The broad ax., 1927-04-09
Daughter Of the
Beachcomber
(copyright.l
By II. LOUIS RAYBOLD

him with interest. Considerable read
ing on the tropical Pacific had pre-
pared him for the palm-fringed cres-
cent Of beach, the clustered native
huts, the green rise Of hills In the
background.
But It seemed a bit Of singularly
good fortune that. over In one corner
Of the dock on a pile Of stained rope.
there should be sitting a lean old man
with tangled beard. sunken eyes. and
clothing so patched and fragmentary
that it resembled the garments Of a
scarecrow.
"a beachcomber, as | liver muir
INJURED Jim, and thrust his hand into
his pocket. IT would be worth a franc
or two to draw the old man out, and
Jim, who was running away from a
rich girl and her money, was off on
this voyage for all there was In 1t in
the way Of diversion.
In the following days he learned a
great deal about the fellow. How he
had come there some twenty years
ago with a thin and shabby child who,
by the way, had now grown into the
Ioveliest thing beneath the Southern
Cross How he had taken two-room
shack up the beach and, little by little,
had sunk to his present unkempt
state, content to guide tourists about
the island, fish with them in his dug
out, or coolly accept their generous
tips in return for the tales he told
them. How occasional packages came
for him on the steamers which evil
IDENTIFY contained the simple clothes OF
Rosemary, as well as other things
which remained secret
"He keeps the girl strict enough"
admitted French Lou, proprietress of
the ramshackle, hibiscus-draped hotel
where Jim was staying. He don't let
her so much as meet the steamers,
and goodness knows that's the only
diversion In this off-the-map hole.
What's going to become OF her when
the old mans gomez" French Lou
shrugged her fat shoulders.
1t was inevitable that sooner or
later Jim should meet Rosemary and
perhaps equally inevitable, consider
ing her lovely dusky eyes and hair
like FURNISHED gold. that he should
fall in love with her. Her old derelict
parent even took fancy to Jim and
asked him down to the shack which
he found cleaner and more habitable
than he would have supposed.
They sat together on the yellow
sands one evening-Jim and the
beachcomber's daughter-while gold
en- globe OF moon climbed up a velvet
sky out of velvet ocean.
Rosemary had been continual sur
prise to jim She was not the igno-
rant girl one would have thought
He had decided to ask her TO marry
him, but first he wanted to rid his
soul Of confession.
II came near being an awful mucker
back home" he began abruptly. There
was a girl and-well, she sort OF took
a shine to me and her old man had
coolies Of money / made up my mind
to marry her. | was actually on the
way to her home to propose when.
like a flash, 1t came over me what /
was about to do. To marry without
love- / beat it then and there and
with a cent of money. Even then
didn't realize what a cad I'd been, be
cause then / didn't know what real
love could be. But now, Oh Rose
mary, darling, you have shown me
what love is. If you will be my
wife"
He slipped an arm about her Shout |
ders, but Rosemary drew away. bury
ing her face In her hands. "Oh, |
-can'tr' she half moaned.
"But. sweetheart" Jim was puz- 1
zled. He had felt so sure that she |
responded to his love.
Never" she cried. me? The
beachcomber's daughter?" she gave a
queer little laugh.
''Then," said Jim firmly, ''if you viii |
not have me. ! shall go back and |
marry the girl I told you about"
'But-but you said you would never |
marry a girl who was rich" STAN
mered Rosemary.
"Yes," agreed Jim. but / suppose
that was foolish Of me- n the girl |
adore won't have me, might as well |
marry a girl who at least pretended to
like me. Nothing in the world really |
counts except love- Nothing"
mot even" the girls voice was q
bit GREATNESS. mot even IL ones IA
Their isis a fraud? A professional |
beachcomber who was a failure back |
home and who thought by coming here
and living cheaply and banking every
cent he could earn by playing on the
gullibllity Of the tourists, he could |
some day 90 home and live like a gen
tlemRnT And he's been good to me.
You don't know how he's taught me
nights. sending away for books-how
he's gone without everything to lay
aside a little more toward what he
calls my dowry. I'd gladly be poor
for your sake. Yes, Jim. love
you"
"Then," cried Jim triumphantly,
and drew her into his arms, ''the only
girl in the world could ever have
loved IL the beachcomber's daughterT"
But when, after being married In
French LOUIS parIor, they sailed away,
they left the old man behind. II
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