The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1913-05-02

o'clock that evening, with only a
handful Of passengers for the trip 10
Naples. George had wired from Ia
mascus to Cairo to have his luggage
sent on, and he saw 1t put aboard him
self. Without letting Fortune know
he had also telegraphed the hotel to
forward whatever she had left; Dut
the return wire Informed him that
Mrs. Chedsoye had taken everything.
They were leaning against the star
board rail, watching the slowly con-
verging lights Of the harbor. Fortune
had borrowed q cloak from her stew
ardess and George wore the mutt OF
the first-oficer. The captain had o.
fered his, but George had declined.
He would have been lost in its ample
folds.
Il can not understand why they
made no effort to find you," he unused.
1T doesn't seem quite human" =.
! Don't you understand! 1t Is sim.
pie. My mother believes that Horace
and ran away together. II not that,
ran away myself, as 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, shall
never see again. No. no! l can not
90 back there. have known the
misery Of suspense long enough" She
lowered her head to the rail.
He came quite near to her. His
arms went out toward her. only to
drop down. He must wait. It was
very hard. But nothing prevented his
putting forth a hand to press hers re-
assuringly, and saying: Don't do
that, Fortune. 1t makes my heart
ache to see woman cry"
II am not crying" came in muf1ed
tones. II am only sad, and tired.
tired"
Everything will come out all right
in the end" he encouraged. "Of course
you are tired. What woman wouldn't
se, having gone through what you
have? Here; let's sit in the steam
er-chairs till the bugle blows for din.
ner. I'm bit tagged out myself"
They lay back in the chairs. and 10
longer cared to talk. The lights tWa.
| kied, but fainter and fainter, till at
last only the pale line between the
sky and the sea remained. She
turned her head and looked sharply at
him. He was sound asleep. poor
boy" she murmured softly. How
care-worn!" There was something
| grotesque in the mask Of desert tan
and shaver skin. How patient he had
been through it all, and how kind and
gentle to her! She remembered now
Of seeing him that night in Cairo, and
Of remarking how young and fresh he
seemed In comparison to the men she
knew and had met. And she must
leave him, to go into the world and
fight her own battles. II God had but
given to her brother like this! But
brother he never could be, no, not
even in the pleasant sense of adoption.
She did not want pity. To
think of his getting those things for
her In Damascus! Pity sug'
gested that she was weak and help.
less, whereas she knew that she was
both patient and strong. What
did she want? She glanced up and
down the deck. 1t was totally desert.
ed save for them. Then, clad in the
beauty Of thousand stars" she
leaned over and down and brushed his
hand with her lips.
And George slept on. Only the blare
of the bugle brought him back to nun.
dane affairs. He was hungry, and he
announced the fact with gusto. They
would dine we'll that night. The cap.
tain placed Fortune at his right and
George at his left, and preached a bot.
tie Of fine old Johannisberger. And
the three Of them had coffee in the
smoking-room. II the other passen.
gers had any curiosity. they did not
manifest 1t openly.
Upon finding that they had no real
need of staying over in Naples, the
captain urged that they take the re.
turn voyage with him. He saw more
than either Of the young people, with
those blue Teutonic eyes Of his.
George promised to let him know with.
in a dozen hours Of the sailing. Ger.
tainly Fortune would decide one way
or the other within that time.
Both had seen the vesuvian bay
many times, with ,never.failing love
and interest. They sailed across the
bay in the bright clearness Of the
morning.
"You are going back with me"
George announced in a tone which In.
ferred that nothing more was to be
said upon the subject. But, for all
| hfa nopA5onnn %bova