Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-22
And if l should meet Miss Kent,

And if should meet Miss Kent,
sir?"
Tell her anything YOU please.
Hurry, now, Tell her I'm an honest
to-goodness invalid If that will make
her any happier. Tell her I'm too
sick even to answer her note. Beat
it,
Kee.er sighed resignedly as he
reached for his hat and went out.
Trask heard the key turned III the
lock and for the first time since he
had been aboard the Gulf Stream
realized that he was actually Il ptis-
oner.
Next TO a determination to remain
aboard. one desire persisted in his
mind. He wished that Spencer TIrum-
bull himself We're there. He had a
fervent yearning to punch Trumbull' s
head, also 10 permit Keller TO
punch it.
Trumbun was the cad4e of all his
,roubles-Trumb who had daneled
a tempting bride before the eyes OF a
poor chauffeur who needed the money.
All of Trask's early enthusiasm for
che adventure was ooZing as he faced
the prospect that it was coming to
an untimaly end,
The business of being sick almost
made him sick. He wanted to he
through With the whole business.
And yet, contrarily, he proposed to
defy Capt. Blodgett, who had sen
fenced him to q ready means OF
escape. His reason for that de.
termination had nothing to do with
his avocation of 'pseudo-invalid; it was
wholly concerned with the second
cabin and one of its passengers
Keller was absent for what seemed
like a very long time; when he finally
reappeared he found Trasl1 nervously
pacing the stateroom, smoking fu.
riously and muttering to himself
"Well?'' demanded the patient.
Keller tossed his hat into corner
wiped his forehead and looked al
Trask with tragedy in his eyes.
It's all off, SAL" he whispered.
What's off? Didn't you see her?'
ooh. yes: I saw her, sir
What did she say to the pIan?"
IL didn't get that far"
What"
81 didn't get a chance, Mr.. Trask, -
said Keller humbly. "She did most
of the talking, sir. I might say that
she has u bit of temper, if you don t
mind my mentioning it."
have. But what did she say?''
She said it first, sir. She saw me
coming and she walked right up to
me, with her chin in the air. | knew
there was trouble then, Mr.. Trasll;
IL was afraid of her.
"She said, If you are looking for
me, capt. Ferriss and / didn't like
the way she spoke the name, sir; it
sounded sarcastic--if you're looking
for me, | can saVe-you the trouble OF
a long conversation by informing YOU
that | have no intention of ever
speaking to you again. Good after
noon, sirv She said it just like that,
Mr.. Trask' keeler sighed as he
added, "She looks mighty fine when
shes angry, sir
And you mean TO tell me that YOU
got no farther than that?" demanded
Tlask.
Il tried to put i'll a word for you,
sir. / did my best. [ told her | had
a message from Mr.. Trask. and if
sled only listen for u minute | was
sure that it would be an act of jus
| tice."
Keller paused in embarrassment.
Go ahead! out with it. What did
! she say 10 that?'
"She said" faltered Keeler, that
| what applied to me also applied to
YOU, sir. And with that she walked
| away"
"Oh, the devil"
That's the way l feel about it,
, sir"
! You're hopeless Keeler"'
| But what more could L do, ,sirf
: She Wouldn't give me n chance"
| Trask did not speak for a minute
/ He stood with his hands buried deep
| III his pockets, an image of detection
well" he remarked in a surpris,
| Of us are in mighty bad with the
| ladies', Keller
Il was thinking so, sir. So guess
we go ashore after all, Mr.. Trask."
Go a.hore nothingr' cried Trask
rousing himself Il wouldn't &C
/ ashore now, even to please her,"
Trask waited until nightfall, by
which time he was in such n state OF
nervous irritation that Keeler dared
not speak to him. The invalid scarce
! ly ate his supper, SO praoccupied was
! he with plans to remain aboard the
! Gulf Stream and to see Sidney Sands
/ herself.
The latter project he had decided
upon Immediately following the dis
heartening result Of Keeler's trip
Trask did not propose to he dismissed
| without g fight. He realized that il
had been a futile thing to send an
emissaly, particularly such vulner
able one as Keelerv Probably she
thought it savored OF cowardice.
Continued in Tomorrow's Starr