Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-14


the brink of the horizon, came up with
rush, and bathed the face of the small per-
son before him in liquid gold I he leather
cap had fallen backward, and a mass of
golden hair, now tumbled about the face,
proclaimed with startling definiteness the
sex Of AIarkham's unexpected guest
Sorry to bother you,' said the guest
weakly. "She missed fire, and | had to
plane down.
"Are YOU hurt?" he asked
mo, | think not" she replied. "Just
shaken up little that's all
Markham stood up and watched her, his
arms akimbo, tangle at his brow. 1t was
quite evident to Hernia Challoner that he
hadn't the slightest recollection Of her.
"What are you doing out at this time of
davo" he asked. "Don't you know you
might have drowned yourself? Where did
you come from? Where are you going?'
The tone of his voice was not unkind, it
was even solicitous for her welfare,-but it
reminded her unpleasantly of his attitude
toward her the last time they had met.
"That,' she replied, getting rather un-
steadily to her feet, us matter of no I'M
portance."
The effort caused her trouble, and as she
moved toward the machine her face went
white, and she would have fallen had not
Markham caught her by the arm.
"Oh, I'm all right, she faltered.
But he led her up the hill to the cabin,
where he put her on a couch and gave her
some whisky and water.
"Here, drink this he said gently. at
will do you good.
She glanced round the room, at the piles
of canvases against the wall, at the tin
coffeepot on the wooden table, and then
back at his unshorn face and shock of dis
orderly hair, the color rising slowly to her
cheeks. But she obeyed him, and drank
what remained in the glass without question,
sinking back upon the pillow, her lips firmly
compressed, her gaze upon the ceiling.
"I-I'm sorry to put you to so much
trouble" she murnured.
ooh, that s all right, he muttered. "You
got bad shock. But you'll be all right
soon. Go to sleep if you can
She tried to sit up, thought better of it,
and lay back again with eyes closed, while
Markham moved on tiptoe round the room
putting things to rights, all the while swear
ing silently.
XIHAT in the name of all that was
w unpleasant did this itinerant little
idiot mean by trying to destroy herself on
the front lawn of his holiday house? Surely
the world was big enough, the air broad
enough He glanced at her for a moment,
then went over on tiptoe and peered at her
secretively. He Strengthened and scratched
his head, fumbling for his pipe, puzzled. She
resembled somebody he knew or whom he
had met Where? When2 He gave it UP
at last, and strolled outdoors, lighted his
pipe, and sauntered down the hill toward the
devilish thing of canvas and wire that had
brought her here.
He knew nothing of aeroplanes; but even
to his unskilled eye it was apparent that
without repairs the thing would fly no more,
for the canvas covering tapped suggestively
in the wind. a broken wing And the bird
was in his cage! His situation-and hers
began to assume unpleasant defniteness.
For three days at least, until his supply boat
arrived from the mainland, they would be
prisoners here together. A pretty prospect
He strolled to his belated canvas, and stood
for awhile putting at his pipe, his mind still
bordering his neglected foreground gloom
ily. Then regretfully tenderly, he undid the
clips that fastened the canvas unlooped the
cords from his stone anchors, wiped his
brushes, shut his paintbox, and moved
slowly up the hill toward the house, his
mind protestingly adjusting itself to the sit
uation.
What was he to do with this surprising
female until the boat arrived? Common de-
cency demanded hospitality and of course
he must give it to her, his bed, his food, his
time That was the thing he begrudged her