, 1913-05-29

you had earned self reliance on Be
rande, instead of needing to lean upon
the moral support of every whisky
guzzling. worthless south sea vaga-
bond"
He smiled and said:
Eyes, that is the worst of II. You
are unanswerable. Yours Is the logic
Of youth, and no man can answer that.
The facts of life have no place in the
logic of youth. Youth must try to live
according to its logic. The facts always
smash youths logic, and they usually
smash youths heart, too It's like
platonic friendships n and all such
things; they are all right in theory, but
they won't work in practice.
Suppose we do become partners on
Berande," he said, 'either I'll fall in
love with you or you with me. Pro
pinquity is dangerous, you know. In
fact, 1t is p%ropinquity hat usually
gives b facer to the logic of youth"
IF you think l came to the Solo
mons to get married." she began
w~rathfully. "Well, there are better
men in Hawaii, that's all. Really, you
know, the way you harp on that one
string would lead an unprejudiced
listener to conclude that you are pru-
RENT minded
She stopped. appalled,. His face had
gone red and white with such abrupt
ness as 20 staItie Ter. He was pa
tently very angry. She slipped the
last Of her coffee, and arose, saying:
HTpu matt NATL -A, L. q, hn&tor
temper before taking up the discussion
again. That is what's the matter with
you. You get angry too easily. Will
you come swimming3 The tide is just
right"
IF b were a man, I'd bundle her
Off the plantation, root and crop,
whaleboat, Tahitian sailors. sover-
eigns, and ALL" he said to himself
after she had left the room.
But that was the trouble. She was
not a man, and where would she go,
and what would happen to herr
He got to his feet, lighted a ciga-
rette, and her Stetson hat, hanging on
the wall over her revolver belt, caught
his eye. That was the devil of it, too.
He did not want her to go. After all,
she had not grown up yet. Never
again would he lose his temper with
her. She was "A child: he must re-
member that. He sighed heavily. But
why in reasonableness had such a
child been Incorporated in such a wOm-
ans form?
Her thrilling laughter smote upon his
reverie and he stepped to the screen
door, through which he could see her
running down the path to the beach.
At her heels ran two of her sailors.
Papehara and Mahameme, in scarlet
lava-lavas, with naked sheath knives
cleaning In their belts. 1t was IN
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.
II seemed to him. Immediately after
eating.
He watched her take the water. div
Ing Clearly 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 Oh either side. He did not have
much faith In their ability to beat off
a hungry man eater, though he did
believe implicitly that their lives
would go bravely before hers In case
of al 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-
pearing behind 1t with greater fire.
quency. He strained his eyes to keep
them in sight. and finally fetched the
telescope on to the veranda. A squall
was making over from the direction OF
Florida; but then she and her men
laughed at squalls and the white.
choppy sea at such times.
The squall blaekened the sky, beat
the cea white where he had last seer
the three heads. and then blotted out
sea and sky and everything with Its
deluge Of rain. 1t passed on. and Be
rande emerged in the bright sunshine
~ Ia three swimmers emarged from