Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-26

no more about the future till they reach
ed Naples. She would let this one week
drift her how 1t would.
George came in under the time limit OF
his adventure. He had been upon the
most difficult errand imaginable. at least
from bachelors point of view. He car
ried two handbags. One of these he de-
posted In Fortunes lap.
Shall l open it?''
III You wish
She noted his embarrassm and her
immediate curiosity was not to be denied.
she slipped the catch and looked inS de.
There were combs and brushes, soap and
tooth powder and tale a manicure set. a
pair OF soft wooden slippers and
She glanced up quickly. The faintest
rose STOLE under her cheeks. 1t was droll:
1t was patheticaaly funny. She would
nave given worlds to have seen him
making the purchases.
You are not offended?' he stammered.
why should / be? ] am human; /
have slept and lived for days in a dress,
and worn my hair down my back for
lack of hairpins and combs. l am sure
that 1t is very nice nightgown.
Laughter overcame her. He laughed,
too; not because the situation appealed to
him as laughable. but because there was
something, an indefnable something, in
that laughter of hers that made him
wonderfully happy.
MIR. Jones ="
George" he interrupted, determinedly.
Brother George, it was very kind and
thoughtful Of you. Not one man In q
thousand would have thought of-of
hairpfns. More laughter.
Il didn't think of them: it was the
clerk"
He ="
'She."
well. then. she will achieve great
things" lightly, though her heart was
full.
Tactfully he reached over and swept up
the money.
Shall 1 ever be able to repay your
she said.
Eyes, by letting me be your brother;
by not deciding the future till We land In
Naples; by letting me keep i'm touch with
you, whatever your ultimate decision
| may be. That isn't much Will you
promise that?"
Yes"
They spoke no more of Ryanne. 1t was
as though he had dropped out of their
lives completely. To a certain extent he
had. They were to meet him once az ain
however, in the last act OF this whimsical
drama. which had drawn them both out
OF the commonplace and dropped them
for full spin upon the whirligig Of life.
In due time they arrived at Alexandra.
There they found the great transatlantic
| liner, homeward bound.
Ryanne would beat them into New York
by ten days. He had picked up a boat
Of the P. & o. line at Port Said, sailing
without stop to Marseille. From there
to Cherbourg was trifling journey.
George knew the captain, and the cap
tain not only knew George, but had
known Georges father before him. The
young man went to the heart of the mat
| remarkable tale the captain lowered his
cigar. 1t had gone out.
And all this happened in the year
1909-191O! If any one but you, Mr.. Jones.
had told me this, I'd have sent him
ashore as a lunatic. You have reported
it?"
What good would it do? We are out
of it, and that's enough. More, we do
not want any one to know what we've
been through. If the newspapers got hold
of it there would be no living
"You leave it to me-" said the big
hearted German From here to Naples
she shall be as mine own daughter. You
have not told me alp
No; only what l had of necessity to
tell
well, you know best / shall do my
share to make her feel at home. She is
as pretty as a flower
To this George agreed, but not verbally.
The steamer weighed anchor at g O'Clock
that evening, with only handful of pas
sengers for the trip to Naples. George
had wired from Damascus to Cairo to
have his luggage sent on, and he saw 1t
tune know, he had also telegraphed the
hotel to forward whatever, she had left;
but the return wire Informed him that
Mrs. ChedsOye had taken everything.
They were leaning against the star
board rail, watching the slowly converg-
ing lights of the harbor. Fortune had
borrowed a cloak from her stewardess
and George wore the multi Of the first
officer. The captain had offered his, but
George had declined. He would have
been lost in it's ample folds.
Il cannot understand why they made
no effort to find you." he unused. 1t
doesn't seem quite human
Don't you understand? It is simple.
My mother believes that Horace and !
ran away together. II not that, I ran
away myself. as I that day threatened
to do. In either case. she saw nothing
could be done in trying to find out where
had gone. Perhaps she knows exactly
what did happen. Doubtless she has sent
on my things to Mentone which, of
course, l snail never see again. No, no.
cannot go back there. / have known