Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-14

running down the path to the beach
at her heels ran two Of her sailors,
Papehara and Mahameme, in scarlet
Iava-lavas, with naked sheath knives
cleaning In their belts It was an
other sample Of her wilfulness- De
spite entreaties and commands, and
warnings of the dangers from sharks.
she persisted in swimming at any and
all times. and by special preference.
it seemed to him. Immediately after
eating.
He watched her take the water. div
ing cleanly like a boy. from the end
of the little pier. and he watched her
strike out, with single overland stroke
her henchmen swimming a dozen feet
away on either side. He ia not have
much faith in their ability to beat off
a hungry man eater. though he did
believe implicitly that their lives
you'd go bravely before hers in case
OF an attack.
Straight out they SWAN, their heads
growing smaller and smaller. There
was a slight restless heave to the sea,
and soon the three heads were disap-
bearing behind it with greater fire.
guency. He strained his eyes to keep
them in sight. and finally fetched the
telescope on TO the veranda. 4 squat
was making over from the direction Of
Florida: but then she and her mer
laughed at squalls and the white
choppy sea at such times.
The squat blackened the sky, beat
the ocean white where he had last seen
the three heads. and then blotted out
sea and sky and everything with its
deluge of rain. It passed on. and Be
rande emerged in the bright sunshine
as the three swimmers emerged from
the sea. Sheldon slipped inside with
the telescope and through the screen
door watched her run up the path.
shaking down her hair as she ran. TO
the fresh water shower under the
house
On the veranda that afternoon he
preached the proposition Of chaperGE
as delicately as he could. explaining
the necessity ar Berande for such u
body, a housekeeper to run the boys
and the sIoreroom and perform divers
other useful functions. When he had
finished be waited anxiously for what
Joan would say.
Then you don't ike the way I've
been managing the bouse?' was her
first objection And next, brushing his
attempted explanations aside: ''One of
two things would happen. Either
should cancel our partnership agree
ment and go away, leaving you to get
another chaperon to chaperon your
Chaperon. or else I'd take the old hen
in 10 ah hot
Do you imagine for one moment that
l sailed my schooner down here to this
raw edge of the earth in order TO put
myself under a chaperon:'
Put. really-er-you know-a chap
er0n is a necessary evil" he objected
We've got along nicely so far with
cut one. Did / have one on the MieIe?
And get l was the only woman on
board. There are only three things
! am afraid -bumbIebees. scarlet
fever and chaperon. Ugh. the cluck-
ing. evil minded monsters. finding
wrong in everything. seeing sin in the
most innocent actions and suggesting
sin-yes, causing sin by their diseased
imaginingsr'
"Phew" Sheldon leaned back from
the table in mock fear.
AS if anything good We're worth
while when it has to be guarded and
put in leg irons and handouts III order
to keep it good. Your desire for a
chaperOn as much as implies that I am
that sort of q creature. l prefer to be
good because it is good to be good
rather than because l can't be bad be-
cause some Argus eyed old trump
won't let me have chance to be bad"
Put tit IS not that" he put in. 1T
is what others will think"
Let them think. the nasty minded
wretches, 1t is because men like you
are afraid Of the nasty minded that
you allow their opinions to rule you"
Il am afraid you are a female Shell
ley" he replied And as such you
really drive me to become your part
ner in order TO protect you"
IF you take me as a partner in