Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-10
BREAK o.
BY JUsTUs MILES FORNAN
Illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum.
copyrighted. 1913 by the Newspaper En-
terprlse Association.

copyrighted. 1918. by the Newspaper En-
terprlse Association.
Some one across the table said
something about romance and Jimmy
Rodgers ceased to listen to the girl
beside him and leaned forward In his
chair His manner was exactly that
of a hostess who is trying to collect
eyes at the end of dinner.
Speaking of romance" said he
to the company at large. Nobody
paid the slightest attention to him.
The people about the table were
all talking very fast and apparently
listening not at all, but he leaned for
ward once more with a determined
CLEAN in his young eyes.
Speaking of romance" he said
loudly. Three or four of his friends
looked up at him and grinned.
Jimmy Rogers sat back in his chair,
and the girl beside him gave a little
giggle of delight.
What's the use of trying to talk
10 this crowd of maniacs?' he de-
manded morosely. They won't give
YOU a chance-not a chance And
they're all my friends, too I'm going
to drink myself to DEATH"
lie had an assortment of things
to do it with. He drank them all
seowling across the table at Sibyl
Carteret, who had observed his strug-
gies, and was making triumphant
faces at him over his defeat.
But when at last there fell another
pause.
Speaking of romance" said
Jimmy Rogers, in a determined tone,
and his host grinned down at him
and beat upon the table with MS
hand
Jimmy Rogers" said he, " is burst
ing with romance-as usual Please
everybody, listen to him or he'll be
cross all evening"
"A long time ago." said Jimmy
Rogers our little friend Sibyl Car
teret-now engaged in making hid
eous face at me across the taole-
mentioned the word romance. 1t re
minded me of gentleman | met TINS
morning down on that old public
pier at the Neck which nobody uses
any more except to fish from. He
was weather beaten gentleman
with an experienced eye, and he was
shabbily dressed. What called my
attention to him was the fact that he
was lying on pile of bags of some
thing and looking out to sea. asked
hinif he was watching for the new
big liner The shabby gentleman
said he wasn't interested in liners.
He said:
I like to watch the tramps-the !
poor old rusty, ratty tramps. I like
10 watch EN- go sneaking out with |
out anybody on the pier to wave |
handkerchiefs at 'em, and without !
any band to play. 1 like to wonder |
where they're going to and what'n !
happen to 'em before they come back
again
He said:
. Think o the ports they're bound |
FOR. Rio like as not, or Buenos /
Ayres-' (And he pronounced Buenos |
Ayres right too. Or maybe round |
the Horn or maybe round the Cape |
or Perth and Melbourne and Sydney; /
Or right out East to Hongkong and
Yolahoma.
And maybe he said, they'll
never get there at all. oh, yes, it's
the tramps | like to watch.
Il asked him If he'd ever been to
sea and he stared at me and said OF
course he had. Everybody had. He
said he knew all the seas in the world
and most of the lands too, but that
there were still some places left, and
he was sure they'd be worth going
to--like the Others"
Mrs Stanley, the hostess, gave
little laugh of delighted interest and
clapped her hands together before
her.
''Tell us more. More," she begged.
More" said Jimmy Rogers. 'Oh.
yes, have saved the best for the
last-that is, it would be the best,
I'm sure, If one could make it out.
asked this chap what he was doing
here and he said he was looking for
the break o day. Yes just like that
1.-The break o day"
The people about the able began to
laugh and to besiege Jimmy Rogers
with questions, but Stanley observed
that his wife did not laugh with the
others. She had suddenly gone very
white, and she bent her head down
so that her face was in partial
shadow, and, after moment, he saw
her lift her champagne glass to drink
from it, and he saw that her hand
was shaking.
As instinctively as he would have
sprung to help her in another sort of
danger he came forward now to her
aid, attracting the attention of Jimmy
Rogers and his other guests by
rapid flow of comment and question.
About mid-afternoon of the follow
ing day Eleanor Stanley slipped out
Of the house and down the long hill
slope toward the shore.
Mrs. Stanley went down the steps
to the little pavilion and at the same
moment a young man with brown
face and singuarly beautiful gray
eyes came out of the shrubbery at one
side and stood waiting for her. The
woman gave a sort of gasping cry
and stopped short at the foot OF the
last step. So, for what seemed very
long time, the two were still, and
there was no sound at all in the place
save the regular whispering rush of
the quiet sea upon the quiet sand.
II was the Young man who spoke
at last and for some obscure reason
he spoke in IA whisper. He said:
You got my letter, them" And
Mrs. Stanley nodded slowly, saying:
yes. Harry. Yes, l got it. This
morning early"
Break o. Day." he cried all at
once. Break O. DAY." But the !
woman came forward a step or two,
holding up her hands as If to check t
him.
NO, no." she said quickly. She /
was breathing very fast and her face
was quite white. please. not that!'
she said. II came here to meet you, |
Harry. as you begged me to do. be- !
cause-well. because / owed you that, |
perhaps. But I have come to ask |
you to go away and not trouble me.
II you have anY-regard for me at
ALL you must see that this Is the !