Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-23

was to be a missionary barrel packed
that night. In Hitty's arms We're half
q dozen white shirts she had stitched
for some unknown missionary In Asia.
She was expected to help pack the bar
rel.
Before her were the alluring posters.
Kitty glanced once up and down the
street and then disappeared through
the swinging doors. She did not know
that Mrs. Deacon Peddie, passing on
the other side of the street, had glimps-
ed her backsliding Sster and was even
now detailing the circumstances to a
shocked group of listeners about the
missionary barrel.
Kitty found her accustomed seat,
and being rather short in stature she
sat down on the bundle of shirts and
so did not miss a thing all evening.
The sweet omanc of "All For Love"
was slowly reeled off to the seAtimen-
tai rapture of the very young AID a few
lonely souls like our OWL Miss Hitty.
She sat through it all. her round, sweet
little face uplifted to the screen, with a
look of usefulness that a newcomer
saw as he sat down nearby.
If any one had been interested 1t
might have been nosced that the
bronzed newcomer divided his interest
between the pictures and Kitty Nor
tons face. After awhile the seat be-
side Kitty became vacant and In the
darkened theater the stranger glided
across the aisle and occupied 1t. Kitty
never even turned her eyes from the
screen; she was accustomed to this
change of neighbors.
On the screen appeared the first of
the travel pictures, which were Hitty's
delight.
A great steamer was sailing from
San Francisco for Japan. She felt her.
self one of that group of travellers
hurrying up the gangplank Of the great
liner.
The scene shifted to the first port Of
call, Honolulu. Dark eyed maidens
with garlands of flowers about their
necks and other garlands for sale,
queer vehicles, a swift view of a vol
cano, then aboard the steamer. A
glimpse of the social life on board,
then the approach to the fairy islands
of Japan.
Breathlessly Kitty watched the shift
ing scenes, fascinated by the orr
entail sights. She almost thought her,
self there with Dick, as she had
dreamed. While she watched she turn
ed a little worn ring on her engage
ment finger. Any woman in Edgewood
would have told you that it was Hitty
Morton's engagement ring.
The man beside her glimpsed the
ring, and his face grew pale.
At last the steamer approached the
yellow shore line of China. Then she
dropped anchor off. Wusung, in the
mouth of the Yangtze river, and
transferred her passengers to the small
tugs which were to convey them up the
shallow tidal river called Whangpo to
the city of Shanghai.
When the picture of the public wharf
at Shanghai was thrown upon the
screen Kitty leaned forward. She
wanted to scream.
There in the crowd of eager faces
watching the arriving passengers was
a familiar one-the face of Dick
Hedges, grown older, perhaps, but
Dick Hedges, nevertheless. smooth
shaven, with a captains uniform on
his broad shoulders and a gold laced
cap on his handsome head.
1t was Dick-Dick Hedges, her Dick
in faraway Shanghai!
The much maligned moving picture
screen had shown her that he was
alive!
"Dicki Dick! Oh, Dick!' she whis-
pered sobbingly.
A strong, warm hand covered hers.
and the man beside her looked down
out of Dick Hedges eyes. He wore a
captains uniform, and in his other
hand was a gold laced car.
"Dick!" Kitty thought she screamed
the word, but it did not leave her lips.
Easy, lass; easy, lass!" he whispered
gently, and then while the screen dis
countries Kitty saw no more. Was not
life unreeling for her a greater ro-
nance than could be depicted on a
screen? Had not the sea given up it's
dead?
Dick whispered the meager details of
his story. He had been lost at sea and
then rescued, and when he had re-
turned to civilization some one from
Edgewood had maliciously told him
that Kitty Morton had forgotten him
and was married to another man.
Only a little while ago had Dick
heard that Kitty was still unmarried,
and so he had returned to Edgewood
to ascertain if she still cared for him.
He had dropped into the theater and
glimpsed her face. He sat beside her
and saw that she wore his ring alone
upon her third fingas. lie had seen her
face when his own pfcts9e-taken un-
known to himself|nad leaped out Of
the crowd upon the wharf In Shanghai.
He had heard hpy rmu words