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Show 1 JUST PALS I jjjfcj By RITA SULLIVAN. SC O U:i. br UcClur Ntvilsvr HynJkaU ) "Oh, no. Trudy dearl" Nttn Soy-wour's Soy-wour's face hart a faint tinge of amusement, amuse-ment, mixed with Indignation. "I ' not In love with Ralph. We are JuhI pals I" 'All right, dearie, neer mlmi. i was Just wotiderlns. Be sure jm call me early, because Ralph and 1 ait' gnlns for a long lIMdng trip." , The next day fnllj Justified the promise made by the hlarn the night before. Not a cloud marred the per-feet per-feet blue of the sky. Attired In a short plaid sport skirt and n flaming crimson sweater, her short, dark lmlr already blowing llelf Into little curlx urnmid her pretty face. Nlta was enough to make n. one's heart glad. "Well, the early bird l. certainly catching worms this morning l" Ralph RoluiidV merry voire aiutivd her from hrr in i'ii. I1- ii N'liu looked u, with a smile lis she surveyed his lull, slim figure, fig-ure, which showed up to h great advantage ad-vantage In spotless outing clothe. "And the bird has been very foi lunate!" lu-nate!" She proudly displayed her wi-llliln- rnllpi-tlnn. "I'll say It has. I gues that will be about all we'll need, Nils. Come on, the old boat Is ready !" "Ralph, let'a go over to Tolo Island today. It will eeni like old times, won't It?" Nltn looked up full Into his fiue as he bent over the boat. Tor a moment their eyes met, and Nlta full u ijueer, huppy thrill unexpectedly slurtllni;. Rut the next minute the tension had passed, and Ralph entered Into her plan with the same zeM that be had Miown when Nlla had lli-st become his chum three years ago. ! "We ciin llsh on the way. nnd conk on the Maud like we used to do, Nlla. That Is a corking Idea. Here go"." As the bout slipped easily through j (he waler. Nlla watched the clear Mill water abend break Into sparkling .lip-pies. .lip-pies. As she watched she thrilled again at the look which she hud surprised In Ralph's e.es. The thought or her hist night's conerr.tloii again ratne Into her mind. "I don't know 1 don't knowL" Suddenly the' motor eeu-ed and the bout came blowly to it stop. Nlla tookeil up In surprli-e, suddenly conscious Hint her fare wns burning. "What Is the inatteil" "Why Nltn. we iitc'golng to IMi now. Were your thoughts as gullly as that? Come, now, what are oii blushing about r "Nothing, nothing, Ralph, only you startled me mi!" Qiilet reigned supreme for a long time, except for occasional low exclamations ex-clamations of pleasure or otherwise . as the case may huve been when suddenly sud-denly NllaV keen ears caught a low. ominous sound. Intently she listened, and ngnln she heard It, this time a I long, faint nimble. "Po I henr thunder, or Is It the lumber lum-ber mill?" Nllu's voice broke the still. nes sharply. "I guess It Is the lumber mill, Nltn." I didn't hear anything, and besides, see how bright the sun IsV Thus reus-mired, reus-mired, Nlla subsided, and silence was again the rule. Then, without further warning, a loud crackling peul sounded as though above thelr'heuds, and at the same time a darkxloud blottisl out the suilllng.'sun. Without, u word, Ralph (Jung, down Ills rod iinif started' for tlie motor. - ' Ri h few moments they vere again vuttitis through the water Inlhejllrec-Hon Inlhejllrec-Hon o(jhe lslmnlujlci wa8fli"?ja ear BUeUcr. Thcn'Micwiq ,nt Wl Ihe-sroym. Suddeuly there mime a blbailloc Hash of lightning over Hie dark .prater. jTheni fteav;y cn1i'as.th?uBU: the'hcBvens were, oiwulnjc. nnJ ") clomlburst brokevfuH upon tliVm' "-.llejid "-.llejid bent to Jttjc 'driving rn'nW , "dreiuliisl and dttD.lI"R. Itu'l'b wnS rVtrAlhg towantret-SJiifhilaud o-rfl JUtle. island, ften Wlt a sl.:keiilng ".crtsli.Mm'fSlt the Imfvict of some fcafJMisocillSc'. "" '"A'rf tpcVirrotten.''. rt ,'wih ahoarae silnd that was al-ihh3?t'i$'lvi'$TeitpKQt al-ihh3?t'i$'lvi'$TeitpKQt the boat I agalAlu.b!hid.4ntryli'! shocJ!;Und Jorn I the ..whceL' 'from', hist" MiUlS, utffl'lTto t.peeil of ifiebyiltijirrlrtl Itfull ujCon iiiixnink- vltlt a (ciirlnz sou ml. t ,' . ".S'lUi !" RiiKl' tTtrned Jn time to see a heavy wave' wnstf6vpr Hie lower end ofthj boat, anil ut the siii.i tlmeji felt It slowly sinking. . "I'm right here, Ralph!" The low, tense voice was directly at his elliow, for Nlta was alieady In the wnter. "Come on, we can uiukc the Ishuelt" 8i'm6 time later, through a Urnwj dimness, an Indeilnlte feeling tlnally reached Nlta's numbed senses. A feeling feel-ing that made her want to sln Just as she wns forever ! Without opening her eyes she knew that she wns safe ami secure, A low roar und craikle told her that she was lying by a fire. Then low, close, murmuring sounds reached her,,"wiilch, mm h to her dim surprise, fo'rmed them-ehes Into words with 'fiipnnlnts. ."Nltu'l Swet heart! t'ouio back, to me, dour!"' Unb a slight start ,Jiu nioved'bor Ininl ami opened hrr ')es. I . Wllli'tlie in tlon. two'tiruiH tlghleiieil 1 around 'her, ami for" the second time tltit Hay-she Imikeil Into Ralph's ejes. i.Tiifs the Ife''"'1 "ul ' '" ,llll,, wl'"' I'wts (liijro, for vxltli a little sigh. Nlla anugg'icd closer Into hlHarm. Mild llfleil "her head to uu-et tfie lips which sougjif hers so loving " ' ' Then Nlta rcillfcd that she hml lost her best pal. but In-forc she sank Into another deep, dreamless oblivion, she kMW that she had found a sweetheart. |