Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-01-14
eff you are not Mr.. Locke the ticker

is no good"
''Hurrah! Put me off,
You don't understandable ticket is
good, but
Pardon the personal M ture of the
Observation-Disclosures size shirt do you
wear?"
Seventeen"
Saved! Let me have about six, will
your"
II need all | have. I'll have look
for your baggage, Mr.-Anthony. and
I'll see the captain about this ticket
also. I'll look you up later"
He departed, shaking his head as if
this were form of insanity be had
never before encountered. A moment
later Kirk followed him and made a
round of the deck, staring at each man
he met and mentally estimating the
girth Of his neck. Then he made his
way toward the smoking room. deter
mined to enlist the help of his new
acquaintance. Stein.
Midway aft he paused. A girl had
emerged from the deckhOuse ahead of
him, whose appearance was sufficient
" striking to divert him, momentarily
at least, from his quest. She was well
above the usual height. quite slender.
yet of an exquisite rounded fullneSS.
while her snug fitting tailor made gown
showed the marks of taste. * ct
his eyes follow her, then retract is
no in. fhn h,,,a OF
meeting her face to face.
But when they had met and passed
he went his way vaguely disappointed.
Instead of girl. as the first sight Of
her youthful figure had led him TO ex-
pect. he had seen a woman of perhaps
forty. She was certainly not so hand
some as he had imagined from ii dis
lance. Yet the face was attractive
The eyes were wide set. gray and very
clear, the mouth large enough to be ex-
pressiVe. Her hair shone in the morn
ing sun with a delicate bronze luster
like that of turkeys wing.
He dismissed her from his thoughts
and continued his search for a number
seventeen shirt and collar to match.
But he did not fare well. He found
Mr. Stein in the smoking room. but dis
covered that his size was fifteen and
a half, and there was no one else to
whom he could apply.
+ For second time Stein importuned
him to buy Il chance on the ships run.
and. failing in this suggested that they
have a drink together. Had not Kirk
realized in time his inability to reciprO-
cate be would have accepted eagerly.
for his recent dissipation had left him
curiOusly weak and nervous. At the
cost Of an effort. however. he refused.
Stein laughed. Don't get sore. All
ships are alike. We have to talk about
something. Sorry ! can't help you
with the shirt question. Deuced care
less of them to lose your luggage"
'sYes. 1t makes one feel about a7
comfortable as man with d broken
arm and the prickly heat. Something's
got to be done about it. that's ALL" He
men about the room.
Over in a corner, propped against the
leather upholstery, was Mr. COrtIandt,
as pale, as reserved and as Saturnine
as at breakfast. He was slipping
Scotch and soda. and in all the time
that Anthony remained he did not
speak to Il soul save the waiter. did
not shift his position save to beckon
for another drink. Something about
his sour, retrospective aloofness dis
pleased the onloOker. who shortly re-
turned to the deck.
The day was warming up. and on
the sunny side of the ship the steamer
chairs were filling. Two old men were
casting quoits; noisy quartet was
playing Switchboard After idling back
and forth on deck for time Kirk Sc
lected a chair and stretched himself
cut
DO you wish this chair for the 10Y
age. sir?" asked the deck steward.
YES. / think So"
"Tll put your name on it,"
Anthony, suit A. third floor front"
Very well. sir" The man wrote out
card and fitted it to the back of the
chair. saying. "One dollar, if you
please"
Il haven't got dollar"
The steward laughed, as if to humOr
his passenger. I'm afraid, then, you
can't have the chair"
80 l must stand up all the way to
Panama, eh?"
''You are joking, sir. I'll have to pay
it myself if you DON'T
THAT'S right. Make me as uncOmfOrt-
able as possible By the way, what
size collar do you wear?"
Sixteen"
Kirk sighed. "Send the purser to
me, will you? I'll fix up the chair mat
ter with him.
While he was talking he heard the
rustic of skirts close by and saw The