The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-10-19
EUening Story
Dawn.
BY DORA NOLAN.

winding up the dances with ''break-
fast" in the early morning hours had
become quite a matter of course
Four o'clock; O'Clock; at one hilar-
ious party it had been 6 before Carol
Hale arrived home-to tumble into
bed with her soft black hair stream
ing over the pillow and seeming alive
like the seaweed which tugs in the
! current tho fast to the rocks. For
month now, Carol had followed this
life as tho to be madly, noisily gay
were the very aim of her existence.
1t was Bill Sissou. the lobster man,
who one early afternoon all unwit-
tingly spoke the words which brought
Carol to a sudden decision not to at
tend the Nortons' party that evening,
tho she assured herself many times
that the real reason was a nagging
headache.
Sisson was on his way to the Hales'
back door to deliver a wrigging mass
of his prey.
"Going to be a good day, did you
say, miss? Best part of the days
gone, 'cording to my way of thinking.
, Take it just before sun-up, now; about
the time I get started down the bay
to pull my pots. Then you get the
day when it's fresh and unhandled.
so to say, and there amt a lot of folks
a-buZzing around in the way" Carol
rubbed her forehead and wished she
had not spoken to the lobster man.
enc fellow hereabouts," he continued,
what knows how man was meant TO
do with the day-eet it fresh, like you
got to do with these here critters, so
to say. That Merrick, now; he's down
the bay right early every morning
Got the sense of a native, that man
has!" Bill Sisson could pay no great
er compliment. He passed on his
way.
Carols mind echoed with it.
F17o -5oTx +
bay right early every morning" Her
| head ached. She worked hard at
becoming enthusiastic over the gown
just arrived from the city for the
''Black and White" dance at the Nor
tons that evening-the Brookses were
giving a breakfast for a select few
afterward. THAT Merrick!" Why
almost a month must have passed
since she had spoken with Stanley
Merrick-and then they had quar-
relied. Oh, why couldn't a woman be
honest, even with herself? 1t was two
days over a month-two days and
one hour. She ought to know.
+ oh! Her head ached sol She
couldn't go to that dance; she
wouldn't. She 'phoned to Phil Tracey
not to call for her.
Carol retired early that night for
the first time in more than a month
She wouldn't be able to sleep, she
assured herself. Down the bay right
early'-what time did that mean?
Five o'clock? More likely 4. And
with o'clock on her mind Carol
drifted into sleep; at precisely she
awoke.
Her head did not ache Instead
she felt curiosuly refreshed, alive
She arose and went to ,the window
The air was cool and fluid; there was
no sign of dawn. She would dress
and go down into the garden. 1t
seemed strange to be so wide awake
at this hour instead of YEARLY stupid
and longing for sleep -,
Carol walked thru the garden d0wn
to the shore. There was no moon nor
yet a single star, but it was a diluted
darkness and she could make out the
outline of her canoe as it lay on the
float To paddle just a bit thru the
dim, moist, sharply chilly afr-iust off
their own beach-it would be a new
experience. Offshore lay a thick
blanket of mist; Carol could feel
rather than see it. She pushed the
bow of the canoe into it. She wouldn't
go far out she promised herself
IT was mysterious and, oh, so rest
full! Just the rhythmic dip, dip of
the paddle; no Earring colors, no fussy
detail. One could think here! But
she didn't want to think. Uncon-
sciusly Carol piled her paddle swifter
and swifter.
OF a sudden the canoe quivered,
came to a dead stop. Yet there was
no jar of impact. Carol peered anx-
1ously into the mist. Close ahead she
made out a bulk indistinct, formless
save for the dim outline of a foggy
arm which surprisingly terminated in
a strong brown hand grasping the
Prov of her craft
1t was a man in a boat, of course,
and he had put out the hand in time
to prevent a collision. But why didn't
he speak? There was something ia
miliar about that hand-but surprising
it wasn't?
"Who was it? Why don't you say
something? Let go, please" There
was slight quaver in Carols
words.
"Only a lone fisherman" came the
answer. Taen, after a moment. "Oh!
AS to letting you go-when the sun
rises the mist will lift until then it
is not safe for you to paddle around
alone"
1t was Stanley Merrick, of course.
Why play with herself at being sur
prised when it was the very thing she
had hoped would happenl But now
when what she had 1ongeG for had
come to pass Carol perversely deter
mined to spoil it all. She would not
answer. When it grew lighter she
would just paddle away with a muir
INJURED Thank you" Then it would
be over-and she would have to con-
trive another chance to see him. What
was it she was SPYING? She would
do no such thing!
The mist was thinning. The figure
of the man in the boat took shape. He
held a fish rod in his other hand, with
thumb on the reel. His eyes were
on his line. Grasping her paddle,
Carol thrust it into the water. Perhaps
if she were to start ahead suddenly
that hand must perforce loosen its
grasp and she would be free. But her
muscles refused to work.
fyyn ~
rod and none on the bow of the canoe.
perhaps it's clear enough now for
you to- get around without humping
into the only other boat on the bay"
said the man.
Stung by a fancied insinuation in
Nferrick's words. the girls paddle was
poised when again the brown hard
grasped her canoe. Had your break
fast?"
The tone was casual, as tho he were