| Show I Daily Short I Fiction Story I AN UNEXPECTED GUEST I By WAYNE CUNNINGHAM Copyright isis 1915 by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate It was six miles from the railway station Maud had written Just a pleasant little hike along tie the e shore road until you came to Turtle Isle I Isn't It a pretty or romantic name but Its It's Just the shape shapo of a turtle and George named it I 1 would have called it Hearts Heart's Rest or something like that George L i ic t rj 11 I. I mv y v temperamental temperamental tem tern ballast In fn life ute Come soon and If it were we're not at the cottage make yourself at home We Ve often otten run over to the village for tor supplies Kate regarded the shore road ap appreciatively ap- ap It was two hours be before before be- be fore even the late fall twilight could overtake her The foliage tollage along the way was gorgeous in Its gypsy tints of red and gold The air blew freshly fresh fresh- ly in from the sound and the water broke on the beach in long lazy rolls It was all very well to talk of ot summer summer summer sum sum- mer jo Joys s. s The rail rall was really the i season that called the feet teet of the young women from city marts she she sheI I thought whimsically I Three whole days to spend on a tiny island off ort the Connecticut shore I three days of rest and fun with huge night fires of driftwood and marshmallow marshmallow marsh- marsh I mallow parties Maud laud said there were quite a number of ot the art colI colony colony col col- col- col I ony left still till so she would not be bei i lonesome like them all excepting Fal Fal- I lows Hes He's perfectly hopeless when it comes to sociability He does I comics you know and contrariwise hes he's the dullest most I shyest human you ever saw H He I keeps to himself and were we're glad he I does George says hes he's all right I among the men but he doesn't like I women Cant Can't even even bear them near him I 1 wo wonder r who hurt him hini Kate Kates Kate's conscience was clear She I had met Hartley Fallows back In ip town at a few affairs the past year ear Once he had stood next her at the preliminary reception to a dinner at atthe atthe atthe the Waldorf in honor of ot some notable party and she had noticed a long curly blo blonde de hair on his black coat Blessed with a sense sense of f humor she had said very gently gentl She has lias blonde hair hasn't she Mr Fallows And he had turned horribly red and looked very distant and em embarrassed embarrassed embar embar- bar bar- even while he plucked ort oft th the blonde hair But he did not cast it from him He wound it absently around one finger and stuck it in his pocket Such things change amans a a. aman's amans amans aman's mans man's whole life Ufe It was Just sunset when she came cameto cameto cameto to the island She knew it it at oncAn once An Any on one could see that it looked ex exactly exactly exactly ex- ex like a turtle and there was a fiat flat bottomed boat drawn up handily on the sandy shore She called Maud over and over then George orge but neither appeared Sisters and broth broth- law in are among the uncertain quantities of life but taut they had at least left lett the boat She put her light weight Jap Tap suit case into it pushed it off ort into the water ater and rowed to the island Deserted it was and the little house also but the door was hospitablY hospitably hospitably hos hos- ajar and she found everything everything every every- thing within in order Surely it was pleasant sant to be the expected guest Out in the little pantry she found the remains of of some cold boiled lobster and made herself a pot of tea Maud used good tea With Witha a supper supper tray beside her she slipped out of the traveling tra suit Into a short skirt and middy dragged a steamer chair out on the the porch porch and sat at down downto to enjoy herself hersel It was twilight but the only light she had was from a Chinese lantern hanging overhead handily And the six miles began to tell on her As the last gleam of sunset died from rom the sky she drowsed off ort restfully curled up In the big chair Perhaps It was the striking of ot the match that awak awakened ned her heg Something Something Some Some- thing did arid and d she s sat t up up startled and bewildered for foi t the moment Somebody was moving around insl inside e and whistling Oh George ar are you home she called Is Maud there D Dead ad silence nence She She- stood stood up lis listening ha- ha telling A figure came out of the living living liv Uv- ing room the figure of a man and she felt he was as thoroughly amazed as herself herself Im not oj George Ge rg he said I think theres there's some mistake I am Fallows But wheres where's George Mr 11 Crane and my sister Kate put her hand up p to her cheek They expected mo me tonight and nd I 1 cant can't find them I I-I I 1 was awfully tired and fell asleep Isee Ieee I did lid I 1 see you expect Mr Crane is over on Turtle Island about a quarter of of a mile farther along the shore This is my island Just wait until I get a a. light and we can see He struck a match and lit a lamp She saw saw him plainly now tall with reddish brown curly hair hair g gray y eyes e es and a rather boyish face the face of the good natured freckled boy who i V I Continued on page 8 DAILY pAIL Y SHORT STORY Continued from p page e 5 Is always aas in trouble at school It was Hartley Fallows And oddly enough Instead of thinking about Maud and Georges George's worry over her ler she remembered it Il had been a blonde hair Ill In take you ou right over there he i said Mid quickly I hope you ou made yourself yourself your- your self comfortable v Very Ver It was a good lobster she k id tid forlornly putting back her be- be into her suit case Im awfully sorry But Dut you ou do make things things' pleasant pleasant for your our unexpected guests here bere He turned and looked at herI herI herI her I say If the trips trip's too much for you Sou OU up there Ill I'll row over and send George GeQrge back with Mrs Crane to stay here here with you o and well we'll bunk up there ld Id much rather I 1 wouldn't feel so so-so so so sort of evicted dont don't you know It t would almost seem as If I had been welcome I think Its It's bad luck to move so soon after youre you're settled settled set set- dont don't you Laughing and yet wistful she appealed ap appealed ap- ap pealed to him wonderfully and he mado made the trip alone roused George out of ot bed and sent him Im back with Maud sleepy and anxious but overjoyed overjoyed overjoyed over over- joyed to find the lost one It t was three weeks later when they broke camp for the city There had been a last bonfire of driftwood d on edt dt Turtle leal island d and Kate e lingered r b be beside beside be- be side It with Fallows after the others had gone up to one of Mauds Maud's chafing dish surprises He had grown al almost almost almost al- al most human Maud said had come cone to see them every da day and sometimes twice and Kates Kate's dark eyes held a anew anew anew new look these days Was as I 1 such a bear that first n night 1 he asked 1 should expect a It bear J wien she comes unannounced she answered Only I haven't golden h hair ir I love brown hair he said dream dream- By ily Gypsy hair The other was blonde r remember member She e lifted her face teasingly IY yet h halfin half halfIn stera Je In earnest and Fallows took look his chance It belonged to my little niece Betty Betty Betty Bet Bet- ty Fallows Ill I'll take her to see you the first day youre you're In town Just to prove It I had dined there that night and held her on my knee Oh and you vou have held that against me Kate v Kate Kate Kate- Maud came to the door in the glow of ot light and called Arent you two ever coming up Its It's all read ready Kate he you do care dont don't you Kate laughed softly Im glad you ou prefer brown hair Hartley she said |
