Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-15

1t Just before dnnertlne the fifth day that the
first thing happened. Her cabin was lighted by
dow the promenade deck She had finished dressing
for dinner had drawn back the curtain let in the last
of the daylight and sitting her little sofa waiting
for the gong She had her father lucky stone IN her
hand-she couldn't wear it with dinner dress of
course, because the black leather thong that went
round her neck would show.
If it only crystal now, she was thinking, she
might be able in it the luck the future had in store
for her 1t extraordinarily clear for a common peb
ble she reflected and she gazed at its lusteress
face she let her mind wander off in abstraction The
abstraction deep that the sudden camor of the
gong in the corridor outside startled her.
She sprang her feet with little gasp, and she
did so she in her mirror a sudden movement re-
fected from the deck outside. The impression she got
though she couldn't be sure that had been
standing at her window looking in, someone who had
been startled by her sudden movement into movement
sudden of his
It's queery unpleasant sensation to feel that one is
being watched She turned to her window and looked
out: but did not see anyone
Ordinarily, when she went to dinner, she left the
lucky stone her trunk. She put it there usually dur
ing the process of changing her dress But the trunk
was already pushed back under her BERTH and instead
of pulling again she thrust the trinket, thong and
ALL down inside the corsage of her frock. Then she
went to dinner.
She returned to her cabin Immediately after dinner
get her wrap, preparatory to going deck and
the sight of her trunk gave her something else to think
about Something white, bit OF lace edg1ng was hang
ing out from under the lid Now it not only that
Pamela she had never closed her trunk IN that
careless her life, but she had looked at that trunk
before gong out to dinner, because Sle naQ mao
half mind to put her fathers lucky stone away IN 1t.
And that bit of lace edgng had not been hanging out
then If it had been she'd have opened the trunk and
rescued and put the lucky stone away at the same
time
She proceeded to open it OF course the only
logical conclusion that someone had come in her
absence and opened the trunk That, somehow, seemed
rather far fetched and unlikely. She hadn jew
ery anything else worth stealing except her express
checks and those locked up in the pursers safe.
The contents of the trunk, except for the garment
hat had Str ay-pG he aCOp
order She couldn't be sure at least from that that
any other hands than hers had rihed it. And nothing
was gone.
NOTHING more happened until the next morning,
except that she had the ugleSt sort of haltwakng
dreams, including the sensation, remembered, doubt
less, from before dinner that was looking IN at
her through the crack OF the door, which she kept hooked
back couple of inches for air
What happened the next morning Just u1laC
countabe and just as futile She had slept with her
window only inch or two OPEN for the breeze was
from that side She didn't readust the window before
going to her bath: simply slipped into knono and
slippers, took her sponge bag with her, and padded
away When she back, the window wide
open, though the curtain that hung before it had not
been drawn back. And as she opened the door her
return the she thought the curtain hung unna
urally if outside was holding it. The next
moment it utterng freely in the breeze again. and
when she to the window to shut it she
nobody outside
She was strongly inclined to dismiss the whole series
of incidents, explaining them imagination and the
result of OverStrung That would do very Well
of course for everything but the bit of edgng under the
lid of her trunk But later that morning deck
she got the idea that there might be something else
MRS. ASHLEY came and sat down beside her,
AvA looking paler and wretched than usual;
sat down, indeed with twinge and a ha-suppressed
groan.
dts just my sciatca she explained.
And then, Pamela began to sympathize with her,
she made rueful little grirnace
81 suppose you're terribly scornful about superst
tiOnso"