Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19
Flora Vowed to Marry for Money, and
Then Forgot About It-Helen Didn't

more eXhausting than swimming out
TO them. size looked about her 1t
was late-even the beach was empty
| ing, and the Atlantic was. except for
Flora, like an undiscovered sea- OF
course. there We're the life.saving men
on shore watching her. but Flora did
not wish to signal for help-certainly
not until Walter was off the beach.
Suddenly, outside the barrels, she
saw dark head coming along
Hi" said Flora, but, of course a
head under water cannot hear Hi, .
said Flora again. He neither saw
nor heard. and might have shot past
her if she had not leaned out and
given his hair a pull. This brought
an astonished face up Immediately be
| low her. not a handsome face, but so
freckled and good-tempered that Flora
had no trouble in explaining her sit.
uation.
Il don't want you to think I'm
drowning she gasped, but | don
believe / could make land without
help" She explained further that she
had been cross to n friend who had
wanted to help. and so. if it were
possible, not to look as IL she were
being saved He understood
Swimming on his back. he took her
chin in his clasped hands, SO that
from the beach they must have
looked as If they were swimming i'll
single file, and towed her in. BY the
time they reached shore. every one
had gone home. The life-guards were
putting away the beach-umbreIlas,
but at a word from the man they left
one standing. and Flora lay under
this. with her eyes closed, and he sat
beside her, still looking at her, as she
knew very well.
Flora Enclosed one eye and said:
Just swimming over from Spain,
suppose? You certainly weren't there
moment before"
"You may have heard of the old
man Of the sea" he answered. Look
out"
They kept up the game for some
time-he described the sunken liner in
which he lived and the pearls and bull
lion he could lay at her feet, If only
she would make the final dive. Would
she?
Yes" said Flora, not knowing how
much he meant, but hoping he meant
great deal, for she had fallen in
love with him. Presently he went
away and bought buns and ginger
snaps and bottled saltwater of a
most unpleasant flavor, which they
consumed with laughter and bitter
complaints.
j, X X
THAT evening she discovered he
l. was Roddy Lee, the great for
tune, the boy so many people were
trying to marry.
At first it didn't make any differ
ence--their love affair went on. Flora
did not quite know, and did not much
care. whether or not they were en-
gagged.
Then her past rose and destroyed
her-a past so innocent and so fatal;
for she had always said that she in
tended to marry money obviously
the thing for her to do-and easy to
do, she had insisted. She had said
it often, and once she had said it
before Helen. Helen was one of those
voracious young married women who
take rich young men out Of the
mouths of the poor. Helen repeated
it all to Roddy--in the sweetest lisp
imaginable, and only told one 1ie. her
minimum. She said Flora must have
known who he was, for she. Helen.
had pointed him out at the races one
day, and Flora seemed so interested
in him. And she went on to explain
how she did not blame Flora--a girl
had to think for herself, when she
had a selfish father like Archibald
Gage-they all might land in the poor
house, the unfortunate creatures! II
mean it isn't mercenary--it's almost a
family duty for the poor child"
But Roddy did not care to figure in
Flora's life as a family duty. He
asked her whether it was true that