Evening star., 1913-02-09

gripping the sill above him. staring at the shifting
waters But hereafter that inspiring view would be cut
off He would continue to do his writing in the cabin
and he would miss that view Her bungalow! No, he
would never have built it for himself alone.
"Ill burn the thing to the ground-if-" he told
himself savagely.
not vet spoiled. Since Harold Samson dlettante of
rich San Francisco family had come to Cypress, as he
declared ito paint the river as she appears at every
phase of the and at every hour of the tWentyo
Ram felt that Delta had been slipping away from him.
Tomorrow, perhaps
Its the hero that's romantic rather than the creator
of the hero, he muttered; "and matter how sensible
girl is when she meets real hero or one that looks
and pretends the hero He paused shaking his head
"Pshaw" he began again. "Im to blame myself and
other writer's who always painting heroes like
Harold Samson. Why shouldn't hero look like myself
now just for change? Perhaps 1sdont measure
thirty-two, instead of twentyfour There sto
RES and when the the prototypes of our
in flesh and blood, how can we expect No. couldn't
blame Delta if it weren't for his bOaSt1ng."
THE skiff reached the opposite bank in safety. To
Ram Mxter, keenly conscious of the uncertain
state of the river, it seemed that Harold Samson and
Delta Looms consumed an unnecessarily long time IN
loading the boxes of lunch the coffee pot and the water
lug into the boat. When the again took up the
oars the sun hung ball of snoldering fire, just above
the deepening widening fracture in the rivers
mouth. The shovel men were gone now: their work
was DONE From where he stood Ram could see huge
humps of sand falling after another, into the under
mining current.
@They'd better hurry Ram said to himself;
then, raising his voice, he called "Hey! you
folks had better hurry
Harold Samson, dipping the oars lazily,
glanced over his shoulder. He heard the ~
call; but it impossible to tell
whether he caught the words. He
turned back and plunged into
lively dialogue with Delta. ~
"If he pulls we'll upstream and 80
looks alive they'll be all right NW
yet thought Mxter. Nyxk
But instead of pulling well
up stream the man headed Es9akx
the boat straight for the M&H
campfire rowing slowly, as SsxSSAs&f
If to prolOng the tete-a -a-tete kzsSsSSs<
with Delta much as EzgsNsz63
possible S&fsz<
"Deta, at least, ought
to be on her guard, NUT
tered Ram restlessy. He AxSsxz
would have called again, sSsH%&6
but he remembered the 1Ess&3E
deris;ve "molycodde" the ZE<f*& &&l
girl had hurled him. ks&Fk
Stealthy the skif S
slipped away from its
course and down stream. v1
A few strong swift strokes, y<E
and there would still be time
to draw out of the clutch of v
the current. But Just as he &
reached the middle distance V
Harold Samson rested his Vze%<
and leaned forward COntiden- VS##&
TALLY to speak to the girl in the vxs.SS
stern 49,
For an instant their faces were ~
very close together. Ram Mixter
gave a warning shout Just then the
nose of the skff whrled sharply down
the current.
Harold Samson awoke and dug his oars
violently into the water. Delta Loomis, ganc-
ing round at the chasm opening below them
screamed Her scream was answered shrily by the
three women about the campfire.