The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1931-07-17
Beachcomber's
Daughter Welded
BY H. LOUIS RAYBoLD
-
10 by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.l
(WNU Service.l

~ South Sea island, looked about him
with interest. Considerable reading
on the tropical Pacific had prepared
him for the palm-fringed crescent of
beach, the clustered native huts, the
green rise of hills in the background.
But 1t seemed bit of singularly
good fortune that, over In one corner
of the dock on pile of stained rope,
there should be sitting lean old man
clothing so patched and fragmentary
that it resembled the garments of q
scarecrow.
"A beachcomber, as l live" MUIR
INJURED Jim, and thrust his hand into
his pocket 1t 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 it In
the way Of diversion.
In the following days he learned
great deal about the fellow. How he
had come there some twenty years ago
with thin and shabby child who, by
the way, had now grown into the low
liest 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 dugout,
or coolly accept their generous tips in
return for the tales he told them. How
occasional packages came for him on
the steamers which evidently con-
tanned the simple clothes of Rosemary.
as we'll 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 d.
version in this off-the-map hole."
1t was inevitable that sooner or la
ter Jim should meet Rosemary and
perhaps equally inevitable, consider
ing her lovely dusky eyes and hair like
FURNISHED gold, that lie should fall in
love with her.
Rosemary had been continual sur
prise to Jim. She was not the ignor-
ant girl one would have thought. She
was we'll read, spoke French quite diff
ferent from that of the island, and
possessed an uncanny knowledge of
a world she has not known since a
child.
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
oodles of money. | made up my mind
to marry her. / was actually on the
way to her home to propose when, like
flash, it came over me what l was
about to do. To marry without love.
| beat it then and there, and swore
I'd never look at another girl with a
cent of money. Even then | didn't
realize what a cad I'd been, because
then / didn't know what real love
could be. But now, o Rosemary, dar-
ling, you have shown me what love
is. If you will be my wife"
He slipped an arm about her shoul.
ing her face in her hands. "Oh,
can'tl" she half moaned.
"But, sweetheart" Jim was puz
zled. He had felt so sure that she
responded to his love.
"Never!" she cried. "Me? The
beachcomber's daughter?" she gave 8
queer little laugh.
"Then," said Jim firmly, 'if you will
not have me, | shall go back and mar
ry the girl | told you about"
'But-but you said you would new
er marry girl who was rich" STAN
mered Rosemary.
''Yes," agreed Jim. "But / suppose
that was foolish Of me. If the girl
adore won't have me, | might as well
marry girl who at least pretended
to like me. Nothing in the world real.
ly counts except love. Nothing"
"Not even" the girls voice was a
bit breathless. "Not even If ones ia.
ther isis a fraud? 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
gullibility of the tourists. he could
some day go home and live like a
gentleman? 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 towards what
he calls my dowry. I'd gladly be poor
for your sake. Yes, Jim, | love
yon-"
s'Then," cried Jim triumphantly, and
drew her into his arms, "the only girl
in the world could ever have loved is
the beachcomber's daughter
But when, after being married In
French LOUIS parlor, they sailed away.
they left the old man behind. Il
guess" he said, ut gets into the blood
Once a beachcomber, always a beach
comber."
And the last they saw of him he was
sitting on a pile of stained rope, wav-
Ing a battered apology Of hat.
Grisly Relic