Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-07-02
THIRD INSTALLMENT
cHAPTER VII.

To rescue the girl who called herself
Celestia from Professor Stlliter had
been the work Of instants and impulse
But what to do next was not to be de-
eided without plenty of reflection. Re
Election did not come easily to Tommy
however, especially in the present cir
cumstances.
He could not make her out at all TO
his satisfaction. At one moment she
seemed perfectly sane, at the next
completely mad.
How long have you known that
man?" he asked, referring, Of course,
to Professor Stilliter.
''Not so long as l have known you,
but sometimes I feel as If I had seen
you both before. But / can't ever
have seen you, can I? You cant ever
have been in heaven and I've never
been on earth"
'If you were seeing him for the first
time why were you afraid Of him?"
For the same reason that I'm not
afraid of you"
"And you're not-not a bit?"
"He," said she, simply, "is bad and
ugly. You are good and beautiful"
AS Tommy guided her through the
woods toward his camping ground of
the preceding night, he kept saying to
himself: But there's got to be a show
down soon. What am I to do about
herr"
They came to black pool of rain
water. Before Tommy could prevent
Celestia had stepped upon the surface,
as If upon solid pavement, and gone
in above the knee.
She gave little cry of amused as
tonishment.
"Why it's-it's"-she cried.
YES" said Tommy, It's wet wa
ter. You appeared to think It was a
board walk. But never mind, you'll
soon dry out. Don't they have water
in heaven?"
"Of course, but not black and still
like that. In heaven it's all alive with
rainbows in it"
"They speak English in heaven?"
"Oh, yes, and French and Italian
and Spanish and German and Ameri-
can and all the others"
Can you speak them all2'
"Of course. What good could do
on earth If l couldn't talk to people?"
"Just what good are you going to
do?"
I'm going to tell people to be better
and not so foolish, and they are to do
as tell them"
That's a splendid idea" said Tom
my. feeling that it was best to humor
her, "and then what?"
Then? Why, when I've made every
body rich and happy I'll 60 back to
heaven, of course, and be happy, too"
Are you unhappy now?"
mo; not unhappy, but if / were
back in heaven I wouldn't be all wet
and muddy and hungry and thirsty,
would II"
"Of course you wouldn't, you poor
child" said Tommy, 'but soon Wen
be at my camp and then I'll hustle
around and make you comfortable"
"And feel as If my face were on
FIRE, too" she complained.
"Feverish." thought Tommy with
dismay. And then he said:
"Stand still a moment and let me
look"
He noticed for the first time the ex-
traordinary whiteness and delicacy Of
her skin. 1t was as If she had always
been yeiled from the sun.
You're getting sunburned," he said
with concern. That's what's the mat
ter"
She touched her face with her fin
gers and then looked at their tips as
IL expecting that the burn had come
or on them.
I've got some stuff at my camp that
viii take the burn out" said Tommy.
Look out for that green stuff. It's
got thorns, and you can't afford to tear
that dress"
They had begun to climb the emf
nence on which Tommy's camp was
perched, and with every step Celestia
showed increasing fatigue.
"Of course I'm not used to walk
ing" she said; I'm sorry. suppose
III get used to it,
"If you are determined to push on
to New York you will,'' said Tommy.
His quick ears caught the sudden
appetizing cluck Of a partridge.
Let's see If we can get that fel-
lowi" he exclaimed. You sit down
and rest yourself, Celestia. Nobody
hunts much in these woods, and the
birds are tame as chickens"
She sat down and leaned against
the stem Of a birch, her breath coming
and going quickly, her great eyes fol-
lowing every movement that Tommy
made.
lCoDtinuedD