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Show - - It Happened in June By CLARISSA MACKIE a i (CopyrlKht.) ( NT)," said Ronald Pecker in his A most persuasive tones, "I will make you the happiest girl in the world, Beth. Besides, your mother has given her consent to our engagement." engage-ment." Both Courter smiled, but it was not the sweet, glad smile that lionald hoped for. He bent over the wheel of his motor boat and fussed with the engine. He wondered what he could do to make this lovely mutinous child see the error of her ways, and marry him, a most desirable husband for any girl, with all his money and good looks. So thought Ronald and Beth's worldly mother, who was tired of pinching and saving to make both ends meet. She was exasperated with Beth, who still drooped over the desertion de-sertion of a very good-for-nothing artist. art-ist. Of course, Both did not know that Mrs. Courter had given Billy liar-bison liar-bison the merest hint that her daughter daugh-ter was engaged to lionald. Billy had made no further attempt to see Beth. He had a quick temper he believed she should have told him about her engagement, but he had believed that Beth cared, too. He packed up his painting kit and went off, leaving a stiff little note of farewell. fare-well. So Beth sat among the cushions of Ronald's-motor boat, looking dreamily dream-ily at the river banks. "A penny for your thoughts," said Ronald sharply. Beth started violently. She did not answer, and he was mad with jealousy. jeal-ousy. He was sure she was thinking about Billy Harbison, who had proved himself a irenernl favorite at the sum- mer resort. He had rescued several swimmers, among them Ronald himself. him-self. There was Rock Island ahead, with its wicked rapids and uncertain inhabitants in-habitants uncertain because one never nev-er knew whether to look for gypsies there, river pirates of a kind, or queer vagrant characters. So it happened on that June morning that Ronald Decker suddenly decided to capsize his motor boat and save -Beth's life ! In his pockets, in waterproof cases, were matches, watch and revolver with cartridges. They would get along. They would be missed and somebody would find the boat. Meantime, Mean-time, Beth would change her mind. "Are you heading for the rocks," asked Beth anxiously. Pecker swung around to look, and at the same moment there was a scraping sqund and a rending, tearing sound, as a black jagged point of rock thrust up through the bottom there was a sudden rush of water and the boat immediately began to settle. The man leaped into the water and held out his arms to Beth. "Jump, dearest dear-est !" he called excitedly. "I can swim," she said coolly, and, slipping into the water, fought against the current to gain a point of land that ran out like a tiny cape. She reached it and looked around to find her companion swimming sullenly in the rear. "Where is the boat?" asked Beth. He muttered something unintelligible unintel-ligible as he emptied the water from his shoes and wrung out his clothes as best he could. "What shall we do now?" she asked. "Build a fire on the beach to attract the attention of some passing boatman?" boat-man?" He laughed shortly. He felt cold and damp and was sure he would have an attack of influenza. "We will remain right here. I have matches, but I will not light a fire, and I will not look for help on the Island. There is an old hermit at the upper end, and a band of gypsies, and some squatters, and you can take your choice of going to one of them for help, or remaining here and giving me an answer to the question I have asked. Will you marry me?" "Never !" she said, standing audaciously auda-ciously defiant. "You are a miserable coward ! I believe that you wrecked the boat on purpose!" He snarled and rose to his feet, stretching out his hand as if to grasp her, but she was too quick for him. With a little cry she turned and fled along the stretch of green turf under the willows. He followed, running like the wind. Her breath was leaving leav-ing her when he caught her, and she ' uttered a faint scream. Then a mighty shadow came between them and Ronald fell heavily to the ground. "Oh, Billy Billy:" sobbed Beth, finding herself in the sheltering arms of the man she loved. "Save me from him." "My little love," whispered Billy, after they had each told the story of their parting. Just then Ronald Decker opened his eyes and saw them. "Hey," he said thickly, "what you doing around here'?" "Painting pictures been here for weeks," said Billy gruffly. "Say, Decker, I saw how you deliberately wrecked your boat, and risked this young lady's lire. I'll lend you a boat 10 get hack to the mainland unless you want to accompany us to the other oth-er side of the Island where there is a Sunday school picnic going on. The minister will marry us on the spot, and we can get the license at the sunie time because all the town officials offi-cials are there, too. How about it?" |