkness, great enough 10 re-
sist any sea. He rested on his oars and
let his boat drift astern with the tide.
From within through the portholes, as
ne passed, came the sound OF voices.
Apparently there vas no one at all on
the after deck It vas unusually warm
and he wondered why the owners did
not take advantage Of the fine night.
No doubt they were still at late dim
ner His boat slipped By slowly. the
tide had passed the food now, and was
running out. Foot by foot the water
carried him back. and carelesgly he
counted the bright portfolios az he
passed. Another moment and he had
reached the stern Something white
upon the deck caught his ere and he
glanced up swiftly. Someone was lean
ing upon the rail. He let his oars dip
In the water noiselesgiy ana hold bfa