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Show - Dy ELLIS DERDY. j "It's too near tho prow of tho boat, Aunt Catherine." Dora protested, when they hnd followed tho luggage-laden porter up two lllghts of stairs and had lauded at No. S, n stateroom, tho fourth from the forward smoking room. "And, dear, thcro'll be all the smoke, too. You can't stand it." "Yes, I can, too. Just lay thoso things right In tho berth." Miss Win-throp Win-throp turned her (lushed, beaming faco ' on her assembled relatives. "Where's Phil? I don't daro to let him out of tuy sight." Her brother, Phil's father, and Phil's turn sisters and Phil's mother all eagerly eag-erly assented "Not for a minute, Catherine, until you seo him safely In Gregory's hands," said Mr. Harding. "Now, Frank, you wero young onco yourself," began Mro. Harding. On ' tho outskirts of the "family gathering" gather-ing" stood Phil Ho was being consigned con-signed now to New York, In care ot Aunt Cotherlno, to another uncle, and from thero to South America to learn i commercial conditions in tho export trade. , Phil tried to seo tho crowd down on the dock through tho sido door leading lead-ing out on deck. She might bo thcro i somo place. It couldn't bo that sho ' didn't care n rap what becamo of him. ' Phil stood with his chin up, hating tho world at large, wishing with nil bis heart he dared leap over tho sido ot ' the boat beforo them all. Hut what was the use? Sho wasn't down there.1 Not a slnglo lino had como from her in days and days. 'We can go on deck, now, Phil," Aunt Carolino was saying. Aunt Carolino pretended to settle herself in her chair. And after Phjl had disappeared, there camo cautiously cautious-ly across tho deck to her sido a girl. Sho was very young and vory anxious nnd wistful as she sat on tho edgo of tho chair next to tho old lady and listened to her. "Oh, you must havo known I'd bo sure to como after I got your letter! " she exclaimed onco. "Why why, I lovo Phil terribly. I had no idea they were sending him away llko that." Miss Winthrop eyed her pleasantly. "Real sweet, sightly sort of girl," sho said, halt to herself. "Well, my dear, Doston families are given to strange notions. Thoy wanted Phil to wait till he was settled in business, I suppose, beforo he thought ot marrying." marry-ing." "But that's all wrong. Phil needs mo now while ho's trying to mako good." "Pity sake, child, don't cry before folks," said tho old lady, hastily producing pro-ducing a largo liner) handkerchief. "Yes, I understand all about it. That's , why I sent for you." "And Phil doesn't know." "Ho won't know, either. You're going go-ing to share No. 8 with mo tonight, and tomorrow morning when my other brother arrlvos to meet us 1 shall Just surprise him and Phil, too. You boo, Phil's a dear, good boy, but 1'vo always al-ways wondered about bis backbone." "His backbone?" I "Oh, I mean his nerve, his gumption. Ho shouldn't let tho family bundle him i oil to South America as if ho was a two-year-old. So I want to hear It ho'll stand up against Gregory, my other brother. If ho does, I'm going to let him have you, and I'll start htm In business myself and havo an eye on you both. Hut It bo doesn't, wo'll let htm sail for South America with Gregory, Greg-ory, all alone." Not a suspicion did Phil havo. Aunt Catherine decided sho'd rotlro early, and ho walked tho deck alono thinking of Marjorle, tho girl back in Doston who hadn't cared enough for him to even como down and see him off. And suddenly out of , tho night thero loomed tho dark hull of a big schooner, schoon-er, bound from Malno with lumber. Phil was thrown to the deck by the shock, but got up and mado for tho sido whero No. 7 was. Confusion 'was overywhero, peoplo pouring out of staterooms, tho boat's ofllccrs calling out, tho men on tho schooner shouting, but ho reached No. 8, and stood In horror hor-ror beforo Its splintered wreck. Tho point of tho bowsprit had Jammed through, crushing and smashing the berths and sido. "My aunt's In thcro!" ho gasped. Then across tho way, In No. 9, the ( stateroom door oponed and Aunt.Cuth-J erlno Btood, wrapped In a serviceable black silk traveling kimono. And bo-1 yond her, In a bluo kimono, Phil! thought ho saw a ghost Majorlo with, wldo, frightened eyes, and patted lips. "Pity's sake, Phil, I thought wo was i wrecked euro," began tho old lady.' "Han Into something, didn't we?" "How did you get hero?" was all Phil could say, reaching for Mar-Jorlo's Mar-Jorlo's clinging fingers. "I thought Aunt Catherine was In No. 8, andi that'a wrecked." "Well, so It Is," Bald Miss Winthrop placidly. "Good thing we didn't sleep there. I don't like to mako mistakes, but wo must have got Into tho wrong stateroom. So you found out sooner than I expected, Phil." Phil stopped Into the stateroom and took Marjorle In his arms. The oM lady watched them happily. "What shall I tell Gregory In tho morning when you two run up after vour m'arrlago license?" "Tell him I won't go to South Amor-ica Amor-ica for the wholo family," answered Phil. "Wo don't caro about the rest, 4o we, Marjorle, as long as we've got Aunt Catherine" (Copyright, me. by tho McClur Newspfv Pr 8y ndlcat ) . |
