Evening star., 1927-11-19
tenderness nature were breathing a

tenderness nature were breathing a
lullaby over her sea Graded isle.
On a veranda of great length and
spacious width. moon-streaked where
the light stole in through the row OF
ornamental columns that supported
the roof and through the inter.
s.ices of vine-covered lattlceWork,
checkering the flooring in fanciful de-
signs, a girl raised herself suddenly
on her elbow from a reclining chalr
and. reaching out her hand, laid 1t I'M
pulsively on that of another girl VINO
sat in q chair beside her.
"Oh. Dora" she breathed,. its just
like fairyland."
Dora Marlin smiled quietly.
What q queer little creature you
are. Polly." she said. You like it
here. don't you?"
II love iii" said Polly Wickes.
"Fairyland" Dora Marlin repeated
the word. wouldn't it be wonderful If
there were a real fairyland just like
the stories they used to read to us as
| children?"
Polly Wickes nodded her head slow
| ly.
| II suppose So" she said, ''but I never
| had any fairy stories read to me when
! / was a child, and so my falryland
! has always been one of my own-one
| of dreams. And this is fairyland be-
cause It's so beautiful, and because
being here doesn't seem as though one
were living in the same world one was
| born in at all"
| You poor child" said Dora Marlin
softly. "A land of dreams, then. Yes,
| [ know These nights are like that
sometimes, aren't they? They make
you dream any dream you want to have
come true and, while you dream wide
awake, YOU almost actually experience
it's fulfillment then and there. And 50
| it is nearly as good as real fairyland.
| isn't it? And anyway. Polly, you look
| like really, truly fairy yourself to-
| night"
NO" said Polly Wickes. You are
| the fairy. Fairies aren't supposed to
be dark they have golden hair, and
blue eyes, and"
"a wand" interrupted Dora Marlin,
with mischievous little laugh. And
| if it weren't all just make-believe, and
was the fairy, I'd wave my wand and
have him appear instantly on the
scene; but as it is I'm afraid he won't
come tonight after all. and it's getting
! late and / think we'd better so to
bed"
"And I'm sure he will come and
anyway I couldn't go to bed" said
fOHN w NkSS Anu any
way I couldn't go to sleep"
Just think Dora, 1 haven't seen
| him for nearly 4 years and I'll have
all the news and hear everything !
want to know about mother. He said
| they'd leave the mainland today and
| it's only five hours across. I'm sure
he'll still come. And, besides, I'm
certain 1 heard motorboat a few
| minutes ago.
Very likely" agreed Dora Marlin;
'but that was probably one of our own
men out somewhere around the island.
It's very late now and in half an hour
| it will be low tide and they would
hardly start at all if they knew they
wouldn't make Manwa by daylight.
There are the reefs and
| The reefs are charted," said Polly
Wickes decisively. Il know he'll
| come
| A little ripple of laughter came from
Dora Martins chair
| How old is Capt. Newcombe, dear?"
| she inquired naively
| Don't be beast, Dora" said Polly
| Wickes severely. Hes very, very
| old--ar least he was when saw him
| last"
| When you weren't much more than
! IA observed Dora Marlin judicially
And when you're IA anybody over 80
| is regular Methuselah. I know 7
| used to think when I was a child that
father was terribly, terribly old
much older than he seems TODAY when
he really is an old man: and I used to
! wonder then how he lived so long"
! Continued in tomorrow's Star1