The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-29
EVENING STORY
Branding Mary.
BY INES MACDONALD.

BY INES MACDONALD.
Contrary Mary, don't by scarey, A
Guard your Garden wall !
Bare little Cupe, cnoopy fairy
Finally gets them ali.
And in your breast he'll shaft his dart;
/ swear this unto you-
And pierce your now rebellious heart,
For he's contrary. too"
Mary Rayburn knelt in her canoe
and chung breathlessly to the low
hanging branches overhead that
screened ner as she watched the
singer lift his paddle and suddenly
with one long sweeping stroke drive
his own canos into the hiding place
beside hers
AL" he smiled, sat LAST"
Mary was startled and only stared.
after all this time" he went on,
I've found you"
'-Why-have you been looking for
me?" she at last found her tongue
Don't you remember" he chided
her. Don't you remember that day
1 saw you on the beach at Coronado?
You wore a blue bathing suit and a
yellow cap" 4
She shook her head. 1--WE never
been there"
"And in Frisco, saw you, too" he
went on. You were coming out of a
theater and you smiled at me. Down
in Florida one winter you came up out
Of the sea, your hair was yellow that
time and your eyes sea green. Don't
you remembe4 how you laughed when
1 tried to catch you? And in New
Orleans at the Mardi Gras you threw
me a rose from your balcony-and
out in Nevada once we sat together
and watched the starlight on the
desert. Don't you remember"
She shook her head and smiled
wistfulfy. i've never been to any of
those places. Only New York and
Bosten-so you see, I'm not the girl"
oh. yes, you are" he assured her.
Your name is Mary and you've al
ways been wherever I've been and
I've been pretty 4luch all over" He
gestured vaguely with his <bronzed
arm.
ct guess you're mistaken" she said
as he hummed the air of his song
smilingly, "and-and I think I'd bet
ter be going"
She half arose to disentangle a dead
branch that had caught over the bow
of her canoe-E tilted and with lit
tie gasp of chilled surprise she found
herself in the water. Almost instant
ly he was beside her; the water was
only to his waist, so it was in no wise
a rescue, and with a laugh he lifted
her up into her canoe and tilted the
water out of it. Then he took hold of
her and held her high in his arms.
"You-you needn't hold me so
long" she protested Indignantly.
Long" he chuckled. I'm only let
ting you drain before I put you ba ok
in the canoe. Believe me, you're one
wet woman
And finally he hunched over and sat
her down in her canoe.
canoe behind and I'll tow US UP
around the bend where there's a sand
bar we can land on"
Meekly she reached out and took
his canoe by the bow while he waded
ahead hauling the two canoes after
him. And when they reached the
bar he drew the canoes UP on the
sand and helped her out of hers. From
his own he procured a bathing suit
and a raincoat.
Go back up there somewhere" he
directed, and put on these dry things.
Then bring your things back here and
spread them out on that bush. This
sun'll dry 'em in a couple of hours"
She studied him silently for a mo-
ment and then silently took the things
he offered and went back toward the
! thickly wooded shore. And a few mo-
ments later she returned with the
raincoat wrapped about her and her
hair tumbled down her back.
| Cold" he asked.
| She shook her head brightly and set
to spreading out her wet things in
the sun. He seemed the right sort,
and she saw no reason why she should
be silly about it. He got out a coffee
pot and a frying pan. talking in his
droll way entirely Unconscious of her
| shy reserve.
| When he was searching for dry
twis1 he discovered a curious hollow
| in the gravel of the bar and predicted
that If she dug there carefully she
might find buried treasure
| Oh, she exclaimed eagerly. as she
| uncovered something white and round
| almost as large as a walnut Another
she found and another. There were
| twenty-eight of them in all.
| Now for a turtle-egg omeletteiD he
laughed. and set to work over the pre-
| paration of the meal
After they had eaten they sat there