Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-22

time since, but Dorothy still stood
looking out over the sea- She was
thinking how unfortunate 1t was that
dinner on shipboard always robbed her
of view of the sunset She was a
good sailor and consequently had no
excuse for taking her meals on deck
"Sill, If this were the only thing 1
had to worry over" she reflected, Il
might indeed be happy woman"
And this was why Dorothy Shaw
was a mystery to all her friends. She
refused to be happy, though rich
TRY it yourselves" she would re-
ply to their expressions OF fncredulity.
.'Have so much money left you that
your every movement Is followed by
reporters. II you happen to order
different paper on Friday from the one
you bought on Thursday you are GER
tain that you will read in ali of them
| on Saturday that you have decided
to give q million to the campaign
fund"
She felt that she could trust no one
By sorry experience she had learned
that wealth was a bait few could re-
want now?' was her first thought on
the advances OF every new friend she
made.
Finally in desperation she bad taken
passage in a slow ship under an as
sumed name, but even SO was beset
| by the constant fear that some one
on board would have seen her picture
in the papers when her uncle left her
the fortune which was her nightmare.
That was an additional reason why
she liked to linger on deck after most
of her fellow passengers had gone
down to array themselves for dinner.
"Ohr'
The exclamation was forced from
her by a sudden gust of wind that took
her tam on Its wings and blew 1t
straight across the gap of lower after
deck that interviewed on the Alicia be-
tween the first and second cabins.
The next instant she smiled and bare
" refrained from applauding. A man
standing well forward on the deck had
stretched out his hand and caught the
truant bit of red worsted as it went
whizzing by him.
A half minute later and the two were
standing on the neutral territory OF the
deck below, for Dorothy had descend
ed in order to meet him halfway in re-
storing her property.
'T'm very much obliged" said she.
mot at ALL" said the man.
He was tall and straight and had the
clear blue eyes that Dorothy preferred
above all others.
She was about to turn back when the
other exclaimed:
Look; there's a whalei He's just
spouted. He'll come up again in min
ute, if you care to watch. See, where
my finger points,
Dorothy certainly did care to watch.
In all her crossings she had never seen
a whale. Now she was rewarded with
a fine view of a large specimen.
AS it happened, this one kept on in
the direction of the steamer for awhile.
and after each spout she felt she must
wait and see the next one. And then
her companion seemed to know good
deal about the creatures, which he i'm
parted in a voice which possessed for
Dorothy an indefnable charm.
Voices were a sort Of hobby with her.
She often declared that this was the
one point on which she was not thor
oughly patriotic-she could not bring
herself to admire the average American
accent
But this strangers voice puzzled her
He looked and dressed like one of her
countrymen. but he spoke with neither
the western bur, the southern twang,
the Boston affectation nor the New
York fairness.
She did not know until some weeks
later that he WAS English born, but
had come to the States as a young
fellow hoping for better opportunities
to make living than his mother coun-
try afforded him. He was returning
to England to claim a sum of money
left him by an uncle.
The dinner bugle sounded. and the
man, as IL reminded by its notes that
he belonged in a different atmosphere
(the second cabin Is called to meals by
a plebeian belD. lifted his cap and
walked away.
For the remainder of the voyage
Sherwood Roberts hung over the back
rail to gaze into the swirl of waters
surging out from the twin screws and
curse the fate that had led to his meet
ing this pretty woman on the present
trip instead of on the one he expected
to take a few weeks later.
81 might as well be thousand miles
away from her as In second cabin" he
muttered between clinched teeth idiot
that was for coming this way. And
to think that within ten days l could
lay fortune at her feet And the con-
ventions won't even permit that send
her note to say that this is positive
ly my last appearance in poverty. But
perhaps I'll meet her in London"
He never did, however. although he
haunted Hyde park and the fashion
able hotels after his claim to his IN
cle's property had been established
and he had come into the possession Of
that which enabled him to dress theee
times day.
"I wonder now" he would someune-
ask himself, IF I had put my pride In