The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-28

AS the siren blew, he left them at the gangpank.
"Well, Childie' he said. kissing his daughter
loudly, "you're sensible girl to kick that chap ont
and put the seas between You. And. mind. if he
writes. don't you dare open his letters - under
sand!"
Elida blushcd scarlet and glanced at Mrs. Chal-
loner
Her father guirawcd THAT'S all right She
knows. has my instructions mars all right.
Good luck to you. Little Chaperone"
Mrs. Chaloner would have resented the little
but she did not have time i he gone. The ship
warped along her giant pier. and presently swung
into midStrcam. headed and tailed by painting tugs
The voyage had begun.
hOWN the great river they crep. clbowing the
- Battery. with its extraordinary silhouette of i'm
possibly tall towers. out through the Narrows and
away to Il grey ever-reccding horizon. The older
woman had been lost in "reminiscences Under what
different circumstances she had last stood at the rail
and watched America fade in the distance. She
shook sef-pity from her with firm little shrug, and
turned bright glance at her companion.
Elldas face was tragic, with the despairing. con
centrated tragedy of extreme youth. The Chaperone
opened her mouth to question. then wisely forebore
She turned away tacttully pretending To watch the
goings and comings of their fellow passengers. Then
eNcusing herself, she sought the deck steward.
ranged for chairs. and selected strategic positions
She even took turn or two about the deck before
returning. but when at last she rcioned Elida the
girls face had not relaxed. nor had her position
changed.
The fact that Miss Loomis for once in her
life. was introspecive, and Sellsiudy while enlght
ening, proved To be diScomtortmg. For the first
time since she and Gerald had quarreed. she began
to question whether she had been wholly i'll the right
after all Her absolute conviction that she had been
justified in the violence of her resentment and anger
began to ebb away. Mrs. Chaloner could not divine
the nature of the distress. but it hurt her to the
lines of pain that unclouded brow.
~ the cabin. and lets read for a while.
she advised sympathetically. I'VE are both dead
tired, aren't wcg"
Mechanically Eida lifted her head from her hands
and her elbows from the rail. and followed to the
statcroom. The sofa piled high with flower and
candy boxes, and mysterious bundles of suggestive
shapes which they had not yet had time to invesi-
gate. Mrs. Challoncr made herself comfortable"
which process also made her more danty at
tractve. and began an ordered investigation open
ing parcels addressed to her. and placing the others
together
All at once her charge flushed. Her eye had caught
the end of Il familiar bcowercd carton affected by
the florist whose specially - gardenias - Gerald
wont TO lavish at her shrine She chopped Gerald
wouldn't dare" and the next moment hoped against
hope that he had remembered her. Gerald had
dared, not only To "rcmcmber.' but to write. A
thick envelope lay among the blooms. She crushed
back the and thrust the box aside
How supremely impairment. but he was suf-
fering deServedly. no doubt. but suffering. Per
haps - oh. a very faint perhaps 49, she had been
unjust in refusing an interview, an explanation.
Her father had seemed TO feel that way - at first
but then had he not become convinced that she
had been i'll treated that he forthwith forbade her
to speak to Gerald again son. though he was, of
his old friend and partner! He certainly had,
And To touch that thick letter lying there surrounded
bv gardenias - like Il corpse of dead love. Even
to open it would be disobedience, flat disobedence'
With Il nonchaant gesture she leaned forward.
picked up the box and extracted the letter. She
glanced guilty at Mrs. Chaoncr; but that lady
was busy with her own concerns. Murmurng
something unintelligblc the girl crossed the little
sitting room TO her own stalerOom OF course, she