Show I 1 A LACE I 1 handkerchief A after ater seven lays at sea wo we plunged 1 lato to summer tho the glorious blue glow ing summer of 0 tho the subtropical atlantic tiny whito white waves lapped tho the sides of the big ship all day and now that evening wag was come and thu tho am ings rolled bpck bock for the sake of the air pink purple orange and gold phosphorescence phim shimmered all about us T the he evening was too fair to spend beneath the glare of the electric lamps in the smoking rooms so I 1 remained on deck tha tho deck was empty and the lights lowered everywhere save in the smoking frojm which glowered like a hugh jewel through tho the transparent night tho the band had ceased playing I 1 mused idly and started with that say nothing on the gleaming waves of opal fire firo that leaped in tae wake of the ship very gently I 1 moved forward the whole stern of the ship was bathed in tho the whiteness of the moon and looked as though snow had fallen on the dack and touched the taff fral rall with long lines of silver behind tho the ship the fiery seas heaved and plunged and r enst all stood ono one figure I 1 caught my breath as I 1 first saw her tall svelte e exquisitely molded into a high tight fitting wing bodice of a black silk dress her taco face was toward the moon and the sea but the lovely lines of at her shoulders that tha t tapered to the waist and then spread again to tho the rounded hips told me that I 1 was looking upon no woman of at the northern country the woman raised a hand and threw aside the wisp of gauze that had celled her head and in the white light her hair ga g omed like the gold of the sun and I 1 new that I 1 looked on a creole girl I 1 forced all my will into roy my ardent eves ees hoping to make her turn but only an elusive perfume floated about me and now and then the blue smoke of a cigarette hung about her like a misty cloud I 1 must find out who this gracious belig was this young thing that stood in the moonlight with every supple muscle throbbing responsive to the movement mo ement of the chip ship I 1 moved moed out of the shadow into the light an absurdly small handkerchief lay on the tho deck my lips parted to speak but she was keener of sense than 1 I for she heard beard me and turned sharply around oh my handkerchief thank you so much she put out a hand as white and bink as dimpled and soft as a roseleaf os eleaf and I 1 so contrived that as she took the handkerchief our fingers met through the film lace what a divine night flight I 1 murmured mui murd foolishly while my eyes lev ed the oval of her face the tangle of her golden hair the ripe red fesq of her parted mouth she drew a cigarette from a gold case that su shiung ung at her bar side let roe me give you a light I 1 cried and then had tho the for one moment of seeing tho the smooth grain of her skin and the long curling lashes lashe that veiled eyes which I 1 guessed muss must t bo be violet by div light but that now noi looked velvet civet blackness sho she spoke but little while we stood there but 1 I was content to catch the illy from her hair and note the slender lines of the round throat to mor row I 1 i ventured td eay say as ahe he tossed the burnt out cigarette into the waves ves perhaps ahe uie nn in anil and with v ith a bon eho sho left me for four davs das and nights of burning tropical splendor I 1 dutched for lor coming as the ship plowed on into the heart of the sun and the glow of tho the heat beat we were nearing the equator the staterooms and cabins ere un bearable part of the deck wa ar ranged so that gors could sleep in the open but I 1 never nener pawed passed the night there or in the forepart of the vessel while whilo others sat for hours to catch tho the faint breeze brez ze made by the ship I 1 always halted iral ted on the spot where we had fiet first met and one night I 1 found hor her there thore after that night of blue and silver ou clu evenings on deck were many and tho the evenings grew to night anil and found us standing or sitting in the shadows ard looking at the round red moon that shone in the blue enameled sky like hire a golden guinea 0 a talked in whispers apers and were too earnest ever to laugh and told each other much of many things in he the past anil and more of ono one thing in the tho future thus many st insets passed to dawn when wo we kleser aad pa bcd ninny many times and t tolo quietly way to ou cabins even thus was nas our last ni t on board except thit she did lid not sin but wept bitterly ns I 1 kissed her for tho the last time and said I 1 tue h a future might be an the next day I 1 stood at the head of the gangway to see her land tho 1 english went off first aill till too thin and still laughing the massive south ern women followed rolling the r vast bodies and flashing lla ahing their fine eyes under absurd hats I 1 had hoped that she my lady of the moon and of the scent seas would have somo some message for me as she left tho the ship but bho she never passed and all that I 1 learned of her was from a noto note found in her cabin inclosing this tiny bit of laco lace and lawn still wet with hei hot tears and saying that if it she lauded laded she bovid bo be claimed by a man she sho could never love and there would come an end ol 01 our delight tho the lace and lawn are a little yellow tho are dry the perfume has passed but ano one corner keeps the embroidered name carlta |