Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-03-11

hue and cry which followed her
name at the time she disappeared,
leaving a dead man behind her and
seemingly no trail. Dropping into
the House of Moon Faces for the
first time, some years before, he had
recognized her with start, and
realized that, like himself, she was
a bit of human flotsam cast up on
the shore of the Orient.
Recognition had been mutual. She
had come to his table and they had
talked. He had found her living her
life as she found it, with an openly
expressed contempt for men and
their ways.
! She had found a man without
country-cynical, bitter, demoral-
lied, nursing a fostering wound of
the spirit, and brazenly saying that
he did not care-half persuaded
| that he told the truth-without aim
| or object or ambition; creature Of
circumstance, as he frankly declared
yet not without certain courage,
exhibited at a time when he had
saved her from drunken brawler's
knife.
Something of all this fitted in
| broken fragments through Gafford's
time he lifted his eyes and brought
them back to the distant yacht.
Despite their narrowed pupils,
their sight was good. Keen sight
was a Gafford inheritance. Conse-
quently he made out tiny white
dot, which shot out from the vessels
counter and made in toward the pier,
and recognized it as a motor-driven
| launch.
He watched it idly as it cut across
the oily roll of the ground swell
letting his eyes drop as it lessened
| the perspective. So at last he made
| out its lines with distinctness, and
caught the flutter of the flag on the
stern, where it stood bravely out in
the breeze, created by the passage
of the launch.
Something rose for a moment in
his throat. The next instant he
| gath red his feet inward and made
| to rise. Yet quite inexplicably he
| paused.
A sudden stubborn opposition laid
hold upon him. "Why," he asked
himself, "should he rise and stink
from observation because a bit of
colored bunting snapped in the
wind ?"
Like hell I'll run" growled Gaf-
ford, and squatted down in mute
defiance Of things and men.
The launch came on, lost head
way, and swung in to the foot of the
landing stairs. From the pier Gaf-
ford watched with sullen eyes. They
marked the trim uniform of the
boatmen, avoided the now dropping
flag, and swung to the other occu-
pants of the launch.
They were two in number-a wo-
man and man. The latter was of a
massive figure and commanding
presence. There was quiet dignity,
a sense of reserve force about him
which Gafford felt.
Beneath his hat he caught a
glimpse of hair turning from brown
to gray, and face which, while
heavy, was strong. The nose was
we'll arched and slightly aquiline.
The eyes wide apart and set deep in
their sockets were open and clear,
and Gafford sensed rather than saw
that they were gray.
But it was the girl who drove some
Of the sullenness from the watchers
eyes and awakened interest in its
stead She was hardly what he could
call slender, yet one might not de-
scribe her as stout. Willowy was the
somewhat hackneyed term which
came into Gafford's mind.
He guessed her as possibly five feet
five in height, and, having appraised
her stature, forgot all else in her face.
1t was fresh, clear, clean. Its eyes
were blue, and the swift harbor dash
had brought tinge Of beauty to her
cheeks and lips. Hair, soft and
brown, had whipped out from under
Ler scarf trimmed hat.
She pushed it back into place as
the boat rounded to the steps and
stopped Gafford always remembered
her in that first glimpse as glorious
specimen of American womanhood.
"Here, boy"
Gafford became conscious that the
large man had risen, picked up Q
couple of suit-cases, and was extend
ing them toward him, in the evident
expectation that ho would come for
ward and accept their burden.
For a moment resentment surge,
hot within him. The man had ad
dressed him in the same tone ht
would have used to a native bearer ol
porter back home.
A profane end insulting refusa
trembled on his tongue, and died al
his eyes fell again on the girl. HI
rose and shuffled quickly down th'
stairs. His hands received the out
stretched cases, and he stepped bacl
with his load.
The large man turned and assisted
the girl to land. And in that moment
as she stepped to the stone of tn
quay, Gafford heard her speak in ;
tone meant only for her companion
ears: "Father-the man is white"
"Eh?" said the other and turne
to stare at Gafford. "Oh-so he is,
he went on, with a slight addition
of respect in his voice. "Took yo
! for native, my man. Didn't expec
a white to be sitting on the pier. M
daughter and l are desirious Q
+. reaching the Hotel Nippon. Coul
you direct us, perhaps? ?"
e Gafford nodded. 81 am a guide,