| Show J JJ J t 4 1 I rJ u tl I I 1 o I 1 j r T t f 1 i t 1 I R RR 4 y I I d i h hI s o I 1 J t HIlS T l II i t i t L Ib I i I Js I t L i Carroll a kW R 1 L z j G i irE r 7 t rE r 1 r f fJ I J I HE Lions Den the Gaylord Gaylords comfortable T houseboat was so named because of Daniel not the original Daniel of biblical days hut but another who seamed ou on occasion even more startlingly ori original inal than his better known knon prototype Naturally for the thc sake of euphony the houseboat of which Daniel was so much mucha a part could bear no more fitting name although the thes s Gaylords were anything but Dur During ing the summer months time the Icu tethered to a scarlet buoy floated with meekness on Lake Michi Michigamme I ichi gamme seventy miles by rail from Crom the thc Gaylords home in fn Bayville The clumsy comfortable craft scow underneath a series of boxlike bins on top ed no power of locomotion in its it c own right but submitted tamel tamely to being heing towed about by a hired steam tug whenever the Gaylords grew tired c of their anchorage Of the Gaylords there were four A Archibald ald aged his wife Elisabeth Dicky their son aid ald u Toots their daughter precariously surviving her second summer In n addition time the Den sheltered Rhea Mrs Gaylords exceedingly pretty sister Daniel of whom there is more to tell and Regina Quinn an antagonistic elderly damsel who attended ably to the thc inner wants oi the Gaylords Then later in the season there was a guest named Philip Although Daniel had lived l ed for nineteen years ears it would 4 be a mistake to say that he was nineteen ears cars of ge Sometimes he seemed not more than nine and yonn 6 for his age at that at other times so great greal was his wi wisdom dom r and prudence his foresight and his intelligence tl that it it l seemed as if he must be It at least ninety lie He with a 1 certain boat hoat was the connecting link tween the Den and dry land For the rest his duties consisted of making himself generally useful and Dan E tit id did his duty duly with untiring zeal ze t tI I In n person he was not prepossessing being ter in hu build ld and overlong for his width his mouth and lul 4 ears cars were his stiff lied hair over vcr clock abundant his freckles o oversized and and his hands his feet and his big heart had somehow outdistanced all the resU n For two years Daniel had belonged body and soul to the MAILS Gaylords He Hc would have died cheerfully for tin an one onet t of them from big genial Archibald down to tiny Toots ook l If H we needed Daniel for dinner Eli Elisabeth a eth would wa sa T believe hed gladly permit Regina Reina to cook him al ling Daniels a perfect synonym for the word devotion lIe lIeth th gives himself as the thc clouds give rain rain There uc be from l room in him for anything further in time the wa way oi of lw ay have every bit of him I Id d his 11 Mrs Irs Gaylord however was mistaken Daniel s still u II t I i I retained a generous portion of his large lare t c heart I last N hut but ut not for long When Mrs T rs Gaylords sister Rhea coni Prescott ed in to spend a long restful sum Is n ac mer in the Lions Den after a winter I sey sec Daniel showed the Gaylords what devotion what utter m abnegation of self seH really meant Stron Stronger er more closely guarded citadels than Daniels simple heart had bad gone down doviO flat before the battery batter of Rheas big dark eyes but certainly note none had ever sur quite so expeditiously At sight of the edly attractive e young woman Daniel had surrendered red redall all that lie had to surrender with an instantaneous completeness that astonished even evell experienced Rhea Y t All 11 her other admirers however had sooner or later desired reciprocity Daniel aspired to nothing It was bliss enough to be permitted to gaze to worship and to toS S I serve and never before had worshipper offered such disinterested homage Jt It seemed this time that Daniel moist have hae exhausted Ills his capacity for dev devotion tion but gain again the Gaylords were mistaken t In J lily July Philip Marston a cousin of Archib ars ar s rived by invitation to spend three weeks weck hoard aboard 1 the thc Lions Had Daniel been an ordinary worshipper i at al Rheas shrine it is probable that Marstons advent would have filled loin him with as many forebodings s as it its announcement did Mrs Gaylord but as Daniel was 10 J tl i an ordinary devotee lie he welcomed the thc newcomer as jO joy of M 4 as dirt did Dicky Dick which is saying sayin a great greal deal deat II But Archie demurred demurral Elisabeth when Gaylord ha had mentioned casually that he had invited Philip to join II their family party If will he fit fil in You know the Den DenI r int very ery big and in such Stich close quarters we have hwe to hc be pretty ch chummy If lie he sl find us ns con congenial or orIf orif I If lIe dislikes children I You hc be afraid of Phils not filling lillin in iii as shred Ga Gaylord lord 6 Hed lit fit anti all place 11 His is adaptability is amazing In ten minutes you wont be able to believe t f that you vou known him think hes your our ego front from some former state of existence Ive yet ct I w hear of time the man woman or child that adore tim aim Why m my dear clear lies hes simply the thc most pleasing mor morI I td I t that hal ever happened But inquired Elisabeth is it safe to I as ao in as all that Theres Rhea t II No danger whatever Rheas anything hut but u cep tible too accustomed to attention to attach an any If j t m importance to a few extra edra blandishments Phil to too is l i invulnerable Ve t chaperone a safer pal pair he Be Besides hei i sides if he hc and Rhea pshaw too loo j much alike Then theres B Barr rr nothing in that Absence in fm Rheas Rhea Case is isa a always 5 fatal you know She does forget th the poor timings things so 0 speedily pc dih Besides she refused hint him himI hinti I i it w was s Daniels duty dilly to pilot all guests from the train i to the Den mill and as Gaylord said lid whimsically in three r scars he hc had not lost ur or mislaid a single guest He 1 t the hOllors nobly ill in Marstons ca c cI I 11 Get into this here herc boat hoat sail said lIe he had hadl hadi J i steered Philip from the little station II down a 1 wavering l sawdust road to the waters edge re the thc was beached Im to row you out to It Its an about six mites miles from here hut hilt th the I lakes c n ne ed along the edge so you OU cant see sec tier her till yon l c lt t went quite a 1 bitI bit bitT I T f Marston looked looke pleasantly into the childlike hazel eyes level with his own darker ones and smiled smile a kind half pitying smile i for Daniels countenance e was In an open opell book rind and Philip had read it at a glance But Daniel too was quick cillick at al reading countenances It was Marstons exceedingly pleasing habit to smile with his twinkling t appreciative eyes rather than with his lips but it was said that his smile because of its almost irresistible at attract attractiveness tract would at an any time win for him time thc lifelong of an any but bul the most hardened of mankind There was certainly nothing adamantine about Daniel That Thal susceptible youth promptly bestowed all there was wa left of his ardent young affections upon Marston and they were not misplaced To Daniel Marston larston was a revelation Ile He had not s 51 the world of contaIn contaIning containing ing a mortal so favored in every way certainly in his own limited sphere there was nothing to compare with h hint m for strength manliness and beauty Even flue looking Gaylord who in Daniels opinion had hitherto held first place as a type of manly beauty and general excellence was completely eclipsed By the time the boat boal reached the thc Den there was vas nothing that Daniel would have refused to do for Jor lars larston ton Hc longed indeed for things to do No college girl was ever afflicted with wilh a more sudden or a more complete crush than was poor Daniel And in his case casc lucre were complications for this surprising sing new newlove love loc had in nowise displaced his adoration for Rhea in truth he hc adored them both and in equal degree It was late in time the afternoon when Daniel and the guest stepped aboard the thc Lions Den As Gaylord had pre predicted predicted Elisabeth liked Philip at al sight Dickey always demonstrative outdid his usual best in the way of rap rapturous greetings and II Toots who usually went into spasms at the first glimpse of tall dark strangers promptly lucid held out both hOlh arms to this one and afterwards beamed approval from time the height oi of his broad shoulder II Of course I like him said Rhea Elisabeth beth asked II Hes Splendidly pl nd I his is features s are fine finc hi IJ m pleasing g nd his s s il it L 1 I don dont 1 wOl cr that everybody likes himl can cant t imagine anybody being able to help it itI LIcan I can sniffed Regina lIIl looking up from her piecrust I could coult im n i r abide a dark man nian without I cant abide all any nian for that smatter maller but ore Ole without whiskers is a crime it il amt right for men to be bc so good lookin 1001 1 If there aint looks to go round time the Lord ought to tog g give c what there is to the thc women wommen It And some women said rather plain Elisabeth look looking looking ing after Rhea who had started certainly get more than their share II Y cs snapped privileged Regina outwardly antagonistic to everybody and everything but inwardly al almost almost most as tenderhearted ns as rind And when they arc ther generally knows it Im thankful that t 1 was left plain clam and aint a mite of conceit about l lYet Yet murmured Elisabeth wickedly you make l ke a fair apple pie pic Fair blazed Regina A fair appl c ell t If theres anybody on this continent that can ail make a better Id like to eat cat it il I For three weeks the and their guests still adored by Daniel fished and frolicked and in iii spite of excellent pies lived lied a e happy scum sen sible outdoor life The Ire Den happened to he be anchored perhaps a hundred feet feel from a small green island at greater distances were other more or less green isles Then bare barely a mile milc away awny was time the uninhabited main mainland land lanel Often rowed b by Daniell and by Regina the little party spent long happy days ays on One or another of these neglected beauty spots The lime more in industrious berries herries made a of sketching mud and Philip always with Dicky at his heels and Daniel at his elbow divided hi his attention equally between and Elisabeth Elisabth They had their end of the lake practically to 10 Nothing called thc lakes larger craft to their portion of time thc water and smaller boats found C equally nall attractive c spots within easier reach the seclusion of Gaylords favorite outing place was its chief charm For days they picnicked uneventfully Daniel tearing aWI away t twice a week to togo go to town for mail and necessary provisions Then early carly one morning when the talc inmates of the Den were ere still in their tiny tin rooms room something happened something so III unusual 5 I Iso so alarming that all plans were promptly Toots who had tossed all niGht was found to have hac unexpectedly broken broen out ont with a truly terrifying eruption Elisabeth whose infants had thus far esc escaped ped all contagious ills that infant flesh is heir h ir t to turned pale at the thc discovery for close upon its heels came a most alarming thought Thc Gaylords hd had enick d two days dilYs previously Oil the site of an abandoned lumber camp loots had taken her nap near logs that thal had once been heen part of a loggers cabin II Ohl Oh groaned terrified Elisabeth it 1111 may b be measles or s scarlet arlet lever feer l I It may even cen h he smallpox That whole lumber camp may mama have hae died of ill it Archie 1 Do look great red spots all 11 down her back Oh dont conic come so 50 ma mayy catch it II By B jinks claimed e Gaylord ids his squirming daughter certainly badly broken out with so III it a good sign when they break our ou thoroughly Perhaps Rhea or Regina may know what it is isI never saw a case o of an am infantile disease in iii mum m life But neither Rhea nor Regina had had any with ailing childhood and neither could diagnose time the case casc Regina however was a person peron of ideas Them there spots said d she involuntarily backing towar toward the door look laok just like a boy I 1 seen with chickenpox smallpox looks j just the Sl e they thoy say The Th thing to do said Archibald decisively is to take that thal baby straight home to Dr Smith re rc she hc shey y t any LI le ie tu t ther r right lucre with p ill If I f time ac rift if II r ok right a at the ought to run down for a da day an come hack tonight Have Ilave Rhea watch Dicky If he conies comes down too she can us if he hc has t been exposed its just LS as well riot not to let him run r time risk hats true quavered Elisabeth hastily stuffing 0 things into a valise II Tell Daniel to he ready to row us across i well take the nine thirl train About omit leisurely long Daniel returned re turned from the village with letters and for forthe time the Lions the lions Philip said rhen Daniel Dniel Iliad had meekly received for his tardiness and ha had eaten the generous meal she had kept hot for was ever eer all bark and no curled up map on of the lower deck closed his big infantile eyes and fell asleep On the upper deck j just Ut nine feet above aboe the slumbering youth s sat t Rhea and Marston ra reading their mil mail Dicky will immune from disfiguring dis ti figuring eruption bat bUL tied for safe keeping by a long tout clothesline gambolled about abolt noisily Presently one of whoops louder than its ils predecessor roused DanIel and the lad still only half awake sat up and yawned prodigiously but silently solely because lie he so dearly loved the tO tivo voices murmuring just above his head and amid n of an any deliberate intention of listening he began inadvertently to take in words that were wen certainly not intended for his big sun suit burned cars He could easily hear them for both voices were distinct and the was calm and cle clear r Ive had bad news mews Philip was saying reg regretfully f I h The l firm rm has hac recalled me 1 hate to go 0 but bm I st shall ll have to leave Icae here herc Its really nally in ima e I should have hae letter lias been delayed i iII II But nUL you von e pr P p to stay for a ld lc month protested dismayed h II Besides no rea rear rca t I r v 1 r rt firm would expect anybody to leave a heavenly spot like this for an old city office It is a heavenly spot returned d Philip with a fervor in his voice oice that was ryas new md and decidedly surprising to Daniel dear girl it is because you nr arc m mit in it make hC heaven ven of any spot for mite me Oh gasped Rhea likewise moved mocel by bv time the hitherto depth of feeling revealed b by Marstons earnest voice II Im sure its lovely enough without mc This beautiful lake this Rhea pursued Marston refusing to be turned aside i II Ive you only three weeks j it would be to hope that Ive won more than your in so o short a time but bul I cant go without tell telling n you ou what thc these e wonderful days of close compan have hac brought to mc It is perilously soon to speak of it but Ilea I cave vc you so soon and I may not finet another opportunity What can I do but speak Ive Ic Teamed learned to love loc toc Olt Oh I gasped Rhea a second time There was of course no wa isay for listening to todi di discover coer how this sudden passionate appeal was affect affecting ing the lady ladr For Daniel however it was entirely too moving The thrilling intensity oi of Marstons deeply earnest voice nice for far more affecting than time the words selves brought sympathetic tears to Daniels c cs and a lump to his boyish throat but knowing of this Philip continued I love love IMe |
