The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-09-28
Larry's /.
Lighthouse
-
90 VI ";
BY JOHN TRENT

When Larry Delmore was ten years
old he had stood on the beach at
Quetchet and flung taunt at the lit
tie girl with flaming red hair who
had wrinkled her nose at him.
"Redhead!" tainted Larry ungal-
lantly. Lighthouse! he added. as
the little girl pulled her white sunbon-
net over her gorgeous curls and sour
ried away to her nurse.
"Nurse" pouted Jean. "Am
lighthouse because my hair is red?"
"No-no-Miss Jean," laughed nurse,
looking up from her sewing; your
hair is very pretty, indced, just like
your mammals; you mustn't mind what
that naughty little Delmere boy says"
81 shan't mind Bit" said Jean.
comforted; but in spite Of her resolu-
ton the memory Of the taunt fingered
and ranked, so that as the years went
by she grew positively to dislike the
name Of Delmore-especially Larry
Delmore-and she was always hearing
1t, although they never met after that
summer.
Larry Delmore was the sort Of young
man whose name is always confronting
one. He excelled In everything. He
was honor man of his class at college,
famous halfback, the driver of a
winning automobile In famous race,
an aviator, q musician, and last. but
not least, an excellent business man.
Jean Lloyd heard Of these things In
her remote boarding school and later
at the fashionable finishing school, but
always she discounted his cleverness
by her bitter recollection of his taunt
that midsummer day Is years ago.
| "I could never endure him." she told
| her best friend one day. "a horrid,
grubby little tow-headed boy! I can
fancy just how disagreeable he must
be now"
| Miriam Smith looked wide-eyed at
Jean. Haven't you met him since
then?" she wondered.
Jean shook her glorious, rudy.
crowned head.
From his towering height Larry Del
more looked across the hotel ballroom
and saw a tall, graceful girl gowned
In white. About her snowy throat was
twisted a wonderful string Of pearls,
and, save for the high-piled masses of
her hair, there was not bit Of color
about her. - ~~'"|as >s'"~-F''-~>' So
"Who is that grip he asked the first
man he met.
The man glanced In the direction
indicated by Larry's eager gray eyes
"You mean the one with golden hail? p
he asked.
mo, no." protested Larry, ''the tall
girl in white-the girl with auburn
hair s.... 49,. ", .--.--
"Oh. you mean Miss Lloyd-Jean
Lloyd. May present your"
"Not just now" decided Larry. and
for some inexplicable reason he turned
his back on Miss Lloyd's beautiful
face and wandered out to the balcony
"There is something very striking
about that GIRL" thought Larry, pluck.
ing at the geraniums In the flower
boxes. "Confounded funny feeling
had when Morton offered to introduce
me. I wanted to 60 like the dickens
but-somehow, she had such naughty
poise to her head that I'm deucedly
afraid she wouldn't be as charming as
she looked. I'm going to find out
later
When he returned to the ballroom
Miss Lloyd had disappeared, and he
saw her no more that night. BY
careful inquiry he learned that she
and her father were stopping at the
| Quetchet hotel for the season.
The next morning he arose with
the sun and went down to the ocean
for his early swim. He had the beach
to himself save for one lone swimmer
| who was breasting the surf with easy
grace. It was a woman wearing REQ
bathing cap he decided at first. A fur
| Their inspection revealed that the glis
tening copper glory was crowning the
head of Jean Lloyd and that her head
was uncovered.
SO Larry plunged into the sea an6
disported himself like a young pOr
| poise. Larry Delmore was swim
| mer Of note In addition to his othel
accomplishments, and when he saw
Miss Lloyd's glowing head turned
steadily out at sea while the flash Of
her white arms cut the blue-green sur
face OF the waves like veritable mer
maid, he followed her, In the mascu
line spirit not 10 be outdone by 9
mere woman.
| But the water was cold that morn
ing and perhaps Mr.. Delmore was MOI
| ND to his usual form; at any rate. hi
suddenly stopped his long. STEADY
strokes, blanched at the ag0nizint
cramp that seized his limbs, uttered &
low cry Of alarm and went down.
The girl heard the cry and turnet
| Just as he disappeared. When he came
up she was calling to him to hold NJ
that she was coming-coming-
Through the flying spray and the rock
ing green and white of the waves h
caught the glimpse Of her red hair ant
her white face coming nearer.
When he rose to the surface again
still wrfthing in that awful cramp. 1
was to see the solacing red Of her hal
close beside him, to feel the supper
Of her arms under his shoulders.
sT cannot carry you in," she painted
sbut I can hold you up until hell
comes. Can you shout?"
He nodded and shouted hoarsely.
heat y,,Y& ho Sfilv off from Sh0r