The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-08-30
Larry's
Lighthouse
~
By John TRENT
BY JOHN TRENT


E$ssssssSsssssssssssssSssSsss
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
When Larry DelmOre was ten years
old he had stood on the beach at
Quetchet and flung II taunt ut the lit
tie girl with flaming red hair who
had wrinkled her nose at him.
"Redhead" taunted Larry Ungal-
luntly. Lighthouse ~ he added, as
the little girl pulled her white sunbon-
net over her gorgeous curlS and sour
ried away to her nurse,
'Nursew pouted Jean. "Am
lighthouse because my hair is red|
"NO-no-AIisS jean laughed nurse,
looking up from her sewing; your
hair is very pretty, indeed, just like
your mammals; you mustn't mind what
that naughty little Delmore boy says"
Il Shan't mind Il Bit" said Jean,
cumforted; but in spite of her resolu-
tion the memory of the taunt fingered
and ranked, 50 that aS the years went
by she grew positively to dislike the
name of Delmore-eSpeCially Larry
pelmorc-and she was always hearing
f., although they never met after that
summer.
Larry DClmore was the sort Of young
man whose name is always confronting
one. He eXceled in everything. lie
was honor man Of his class ut college
famous halfbaCk, the driver of Il
winning automobile in Il 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 cleyerneSs
by Ter bitter recollection of his taunt
that midsummer day Is years ago.
u could never endure him" she told
her best friend one day. "A horrid,
grubby little tow-headed boy! l can
fancy just how disagreeable he must
be nowP
Miriam Smith looked wide-eyed at
Jean. Haven't you met him since
Ihrn:" She wondered.
Jean shook her glorious, ruddy-
crowned head,
From his towering height Larry Del
more looked across the hotel ballroom
and Aaw 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
!. ,f
about her.
who is that girl?' he asked the first
man he met.
The man glanced in the direction
Indicated by LarryS eager gray eyes.
You mean the one with golden hair?'
he asked.
No, no." protested Larry, "the tall
Girl in white-the girl with auburn
hair"
"Oh, you mean Miss Lloyd-Jean
Lloyd. May l present you?'
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. l wanted to go like the dickens,
hut-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 10 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 |
OuetChet hotel for the season.
The next morning he arose with
the sun and went down to the ocean
tor his early swim. He had the beach
to himself save for one lone swimmer |
who was breasting the surf with easy |
grace 1t was woman wearing red
bathing cap he decided Mt first. A fur
ther 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 and
disported himself like a young pOr-
poise. Larry DelmOre was swim
mer of note in addition to his other
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 a veritable mer-
maid he followed her in the mascu-
line spirit not to be OutdOne by a
mere woman.
But the water was cold that morn
ing and perhaps Mr.. DemOre was not
up to his usual form at any rate, he
suddenly stopped his long, steady
strokes, blanched at the agonizing
cramp that seized his limbs, uttered
low cry Of alarm and went down.
The girl heard the cry and turned
Just as he disappeared. When he came
up she was calling to him to hold up
that she was cOming-cOming-
Through the flying spray and the rock
Her Proposal.