Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-04-28

mo, but some protective association
telephoned about his case. They said
they'd send their lawyer to you tomor-
row."
Ward frowned; then he looked at his
watch.
please call the railroad Office" he
said as he reached for his hat, "and
tell them to reserve me a berth tonight
for st. Louis. Say you don't know
where I'm I'll be back In TWO
weeks. Pay the running expenses from
the bank account" And he slammed
out of the Office.
Ward had not chosen his way OF jour-
neying when he left Chicago. When be
saw the City of Savannah tied to the
st. Louis docks-a huge, fat bottomed
sternwheeler looking for all the world
like a pouter pigeon floating on the
muddy waters of the Mississippi. he de-
cided his course.
An hour later he was standing at the
rail, watching the negroes shambling
back and forth at their stevedore tasks
and watching, too, the faxen haired
girl whose eager interest in every incl
dent Of the scene emphasized its charm
for the man near her.
She was vivid for her type Of blond
ness, and as the boat swung out In re-
Spouse to the Changing bells Of the
CINE room, Ward lazily calculated that
her eyes were the source of her com
polling power. They were eager. lumi-
nous blue eyes that demanded vital
excitement from life.
He did not see her again until the
next morning. Life on a Mississippi
river boat demands no haste.
Later, before the boat swung out Of
ing down to where the steyedores kept
at their fastened tasks and their liquid
speech of protest against hurry.
Fine lot of coons!" he observed with
a laugh.
The girl turned to him without self
consciousness.
"They have to work SO hard, poor fell
lows" she said as If In apology for the
negroes stumbling way of toll.
Poor fellowsi" Ward chuckled.
'Why they're the LATEST loafers eve
allowed to breathe. Not n of them
would work If he could get along with
out eating. If the progress of the world
depended on them the world would
stop. Now. a white nan works for
power, for wealth, for women"
The girl smiled a little bitterly, Ward
thought.
You can put your whole idea in n
word" she said. "Just say money"
Ward shrugged his shoulders while
the laughter came to his eyes.
"And If you're right ?" he asked.
"Oh, l am" she declared. "And the
rest of the creed is that the wisest man
is the one who does least and who gets
most"
Fright again." said Ward.
When the supper bell summoned
them Ward stopped the girl as she rose
to go.
won't you tell me your name?' he
asked her. Here I've told you nearly
all l know about myself, and I've not
ar idea who you are"
The girl hesitated.
II came away from Chicago to forget
all about who and what I am" she
said. I've been trying to make this a
fairy wandering. Won't you let 1t go
at that? / shall not know who you are,
and you're not to know me as anything
but Helen"
BE 1t agreed" he laughed.
Mrs. Wilson, a woman whose appar-
ent WEAKNESS of mind and of body
seemed to detach her from everything
but her deck chair, made a background
for their deepening ~comradeship as the
boat plowed down the river.
Perhaps it was because Ward found
the blue eyed girl of mystery an exhila-
rating game Of chance that he made his
plans of travel conform with Mrs. VII
sons, so that the three of them saw
New Orleans togetE-4
They came to til. point of goodby
with such apparent lack of deeper In
terest on her part that Ward was net
tied into returning 60 Chicago days
earlier than he had intended.
81 don't believe you wanted me to
come back with you" he said on the
night before the train was due to bring
them 10 the city or their homes.
I'm not sure that l did" the girl
said. You know. the river was a sort
of fairy journey for me. and l was
willing to end the fairy tale with the
end of the journey"
But that's not fair" said Ward.
"The more | see Of you the more I
want to see of you. Can't we meet
often when we're back in ChicagoT"
you may not care for me when you
know me them" the girl said. I've fit
In with your ideas of life just now"
she went on, because I've just seemed
of your class. But my folks are poor.
We live in four rooms. and l can't i'm
agine you in any of them"
well I'll tell you what We'll do"
Ward said. IF you won't see me after
We say goodby in Chicago, let's end the
H1n 1 ~ n IIA.~ -