The Washington herald., 1921-04-03
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the following hour in her brothers room
while he was struggling with q stuI.
born tie. and as young Capen listened ht.
smooth face expressed first surprise. the
bewilderment. and finally intense annoy
ance.
why didn't she stay home IL she wa
going to act like that?' he demanded
irritably, and walked away from tn,
mirror in frowning thought, the tie for
gotten. his hands deep in his pockets. 20
was counting on her to amuse Larkin.'
he confessed. turning back and pausing
before her in gloomy indecision. Now /
don't know what I'll do. This puts me In
devil of a mess. You know this is my
only chance to make a run with Mary"
He made . gesture that consigned Ara
bella to the hinterlands of the universe.
s IT'S hard on you, too." he ended soberly.
II know Bob expects"
Then why did you ask Dick Larkin
here-and without saying anything about
it,, either? Anne's tone was cold Pri-
vately she was rejecting that II her
brother, had difficulty in amusing his
exigent friend it would be nothing more
than he deserved.
why. he. o, Well, we needn't
get into that" Frank gazed at her un-
seeingly. hands still in his pockets, his
brow corrugated by the unusual exercise
VI eerious thougnt. Inen MS young Jaw
set.
TT isn't playing the game" he an
nounced crisply. But IL your friend has
decided to spoil our camp party 1 don't
see how we can keep her from doing it."
He left his sister to digest that remark
and hurried to the steamer landing to
meet his guest.
At the luncheon table young Larkin
proved to be youth of % or possibly
"a. dark eyed. dark skinned, and with an
air of unusual detachment from his as
sociates and surroundings. He talked
freely. but in a most impersonal fashion,
about hunting, fishing, and camp life in
general. addressing his remarks to Capen
and Hendricks So far as he was con-
cerned. the ladies' of the party might
almost have been disembodied spirits.
When the meal had ended the young men
excused themselves ami went of for a
long sail, leaving behind them two very
thoughtful girls and q third to whom
suddenly aroused social conscience was
beginning to whisper unweIcome truths
That afternoon Arabella packed heI
trunk she had unpacked the day before
1T won't work." she confessed to the
protesting Miss Capen-''my plan. I mean,
/ thought it would. I thought the boys
would let me alone and concentrate ON
you and Mary. and be nicer than ever to
you both because I was so upresponsiye.
But they're going to take IL out Of us all
that's clear enough. So I'm on"
Anne expostulated until the line OF
Arabella's charmingly curved mouth be-
gan to straighten again.
"All right" she then hurriedly con-
ceded IF yo6 will. you will. But you
can't leave till the morning boat, any,
way"-and perhaps in the meantime
l.
added.
Her brother, offered this delicate task
while he was brushing his hair before
dinner. declined it with enthusiasm. Also
through narrow aperture in his bed
room door, he warmly advised his anx-
ious sister, on the outer threshold, to
permit her friend to remove the light OF
her presence from the camp, IL Miss
Dart desired to. Five minutes later he
repeated the conversation to Larkin with
the result that the latter somberIy ap-
preached Miss Dart when dinner was
over and the man hater," as the boys
now called her among themselves, was
comfortably established in a hammock in
lonely corner of the big veranda.
UNLIMITED, Mr.. Larkin drew a chaise
Tongue close to the hammock, settled
himself in 1t facing the lady, stretched
out his long legs, and gazed pensively,
not at her, but at the mounting harvest
moon and the transparent bridge it had
laid across the sea. Arabella regarded
him at first with surprise. then with
strong and growing resentment; but for
several moments he did not peak. In
deed he hardly seemed to know that she
was near him. With dreamy eyes he
followed the slow progress of cloud
over the hurrying moon. while down on
the nebhlv beach he Uhi
responses to the murmur of the wind in
the pines and cedars close to the cliff.
At last Miss Dart coughed restlessly
and Mr.. Larkin, as IL conscious that
something was required of him. aroused
himself from his revery with the obvious
and patient sigh Of q man unwillingly
going into action.
"Of course" he murmured languidly,
I'D much rather be entirely by myself.
But this is the next best thing to that,
suppose-isn't it?"
He added the final words not as q
question, but as If thinking aloud, and
he seemed surprised but not at all Of
Tended by the brisk decision of the ladys
reply. For a second Arabella had expe-
rienced what Is commonly described as
jolt" but she was a sophisticated
young person. and her recovery was al
most immediate.
There is q tree at the end of the bay
trail-that path at the left" she men,
tiond, with an empty hammock under
it."
Mr.. Larkin glanced with interest in
the direction she indicated, but he did
not move.
The hammock is swung from a strong
branch" continued Miss Dart, with pa
tient clearness. 1T would hold your
weight very nicely"
: at sounds charming" observed the
young man.
You could sleep there very comfort
ably" continued Arabella