The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-26
EDening Story
More Than Bargained For. !
BY H.sLOUISE RAYBOLD.


BY H. LOUISE RAYBoLD.
- don't care to marry coward."
The words flashed forth from the
white lips of an imperious girl who
Icrouehed in the stern Of the zcat-boat
and held out a singie-stoHed ring to
the man who. faced her astpunaed.
But, MiiIicent, I;W not afraid for
myself. Can't you understand It's of
you I'm thinking - Wade Norris had
fore, and the experience was unpleas-
antiy disconcerting and sdisillusienins.
Then he, too, set his Hips. 1--WE are
going back, nevertheless.
| Am 1 ta-understand that if 1
weren't here you would keep en?' de-
lElanded the girl. s.ssS
| Wade threw a glance at the darken-
ling sky above, then out toward the
horizon, where a sharply defined black
/ line speckled with white indicated adj
vancing wind. mo, l hardly think /
would he admitted frankly.
There. you see!" Her tone was
Icruelly triumphant. Did she really
suppose that caution was synonymous
with cowardice? Millicent herself was
Ian up-to-date little daredevil, but
surely that didn't justify his taking her
Into undoubted danger. and for so un-
Important an affair as a dance at
| Kimbaii Point.
L some moments later, Wade assisted
a silent girl to the dock, and. himself
jsiient, watched her run up the path to
1.-THE Shermans' summer home. Then,
langrily, he hauled UP the sail again.
There was nothing left to do but to
lshow. her how little afraid he per-
fsonalfy was. Straight into the white
Isquall he careened and Miliicent, turn
ling, perhaps relentingly. on the top
lstep, saw the waterford scudding sea-
iward at an ominous pitch.
Wade was too much occupied in
managing his small craft to worry
livery much about what the outcome OF
1.-The wild ride would be. Long ago he
had passed the position where ne
would naturally have tackled for KIM
balls Point and nothing now inter
Ivened between him and the open sea.
lMon entariiy expecting the cessation
LOT. what, at worst, he had supposed 70
he a summer squali he lifted MS eyes
at last to the west. only to be dunn
founded at the solidarity of the cloud
hank there, Something chill ana
Iorninous about thes wind at the same
moment forced itself upon his atten-
ton.
This was more than he had bar
lpained for. He must swing about at
ffhe earliest possible moment. FBut be
fore that moment came, catastrophe
+ had overtaken him. A sudden, yloient
gust, a shiver of the entire boat, and
ICING the sail in the water like the
wing of a wounded bird: -
i Wade all his life afterward re-
!. membered that night of agony TOSSING
lat the mercy of the waves, dreneheu
! with spray. half frozen. Morning
Ihope,, for the sun rose upon shoreless
waste of water. Nevertheless, wade
, pluckily set to work with the sculiing
toar. partly to get some warmth int
+ him, partly in a desperate effort te
raise land or a lighthouse.
We'll on toward noon, when Wade
was feeling the effects of his long fas
land unusual exertions, he caught
). ,glimpse far away of what was un'
ldoubtedly a boat. Wade wondered 4
. after all, Millicent had seen his reck
fliess departure and If. when he failed
/ to appear again, she would have
slstarted out a rescuing party. VerS
likely. the boat he had sighted wal
I looking for him. . = 80
4 Anxieusly he. waited, tho at one
lfrenzied signaling. Then. suddenly, II
4 swerved directly toward him.
Meanwhile Miilicent had spent 8
/; wakeful night. made restless by the
storm without as well as the. re-
proaches of her own heart To be
|; lsare, she expected Wade had many
lhsurs before landed safely al. Kim
ball'ss Point and a little sheepishly
she hoped he would come around in
the morning and apologize for soaring
her half to death.
But morning brought no Wade
Toward night Millicent casually called
his hotel. only to learn that he had
not come in and that the Waterford
had not been locked that night Then
lit was that rescuing boats sped in his
direction. only to report absolute fail
ure.. Days later word came in of a
wrecked catboat found drifting twenty
miles off shore, but by that time MIL
flicent had given up hope and motirned
Wade as driven to his death by her
Iperversity.
AS a matter of fact Wade had taken
on the adventure of his life. The
boat SO opportunity met was one OF
those daring craft which, now and
again, IN the spirit of Joshua Slocun
and his Spray, set out to cross the
ocean. Only a forty-footer, she was
tstanch, adequately equipped, sea-
worthy.
This man they had come upon was