The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-09-07
CHAPTER vi.


have suited fairy godmother gloat
ing over some signal beneticence.
Past the deck chair in which she
VAS reclining with Peter Trait at her
G:de, arm in arm, Lydia Craven ana
Mrs. Merrilees were striding brlSkly
aft Rare color warmed the face OF
Craven's daughter, mirth danced in her
eyes, smile edged the pretty lips
f,om which the breeze caught snatch
Of laughter as musical as singing glass,
And bore it to the ears of her two
devoted admirers.
"Um-hm," Peter assented indiStinct-
ly between teeth gripping the mouth
piece of his pipe. Basking in the
warmth of late September sun, as
Iazily content as any cat, Peter
watched the girls swing down the deck
and disappear round the superstruc-
ture. Then he removed the pipe to
observe, critically, Business of taking
all the credit to yourself-eh"
"Why not?" the Dowager Dragon
demanded with asperity. Didn't l
discover who she was and bring her
and Tad together? That's why she's
happy, if you must know-not because
you've fallen head over heels in love
with the girl and moon around after
her like stray puppy looking for
good home"
"Ouch! said Peter pensively, and
replaced the pipe.
With a grim sniff, the Dowager
Dragon withdrew momentarily into
deep thought. "Have you asked her
to marry you YETI"
"Who-me?" Peter expostulated.
Nothing like that!"
"Why not?"
"Too much sense" Peter explained,
rarely sententiouS.
"Whose-hers?
Even money you can't guess"
''YOurs, Of course"
"There!" groaned Peter. 81 might've
known better than to bet against in
tuition"
"Why plain intuition, Peter? The
phrase is rightfully feminine intui-
Eton.'"
1.-The weed intuition flourishes only |
In the well-known sex. Man, possessed |
Of brain, reasons to q logical conclu- |
sion; Woman-hm shuts her lovely |
eyes, sticks a pin through the card, |
and If the perforated horse wins, |
claims her choice was dictated by a
mysterious faculty denied to man. The |
word itself is a sort of abracadabra,
at mere mention of which fools faint |
and wise men climb trees"
Secretly charmed, Mrs Beggarstaff
wrinkled her nose unbecomingly. "FOr
once you admit man is deficient"
Grinning, Peter made q quaint obei
Sance, and strolled aft, leaving Mrs.
Beggarstaff to gnaw her neither lip over
the discovery, too tardily made to be
turned to his discontinue, that what
took him from her was his utter in
ability to rest in ignorance of Lydia
Craven's whereabouts. For the two
young women had failed to round out
their circuit of the deck.
Turning past the veranda cafe, at
the after extreme of the promenade
deck, Peter came upon Mrs. Merrilees,
seated at an adjacent table in CON-
pany with craven.
A second glance showed him Lydia
in the angle of the starbOard rail,
Quoin at her side.
In response to q hail from Craven,
he turned sulkily to that quarter,
where, at least, cheerful disposition
wouldn't go unappreciated. Indeed, he
was welcome. Having privately dis {
seminated news of their engagement,
Craven and Mrs. Merrilees were indus
tr1ously conducting themselves in as
an unloverlike manner as pos /
sibIe. A tentative third was always L
in their company. T
"Sit down there" Craven insisted.
1.-THE steward1l be back in minute.
[ want to talk to you about this Il
vretched concert tonight. They've r
asked me to be master of ceremonies
awful bore!"
With a fixed, agreeable smile. Peter q
mt. drank whatever the steward
,rought him. automatically consumed z
ravens cigarettes. and listened with u
,ut the least interest to the others e.
llaus. How could he be interested,
Nth that fellow Quoin incorporating le
.ydia? Not that he didn't like QuOin. 81
n fact. Peter admired that man ire
lcndously: so much the more reason n:
D fear his Influence! m
And Lydia. leaning on the rail. a
lSion more radiant even than the DAY.
Welt" Craven demanded with par- in
onatle impotence. co