The Penn's Grove record., 1912-05-17

4AS AAAAAh OONA o.
blue, shining in the afternoon sun like
4 sheet Of polished steel.
Every now and then fifty or a hum
dred flying fish would spring from
the water, skim for some distance and
drop into the sea like a shower of sill
yer.
He kept leaning owe the rail, quot
Ing Kipling to himself and watching
the play Of these fairy fish, when she
rested her book on the arm of her
deck chair and said: Il waited for
you for nearly half an hour"
He turned with the intention Of sit
ting for a moment on the foot of her
chair, a privilege to which he had
come to assume some right, but she
did not move her feet to make room
for him.
Il am sorry" he said. standing be-
fore her. Our challenge was to play
quoits at half past four. l was on
the upper deck precisely at the time
appointed. l looked everywhere for
you. l waited five minutes-even
more. l thought you had forgotten"
The wind had blown my hair. l
had gone below for a minute. You
might have waited. What became of
you, anyway" she asked. frowning a
little.
Il have been in the music room"
he said. They wanted me to accom-
pany a song"
They? You mean Miss Roberts?
Everything is explained-and forgiV-
en-" she added lightly.
"Jealous?" he said, smiling.
Yes, dying with jealousy" she said
and laughed merrily.
He was disconnected. If he could
have taken her by her shoulders and
shaken her he would have done SO
with pleasure at that moment.
"~Jealousy-it is, of course, an I'M
p~ardonable emotion" he ventured.
But the prince, who was sitting next
to her. had bent over to make some
trivial observation, to which she had
begun to reply with animation.
He strolled down the deck toward
the smoking room, quite light hearted
now over his determination. Almost
since they had left the docks at Til
bury, since Gibraltar, at all events, it
had been plain sailing between them.
1t was even possible he had been too
devoted, he thought. He had been
testing his power over her a little in
the matter Of this game of Quoits. To-
night he would find out.
He was wanted to make up a party
of four to play bridge. In two minutes
he was happily absorbed in the smoke
room. On the deck outside she, equal
ly happy. was talking to the prince.
1t was the night of the fancy dress
ball and in his cabin the steward had
laid out the costume he had brought
for him, and to which she had put
some finishing touches. 1t was the
costume of an Arab chief which he
had bought at Port Said, and though
of all men the least vain, he might
be excused for thinking that the sky
blue cloak and vest embroidered with
gold, the flowing white hair and scar
let slippers were not unbecoming.
The bugle sounded for dinner and
he found himself descending to the
saloon with a motley crowd of fellow
passengers-a brilliant and gay assem-
blage, making a scene all the more
impressive because this night those
who wore fancy dress were seated to-
gether at the long tables down the
center of the room.
She-her name was Iris-did not ap-
pear till rather late, and it was a sud
den burst of applause which made him
look up not to recognize her for a mo.
ment as an Egyptian water carrier,
bearing on her head an eartnenware
vessel.
The Egyptian will win the first
prize" people were saying.
Certainly she looked beautiful and
he was pleased at the tributes to her
grace and charms. He had expected
that she would take the vacant chair
opposite to his own and it had cross
ed his mind that after all he would
as on the night of other dances, claim
all, or nearly all, the waltzes: the
Arab chief must dance with the water
IA Va LAO WIG oul BIC lOuuu q
place at the farther end OF the table.
d seat next to the prince.
After all, then, he would not dance:
he would not even crafty her vanity
by praising her costume, when. with
her sister, she, as they always did,
took their coffee with, him in the
lounge.
He went up early to secure the ia.
yorite sofa, ordered his cigar, his cot
fee and brandy, and waited.
But Iris and her sister did not ap.
pear until just as the procession CT the
masqueraders was being formed; be
fore the dance they were to parade
twice around the deck SO that their
fellow passengers might inspect the
costumes and vote, and in the process
sion he found himself far removed
from Iris.
1t was beautiful on deck. The all
was warm and delicious.
The competitors were divided into
two classes, those who had made theil
costumes aboard and those who. like
himself and like Iris, wore clothes t1ey
had bought on the voyage. in Italy o.
in Egypt; and there were some who
like the prince, were accustomed t
the festivities of these long voyages
from England to Ceylon and Australi;
and had come provided with wigs ant
false boards and elaborate costumes
obtained from some theatrical GU.
filter. Yet even these were rivalet
by some of the dresses made on boart
by ingenious feminine fingers.
But splendid beyond all the Others