Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-05-25
A PERIL
Or THE SEA
BY ALBERT TUCKER KENYON
Copyright. by American Press Asso-
citation ljll.

When an ocean liner has been out q
couple Of days if the weather is fair
those who have had mai de mer begin
to find their way on deck Women re-
cline IN steamer chairs comfortably
tucked in With rugs. many Of them
slightly pale, but gaining color from
the pure ocean atmosphere.
1t was on such IN occasion that l
first saw lady whose face at once
Interested me was young. ana
young men are very sensible to beauty.
This Girl was not 50 especially bcauu-
full as striking Her eyes and eye
brows we're u dark brown, while her
hair was chestnut with tinge Of
rcd in IT. It was this contrast that at
tractcd me
Now. am quite willing 10 confess
TINT under other circumstances |
might simply have admired the artis-
tic combination Of milky skin, dark
eyes and Titan hiir without having
given the girl another thought But.
ms / have said In fair weather at sen
one is under different Influences, or
rather. free to be moved by any in1u-
en,e. we had left New York ia a
snowstoru ma were now on the bos-
ON Of the warm waters Of the gulf
stream Though we needed our wrauS
there was pleasant softncSs ia the
air In marked contrast with the win
ter we had left. Not only did feel
delightful relaxation brt W. not
troubled with a multiplicity of thincs
10 look IT. saw only the sky. the
ocean and the ship. and on the ship
looked only at the young girl who
charmed me
As luck would have it friend Of
mine who was aboard stepped mp to
the Young lady and spoke to her
was delighted An Introduction was
assured 10 me Within IN hour was
sitting beside Miss Manning. chatting
with her
We were making the Mediterranean
trip and since we had been ont only
two days. ten or eleven days remained
to me to enjoy Miss Manniug's society.
How imprcssionablc IS youngster OF
twenty-five. especially one who has
nothing 10 do but be impressed, I con
fess that | had no right to be inn
pressed for | was engaged to very
lovely woman. The trouble with me
was an artistic temperament. had
been caught by a peculiar condition
of beauty | did not find Miss Man
ming especially intellectual. especially
entertaining, but ever before me was
that singular combination OF features
I did not at first realize the danger for
me, an engaged man, to put myself
under the influence of another woman.
even IL the attraction was In that
which appealed alone TO an abnormal
sense for beauty Before we reached
the Azores | began to fear for myself
and when we reached Madeira and we
went ashore together and walked i'm
the garden of I'unchall, redolent with
the perfume OF tropical flowers, knew
that | was lost
| had written something daily TO my
tiancee to post from our first landing
point but somehow | could not drop
Il in the purScrs box 10 be mailed
glanced over what I had written. and
so completely had | passed under Il
new spell that / wondered how l could
ever have been under any other
tore my letter into bits From Ma
deira 10 Gibraltar | was I'm an agony
between % sense Of honor, shame and
self condemnation on the one hand aud
in.aluation on the o,her From thbral-