The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-11-12
Copyright. 1915. by IN. star company,.

could write his letters there directly
supper was finished. But the little
maiden OF the fishing village looked
upon all men as superior beings whose
will must not be too greatly questioned.
SO she came out to the doorstep to
bid Harding good-by. Uncle Donald
carried his bucket full OF water into the
house. and either chance or design or
carelessness. or both, made him close
f, the door after him.
Are you sorry must go-dear?"
| asked Harding.
And Harding stopped quickly and
pressed his lips to hers. Soft and young.
Dorothy's mouth trembled against his
own-acquiescent. eager. He caught her
to him for moment and then he fairly
pushed her away and hurried of.
And beside the doorway OF the Dane
cottage. where the unused oars were
leaning. there stood his shotgun, for
gotten for the time.
Dorothy stood and watched him 60
The tremor OF her own heart was deli
cious to her. The clamor OF her blood
fairly frightened her. She ran to the
old-fashioned well and drew up a bucket
of cool water.
First, she drank eagerly. as II burn
ing with a thirst she could hardly
assuage. Then she bathed her face and
her wrists. and stood smiling happily
into the sunset.
For a moment she stood. yielding
herself to happy dreams. Forgotten
were all the romances she had carried
from the Cedar Point Library station!
She had no memory OF the faithlessness
of man nor OF how he loved and rode
away" or kissed and told She only
knew that she loved Clinton Harding
tah hat Ia L. hAr lxAN IAa rs
and soul had gone In triumph to her lips
TO meet his demand.
She loved him. And he had kissed
her. Dorothy was very happy and
reading had taught her to believe fol-
lowed loves dreaming.
"Dorothy-whPt are you incoming out
there for called her Uncle's insistsnt
voice" This striped seabass amt gdsng
to get any better by bein' cold"
So Dorothy left her dreaming OF the
man she loved and went in to wait
upon the man who could make the de-
mands Of relationship upon her.
She thought Clinton Harding would
what her kiss had meant to him. But
he did not come. And the next day
passed-and stu he did not come,
First wonder, then pain. then doubt
held Dorothy In their grip. She was
going through the world old tragedy OF
the woman who gives devotion when
man has only wanted n little diversion.
1t was an ordinary enough tragedy
but that made Dorothy'R pain none the
| less. She was miserably unhappy.
| There was no one to help her. no one
| to care. She bore her pain In silence
| as long as she could-and then she
acted.
well. Beatrice. what particular
f, thriller is filling your starry eyes with
wonder this morning." asked Jimmy.
"Oh. you'd never understand. was
thinking about the faithlessness OF
men," said !. And that's a subject
where your sympathy is bound TO lie on
the WRONG side. You shan't see this
letter"
Jimml fairly seized it from my hand
and read 1t aloud In burlesdue tone,
which brought tinse Of sadness to my
Smith Harbor. Long Island.
Dear Miss Fairfax
II am a country girl and in love with
young man from New York who has
been staying here. Last night he kissed
me. Now he has gone without word.
What shall do? DOROTHY DANE"
Jimmy looked at me with an air or
focusing his attention on some one or
some thing he couldn't quite see.
Smith Harbor" he said. Smith
Harbor. Say I've got to call John
department. on your phone. I was try
ing to get a story from him this morn
ing-there's a suspicion In the inner
circles that there's little smuggling
going on down on Long Island. l went
to Martin this morning after a story
Hes got one OF his best men down
at Smith harbor looking into the matter
and he's promised me that as soon as
the chap reports he'll Gave a story FOR
story for him. Mind II / call him up?'
A Suggestion.
or course l didn't mind bit And
presently Jimmy was asking eagerly or
someone at the other end II Smith har-
Dor was the place where his man was
staying. Jimmy smiled with the tense
excitement he always shows when his
detective and newspaper instinct are
working happily together hand In
hand.
Then he turned to me. Permit me
to reread your Letter, Miss Fairfax. 1t
begins to seem to me that / have
great deal of sympathy for your fisher
maiden Um-yes Suppose you go
and see her. I'll come down later"
"But this isn't very urgent case.
can't accomplish much by going to
see her. Besides / haven't gone all
through my mail and there may be
women who need me far more than
Dorothy Dane does" said I.
Beatrice Fairfax. how many city
men do you suppose are staying in
that God-forsaken spot known as Smith
harbor about now. It's a bunch OF
,tumbledown shanties and smelly fishing
shacks and yellow sand and cliffs eaten
into by the tide. There's nothing sum-
mer-resorty or alluring about Smith
harbor.
Your girl writes that she's in love
with city chap who disappeared after
he kissed her without coming back for
more. My man Martin says that his
man. Harding, Is down at Smith harbor
looking for smugglers and hasn't re-
ported Tor twenty-four hours.
"Now smugglers are not a particu-
larly polite and moderate crew. II
Harding has disappeared, II may be
that his bruised and battered body is
lying at the foot of cliff, or forty
fathoms deep with heavy leads to
weight him down. / vote to go down
and see. How do you voter"
/ voted Just as Jimmy wanted me
to- That is, ] agreed to go down to
Smith Harbor.
When Clinton Harding left Dorothy
Dane to her maiden meditations on
her first kiss. he hurried off in a
frame OF mind almost as exalted as
hers. 1t wasn't his first kiss, by any
means; but II was his first real one.