Evening star., 1927-09-09
Continued from Yesterdav's Starl
CHAPTER XIV.
EpIlraim Morris.

" topher's two cablegrams reach
"A ed Anne's father within few
"A hours. Tucked away in hi
laboratory in the hills of Penn
sylvania, the gray-haired scientls
read the first one without undue
alarm, and when the telephone rams
presently, and his old friend RoberI
Kean added details received at the
newspaper office, Prof. Morris eX
pressed himself as perfectly satisfied
'Our little plan seems to be work
ing out pretty well, Rob, he chuckled
''an ocean voyage by moonlight, ship
6iSahl passengers set ashore IN life
boats--what could he more conducive
to romance, Anne and Chris viii
come back with their quarrel forgot
ten and wedding bells in the air. We're
not such bad matchmakers after all"
well" Robert kean's voice did not
have such a confident tone, although
at the time Ephraim Morris failed to
notice it. perhaps you're right. III
keep you informed, for We'll get a LOT
of details presently. Eph, are you
coming to town in the morning? Like
to see you if convenient"
Hardly tomorrow, I'm busy as can
be, but I'll try to make it the first
of the week. Why can't you and
Grace come out for Sunday dinner?
You don't have to spend every min.
ute of your life with your nose at
that grindstone, do you?"
I'D rather not wait until Sunday.
If you can't come in I'll come out
I'll call you later
The second cable reached Prof. Nor
ris about midnight. 1t found him
still hard at work. and so preoccupied
that it took some moments for the
fAs-nn 0FN 1>r s.-k
his brain.
"Anne has disappeared with Straine.
Making thorough search. Will keep
you Informed"
The message registered slowly as
the professor read and reread it.
christopher had become separated
from Anne. She had disappeared
with Straine. Straine? How had he
happened to be with Anne? Had he
been a passenger on the S. s. Hope?
Prof. Morris sat down and went
carefully back over the details of
Anne departure. He had taken his
daughter to New York himself, dined
with her at restaurant, and escorted
her to the ship about 10 O'Clock. The
Hope was due to sail at an early hour
of the following morning, passengers
requested to come aboard by mid
night.
Prof. Morris remembered that he
and Anne had thoroughlv explored
the ship before he had kissed her
good-by. 1t was Anne's first ocean
voyage. and her joy and excitement
had been delight to her father. For
the first time he had repented his de-
c1sion to let her go alone. 1t would
have been such a delight to accom-
pany her! He had almost given wav
to the impulse of changing his mind.
restraining himself only because of
the plan suggested by Robert Kean-
that Anne and Chris would be thrown
together, neither one knowing the
other to be upon the shipi
1t had been very kind of Robert
TO think of such a scheme, and to
allow chris a vacation from the office.
The keans We're always doing delight
ful things for his motherless dauch
ter, and Prof. Morris knew that both
Robert and his wife were as eager for
happy termination of this interrupt
cd love affair as Anne's own father
could be. 1t had been a terrible blow
10 nave the engagement, so happily
begun, broken suddenly and without
explanation from either of the young
people.
On board the Hope, Prof. Norris
went on with his summary, there had
been no sign of Christopher, nor of
any other acquaintance. The ship
mad been filled with people, coming
and going, but Prof. Morris had not
seen Straine among the throng, The
man had left his employ quite unex.
pectedly, saying that he felt unwell
The professor remembered that he
had barely hung up the receiver after
making necessary arrangements over
the phone through Henry Kean, when
Straine had complained of feeling i'll.
This had occurred in the morning, and
Straine had announced that he would
have to leave. Could the professor
spare him for a few days more?
1t had been inconvenient to the pro-
fessor, but he was kindly soul. De.
prived of both Anne and Straine his
own work would be considerably re-
tarded. Still. things like that hap
pened once in a while. 1t did not
occur to him to ask his daughter to
give up the trip, so hastily decided
upon. Anne's happiness always came
first with her father, and he knew
that in spite Of brave eyes and smil.
Ing lips Anne was not happy, had not
been at peace with herself since her
break with Christopher Dahlgren.
Straine had sailed upon the ship
with Anne without taking the pains
to advise her father of his plans! The
professors shaggy brows contracted,
the lines in his face deepened. His
assistant, so highly thought Of, the
man he had trusted with the secrets
of his laboratory, had deceived his
employer, hitting him in his most
vulnerable spot, his love for his
child!
Prof. Morris began to probe deeply
into the matter. What lay behind