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Show m ' ii H1V 1 Jlf5f SlifQ By Henry Svdnor Harrison j B SYNOPSIS. H Elbort Canttnlm. cstranccd from Ills wife and H louclnc for tho BlKbt of his daughter. Mary, encases B I-arry Varney and Tolcr Macinnls to tnkc the Car- B Halt jaoht, the Oyprlanl, to Uunston-on-thn-Hudfon, H there to kidnap Mnry. On arrival In Hunston. Ynr- B ney and Macinnls n a blind enlist with tho reform B element to throw out tho political crofters who aro H runnlnc tho town. By accident. Vnrney learns that B Mary drstalrs Is not a 12 year old clrl. hut a H beautiful -rounc woman. Varney's close rotcmblanco H to Ferris Stanhope, nn autlior of pink tea literature, H who rns cot himself Into bad crnco In Ilunton B throuch affair with clrls. makes Varney's presence H In tho town hazardous. The political ennc. worklnc H under tho direction of lloss Hrau and through Collcny B Smith, editor of the Hunston Gazette, mo tho lecr H of Varney'H rcsomblanco to Stanhope to balk Vnr- H ney'o help in tho reform ruovoroont. A scurrilous H articlo about Stanhopo nnd a plcturo finish Yarncy B In the eyes of tho townspeople Hammcrton. a local H reporter who 1 correspondent for tho Kcw York H Frcss. by a niso learns that Vnrnoy's real mission M to Hunston 1 to kidnap Mary. Macinnls buys out tuo H Gazette and thus steals a march on Kynn, nnd he and H Vornoy win Ilommerton over by rnakluc him editor H of the paper. H FOURTEENTH INSTALLMEKl'. H A Party on the Yacht. THE gig camo nlongsldo and Miss Car-stairs Car-stairs mounted tho steps, the party gathered at tho head of them to meet B her. Peter, as It chanced, greeted her B first. He had been introduced to her, in B passing, the night of tho meeting, but now B he was dimly conscious that he had ratber B underestimated her appearance. M " I am dreadfully sorry to bo late," she B said. " We went for tho shortest llttlo drive, B and all at once it was 2 o'clock and wo were H three miles away." fl " Tou must have dono something to the B speed limit, madam," said Peter in his stlffcst B manner, " for you aro in ample time." Hi "How do you do, Mr. Hare?" M " Excellently well, thank you, Mary. It is B supererogatory to ask you." B " Pinky," said Mrs. Marne, " have that B word and I met? I don't seem to recog- B nlze H " Good morning, Mr. Varney." Mary of- B fered him her hand; but, greeting her, ho B had turned to pull a chair out of her way, B and so missed seeing it. B "It is a great pleasure to welcomo you B aboard tho yacht, Miss Carstalrs." B " If I seem at all addicted to molancholla H today," said Mary, " you won't bo surprised, H will you? My mother Isn't well really! H When I left her an hour ago you might have H supposed that wc were parting for a year. H And then, besides, I had an omon a myste- B rious warning. . . H Varney's gaze became fixed. " A warning?" B She laughed. " A rather queer and scary B one? I'll tell you presently." Bj " My dear," said Mrs. Marne, when Varney H had turned to explain the working of tho H boat falls to Hare, " who is he? He is simply H cunning!" H Mary laughed. Hare, who was listening H to boat matters with ono ear only, thought it H was rather a conscious laugh. B " Dnlv .TnViM 'nielmrds. VJ rnmo nn in hln H car yesterday to spend a day with us. How H do you like my hat?" H "It's a love," said Mrs. Marne. "A great H. big love." H " I trimmed it myself. You recognize tho H feather, of course?" H They went down to luncheon. The ladles B cried out with pleasure at the prcttincss of H tho llttlo saloon. B Tho room was darkened, through half drawn shades, to a pleasant dimness. Tho H tablo was round, red, and bare. It was a H splendid mass of flowers. In the center was H a great blossoming thing in a silver basket H frame, so large and high that when they H were seated, Hare, who was neither, could H just see Mary over the top of it- About it H were four tall vases of cut roses, two of H white, two of red. Buttonholes In white and B red lay at three covers, gigantic American H beauties, red, with flowing whlto ribbons, at H two. And napery, silver, iridescent glass, all H the materialities, wero well worthy of so H pretty a floral setting. H In short, it was a most alluring bait that H Uncle Elbert's yacht had flung out for Uncle H Elbert's daughter. H " These roses," said Mary, raising hers to H her lips, " were never grown in Hunston." H " I want to explain a rule that Mr, Varnoy H and I adopted just now, Mr. Maglnnls," said H Mrs. Marne. " Did you hoar it? It concerns H the two subjects of butter and politics." H Haro lifted a glass of the Cyprianl's oxcel- H lent sherry and caught his host's cyo. " Mr. H Varney ! By a pleasant coincidence, we hap- Hl pen to be gathered here within a day or two H of tho birthday of ono member of our charm- H lng party. The llttlo discrepancy of date is iiiH uiiujutei juj uiii j. ii&ui; riiy ujdy x iiul Hj propose the health and great happiness of H Miss Carstalrs?" H "Standing!" cried Mrs. Marne, pushing H back her chair. " Bravo !" H They stood, glasses raised, turned toward B Miss Carstalrs, bowing, saluting her accord-H accord-H lng to tholr several kinds; and she sat, look-H look-H ing up at them, laughing, flushed, prettily B pleased by the llttlo rite. For Varnoy, con- scious of tho mockery of his felicitations, B there had been no escape. But Hare, who B noticed everything, observed that he did not B touch his glass to his lips. B The luncheon progressed merrily. It was B evident from tho beginning that it was to B be a pronounced success. Only Peter was Hj stiff and bored; and oven ho grew somewhat enlivened before the ceremonies ended, Thero H was Scotch and soda for the gentlemen, and H he did not spurit it whon the docanters H paeeodL Varney, whoso want of appetite H pained McTosh, was a conversational tower H of strength. But his tall: was falao faced talk, H his mirth was lying mirth, his smile a painted H smile. Uncle Elbert's daughter sat at his H left, as befitted a guest of honor. Her eyes, H when she looked at him, were kind and H friendly, but It early became his habit not H to meet them, for ho always saw behind H that saw thorn changed as he waa destined H to see them within the hour. . . . H ''Bo you're quite alive and well today!" H she said to him presently. "Will you bo-H bo-H liev that I picked up the Gazette this morn-H morn-H ins with fear and trembling?" "Oh thank you yes! Wo oludod Mr. Ilackley's well meant attentions with marvelous mar-velous dexterity innd success." "Ah, you still don't tako It seriously, I sec. I'm going to mako ono moro effort to frlghton you today but I'm afraid you aro ono of theso terribly reckless pcoplo who think being be-ing safe is too tamo to be Interesting. What do you think of our poor llttlo city, Mr. Varney?" "I? I assuro you," he said, turning a gay face toward her, "I think it positively tho moat exciting town I ever saw in my llfo. But then, of course, I've had unusual privileges. priv-ileges. What is much moro important what do you think of it?" " Of course, I lovo It. My mother wont hero to boarding school a great, great many years ago. No, not that some years ago. She fell In love with tho placo on account of the scenery, and the air, which sho says Is fresher than you can get in other places. Personally, I bollevo that the samo quality can bo had elsewhere, but sho says not at all. ao when wc left icv iorK, noimng wouio. do for her but to como straight here." "But don't you find It a llttlo dull?" "Dull! Why," sho cried, after a moment, "you talk exactly the way she does." "May I offer you an olivo?" She took it daintily in her fingers, bit It, and resumed: " I suppose your metropolitan idea is that a person would be burled alive in Hunston?" A sunny shaft broko in from without and became entangled with her hair, which was in some ways so curiously llko It. McTosh, whose eyo was everywhere, promptly lowered? a shade two Inches the one blunder ho mado that day. "Isn't It?" " That would depend altogether on tho person." " Mo?" " I do think so, decidedly." "Really you and my mother would bo very congenial." V "McTosh, tho bread." said Peter's cool voice. Mrs. Marne, who had been interested by Tetcr's taciturnity and fascinated by his waistcoat, had been leading that ordinarily masterful man something of a conversational conversa-tional dance. Detached for the moment by his demand for provender, sho called across tho table: " Mary, I herewith Invito you to attend the Culture club meeting at -1 o'clock this afternoon, to lead tho applause for my paper on Immanuel Kant Pinky wrote it and " " Before any court in the land," said Hare, lifting his glance above squab en casserole, " I am prepared to establish my innocenco of this charge." " If bo. nnsltlvnlv tvIII not tam r tny an answer," continued Mrs. Marno, " you may bring John Richards along. No claret, thank you, Mr. Maglnnls. Men, It Is true, are not admitted to the sacred mysteries, but I will arrange to have him seated on tho piazza where he may eavesdrop tho whole thing thiough tho long French window." win-dow." " Unfortunately," said Mary, " he has to go to Albany this afternoon, I believe." " To resume our conversation, Mrs. Marne," said Peter. "I shouldn't if I wero you," Haro recommended. recom-mended. " If memory serves, It was hardly worth It. Why not, instead, permit mo to tell tho story pf tho seven fat men of Kil-gore? Kil-gore? " McTosh, of tho gum shoo tread, shuffled courses dexterously. An under steward assisted as-sisted in tho presentation of tho viands, another an-other manipulated dishes in the hidden precincts pre-cincts of tho pantry. Tho service was swift and noiseless, but not moro so than tho passago of time- Tho hands of the llttlo clock fastened against the forward bulkhead already stood at quarter after 3. Mary's eyes, which had been resting on the candidate, turned back to Varney, and they were shining. " Seriously, Mr. Var r.ey," she said in a lowered voice " how could any ono possibly bo burled in a town where Mr. Hare is? " " Mr. Hare? " Sho nodded. "Because ho is so alive! Why Just to live in tho samo town with him is an Inspiration. To bo friends with him well, that is all you ever need to keep from feeling buried alive! Ho Isn't listening, Is he?" Iso. said Varney, "ho Ms, I believe, telling tell-ing tho story of tho seven fat men of Kll-gore." Kll-gore." " If you wish to hand bouquets to Pinky for a while," called Mrs. Marne, aside. "I will see that you aro not disturbed, Mary." "Thank you, Elsie, but it's your sisterly duty to listen to tho story. Mr. Haro," sho presently went on, to Varnoy, " had a great career ahead of him In Now York Judgo Prentiss told mo so and ho kicked it over without, a quiver and camo up here whoro there Isn't any glitter or fireworks, but only plain hard work. Politics is only an incident with him. No ono will ever understand all that he has done for Hunston, without any thought of return working with all hl3 heart and his head and his hands."- "Ha! Ha!" said Peter down tho tablo. "That reminds me " " You have known him a long time, I suppose?" sup-pose?" asked Varney. "Yes," sho laughed, "but ho has known mo longer over slnco I was a very little girl. That Is why ho calls mo by my namo, which gives him a great moral advantage. I call him Mister because I didn't know him when ho was a very llttlo boy. I havo figured it all out, and I couldn't have, because be-cause ho was 13 when I was born. Besides, you can't begin to know people till you havo reached a certain ago. Can you?" " Not to say know, I should think." " Say 6," said Miss Carstalrs. " That's liberal. I think. Well, he was 19 then, and I never even saw him till seven years after ward, anyway. That mado him 2C, which was much too late. Now ho says that I should call him by his namo, but, of course, I'm not going to do It," "It is hard to chango an old habit in a thlng'llko that." "O, I don't know tho hardness of it. But who ever heard of calling a mayor by his first namo? Call a mayor Pinky! Tho thought la ridiculous. Isn't it, Mr. Hare?" But Haro waa engrossed with a conversation conversa-tion of his own, now turned upon economic lines. "Everything in the world that goes up must comq down," ho was saylog didactically, didactical-ly, " except prices. They alono dofy tho laws of gravity." Peter challenged tho aphorism, wordily. Mrs. Marno smiled at Mary across tho flower sweet tablo. "No," answered Hare prcsontly. "Money isn't everything, but It Is mosL It makes the maro go; also tho nightmare. It talks, it shouts, and In the only language that needs no Interpreter. I may describe It, She turned and looked ' - jW out over the water. r without fear of contradiction, as tho Es- really calls, I suppose there is nothing for peranto of commerce." "Clever, Pinky!" called his sister, derisively. deri-sively. " Confess that you rehearsed this before a mirror." Tho luncheon ended. If anything had been wanting to provo how agreeable It had been, it appeared now In tho pretty reluctance reluc-tance with which tho ladles rose. There was the customary pushing back of chairs, smoothing down of garments, recovering of handkerchiefs from beneath tho board. Tho room and the tablo wero tho objects of now compliments, given In farewell. "Who would havo dreamed," said Mary, looking back from the door at her perfectly appointed room, " that yachts were as nice as this? " " And to think," said Mrs. Marne, " that It was all dono by a mere man." McTosh, the' mero man in question, blushed violently behind his doft hand. They stepped up on deck into tho shado of a great striped awning and loitered along tho side, caught by the beauty of tho lato summer scene. Sky and water and green wood blended into practiced perfect-ness. perfect-ness. Tho rippling water was blue as tho heavens, which was very blue indeed- Tho sun kissed it llko a lover. " Will some one kindly tell me," demanded Hare, referring to his sister's remark, " how tho superstition aroso that men havo no taste? " "I have read," said Mary, idly, her back against the rail, "that it was Invented by tho authority who' started tho slander about women having no sense of humor." " Why, they haven't, havo they? " iouro wrong mere, Hare," said Peter, out of his fathomless Ignorance. " For my part, I think that women are ofton moro amusing than men." " Of course, Maglnnls, of course. Tho point Is that it never dawns on them." " Women," said Mrs. Marno to Varney, " havo a splendid sense of humor, I am a woman and I know. True, we keep a tight grip on our wit when wo aro with men, because whatever men may say in momenta llko these, they do loatho and despise a comical woman. But when wo are alono togetherah, to-getherah, dearie me, what funny things wo do say! Don't wo. Mary?" Varney, to show himself how cool ho was, was lighting a clgaret and had Just perceived per-ceived with annoyance that his hand shook. " At least," ho answerpd easily, " no man will cvor disprove that, slnco no man has ever had tho pleasure of being present when women are alono together. I can recommend recom-mend tho Invlnclblcs, Hare." Peter, as one sonsltlvo to the duties of host, now bogged Mrs. Marne to lot him show her something of the yacht, He mentioned men-tioned tho crew's quartors and the or butler's pantry as points which he particularly particu-larly desired to bring to her attention. "I'd lovo to seo them! O I must take just one peep before I fly." The trio started forward In a whirl of her animated talk, Peter leading with a dutiful face, Haro strutting solemnly along in the rear. Mary glanced at Varney. .L ;. 3EF K I id "" "Aren't you going to show mo your butler's but-ler's pantry, too? " "Rather!" he said, starting with her up tho deck. "But I want you to seo tho wholo ship, you know, much moro thoroughly thorough-ly than Mrs. Marno has tlmo for and to tako a llttlo spin " Ho was interrupted by an exaggerated cry from tho lady just mentioned, who, happening happen-ing to glanco down at her watch, had stopped short at the cabin hatch in great dismay. Now sho turned back to Varncy"crymg, -"O! O! Mr. Varnoy, it's twenty minutes to 4! I must fly to my Culturo this instant! in-stant! " " O must you, Mrs. Marne7" said Varney, Var-ney, with civil rogrot- " I must! I wish O, how I wish that culturo had nover been Invented! Tho world lasted a long tlmo without it, I'r.i sure. I detest to cat and run, yot what elso can possibly bo dono by tho author of ' Ideals of Immanuel Kant '? " " It Is too bad," said Varney, " but if duty it but to have your boat ready at once." " I ought to go, too," said Mary. A chorus of protests annihilated tho thought. Mrs. Marno declared that sho would never, no nover forglvo herself if she broke up so delightful a party. It was unanimously decided that tho other guests were to remain long enough to be shown something of the yacht. Mention of a llttlo spin down tho river was once moro casually casu-ally thrown out Events moved swiftly. Tho gig was manned, waiting. Varney, under cover of Issuing orders, found opportunity to say a hurried word to Peter. Mrs. Marno approached ap-proached Mary, who was discussing yachts with Hare, to mako adieu. Suddenly the largo faco of Maglnnls loomed over her 6houlder. " Good-by, Miss Carstalrs you'll excuso me, won't you? " said he, briefly. " I I thought perhaps I'd Just walk in with Mrs. Marne." Mary repressed an Inclination to smile. " Certainly, Mr. Maglnnls. Good-by. I've enjoyed it a great, groat deal." And to PInknoy Hare sho added: "You are going over tho yacht with us, of course? " Mrs. Marne embarked in a shower of fare-wolls. fare-wolls. Peter, however, loitered at the head of Clio stairs and the gig waited at tho foot of them. Varney stood at MLss Carstalrs' olbow, cool, smiling, controlling the situation situa-tion with entire and easy mastery. " It occurs to me, Miss Carstalrs," ho said, " that I should begin our tour by showing you our sailing master's wife, Mrs. Ferguson Fergu-son decidedly tho cultured member of the shin's household. Sho reads Shakesnonro. She recites Browning. I daro say that sho even sings a llttlo Tennyson. You would enjoy meeting her, I am sure. Will you step around the other side for a moment? " "How exceedingly interesting," murmured Hare, falling in besldo them. " Years ago I used to read qulto a bit of poetry myself." The gig still waited at tho foot of tho stairs. Mrs. Marne, waving upward last adieus to Mary and Varnoy, called: "Do hurry, Mr. Maginnls. I'm outrageously late." But Peter, who had moro important mat-tors mat-tors than Kant on his mind at that moment, mo-ment, answered in a low, hurried voice: " Don't be alarmed, Mrs. Marno but I must seo your brother at onco about a critical matter. O, I say, Haro!" The candidate, now some distance up the deck with tho others, stopped and looked back. " May I havo a wor J with you, pleaso?" Hare turned, with only a pollto show of reluctance to his host and Miss Carstalrs, and drew near. Politics Interested him far moro than tho stanchest ship that over sailed. Five minutes later when Varney, having launched Miss Carstalrs and tho sailing master's mas-ter's wife upon a strictly innocuous conversation, conver-sation, camo around tho deckhouse again, neither the candidato nor his sister was anywhere any-where to be seen. Peter he who had engaged en-gaged to accompany th lady stood alone on tho sunny. deck, staring off at tho re- rrj nif m mill hi pupy iiiSi turning gig, his great hands clenched in hla coat pockots. He met his friend with a calm face. "It's all over but tho shouting," ho said. "Thoy'vo just landed. I told Haro that thero was a plot on against your life which is very likely truo, by tho way said ho and I must havo a conferenco at onco without alarming Miss Carstalrs. I had to draw it pretty strong, you can bet, to make him go without telling hor good-by." Rwmi,j".t eo-seto-xrfrtf: 'OTTrTitairs' tfl" flrst thing mako tho explanations. Call up Uncle Elbert and tell him 6:30 for tho car-rlago car-rlago at tho dock. Be auro to explain to Haro and Mra. Marno at oncc prearranged visit to her father, kept quiet for any good reason." "Of course," Bald Peter. "Well, I must hurry along. I promised to overtake them in the woods. O, tho lies I'vo told in this ten minutes! " He turned and picked up his hat and can to go. j.0 varney tho slmplo act drovo home with great forco tho stark fact that ho was faco to faco with his business at last. Poter, holding out his hand to say jood-by, was struck to speculation by the look of that eyo. "Well, good luck, Larry! " "In heaven's name what does that mean? " s Hanged if I know," said Peter, frankly. "I'll seo you in New York if not sooner." With which cryptic observation ho clattered down the stairs to tho gig. Varney beckoned tho sailing master from the quarterdeck. "I am returning to Now York, as 1 told you, Ferguson, with tho young lady, Mr. Car-Btaira' Car-Btaira' daughter. Start as sopn as possible." Tho sailing master stared at the deck. " Ready at once, sir." Mrs. Ferguson's fondness for classical poetry was no part of any stage make-bcllevo. make-bcllevo. Varney, having found her tho day beforo sitting on a coll of ropo with Mr. Popo's Odyssey from tho ship's library, had conceived a veneration for her taste. Now, as sho drow near them again, she was telling Mary that though Tennyson was flno for tho purty language, it was really Browning who understood the human heart. And down in the engine room they had everything ready for tho bell. "Have you two settled tho poets' hash yot?" askod Varney. "I hopo you didn't make tho mistake of preferring Tennyson to Browning, Miss Carstalrs? Thank you very much for entertaining our guest so nicely, Mrs. Ferguson." "What a wonder that woman Is!" said Mary, looking back at her as they walked aWaV. "I had fchoticrht that T wna raihay good at liking poetry, but sho leaves me feeling liko tho dunce at tho klndergartern." She turned and looked out over tho wator, caught anew tho shining landscape. They stood side by sldo in tho shado of tho wldo, low awning. Half a mile to their loft huddled tho town, whither tho others wero already on their way; a few hundred yards behind them stood tho big white Carstalrs houso, handsomely hand-somely cresting tho hill. From many mlle3 to the northward a breeze danced down tho liver and played capriciously ovor their faces, and s vhlsked on about Its business. All the world looked 3mlling and very good. Suddonly a bell tinkled. There was a slight splash, a faint rumblo and quivor. Varney laughed. " The passion for pootry," said ho, "is a curious and complex thing. Its origin is shrouded in the earliest dawn of civilization. It appears In man's first instinctive in-stinctive gropings toward written self-expression " " Why," said Mary, in suddon surprise, " we are going!" So Elbert Carstalrs' dream had como truo, and his daughter was going homo to him as his desire. Sho stood on his yacht, as truly a prisoner as though sho wore a ball and chain, and tho beat of tho engines, already al-ready gathering speed, was driving her straight toward that dock In Harlem whither ho, within a very short time, would bo driving driv-ing down to meet her. "Going? Of course wc are," said Varney. Ho leaned against tho rail and, looking at Mary, almost laughed at the thought of how easy and simple it was. " Tho point of being on a yacht, Miss Car- fllnlfo Id c?nf tin. mm fi V .. . , l oiuuo, m iu o-a iisi b uiuci niaB ono inignt as well sit in the don at homo and look at pictures of them In tho encyclopedia." "But I didn't expect to go," she said, gazing at him doubtfully " only to look around a llttlo. I'm really, afraid I haven't tlmo for a sail." " Well, you know," ho said cheerfully, " as far as looking around Is concerned, going doesn't necessarily take any longer than staying. In one case, you stay and look around; In tho other you go and look around. That Is really all tho difference, Isn't it? " " Woll, then, It must be a llttlo go and a short look around. Whero does ono begin in looking around a yacht?" It would have been plain to a far duller plotter that they should bo fully, clear of Hunston beforo ho explained tho situation to her moro definitely. " Suppose" said Varney, " wo begin with a few general remarks of a descriptive nature. na-ture. This vessel, Miss Carstalr.i, is what Is known as a schooner rigged steam yacht. Sho stands a good bit under a hundred tons. Sho Is ninety feet long, eighteen feet in the beam, and sho draws ten feet " " I don't understand a word of that except ninety feet long, but it all has a perfectly splendid sound! But whore can Mr. Haro be? Please send for him llko a good host and begin back at tho beginning again. Ho Just told mo that yachts interested him intensely." intense-ly." " But, unfortunately. Mr. Haro is no longer with us." t 9 t "Not with us? Why did h get off?" ( I "He certainly did. Ho and Maglnnls aro 1 a great pair, aron't they,? Not a minute ! to give to pleasure or anything of that sort. ! ' I bollevo they, slipped off to Hare's houso '- for another of their oternal private talks." ) " But " Mary, stared astoundedly. "Ho ' I said ho was going around with us I I asked ; - I him and ho accepted. And besides," she , k wont on, rolling up tho count against tho ' i f unhappy, candidato, " he got my parasol ! " r A lofE'TlVayoumrorrfhrotnoirBTdor ril send . 'J? for it at once." r r' But her puzzled frown lingered. MI have I j A known Mr. Hare well for six years," she t I said, "and this is the flrst time I ever knew Jjg him to do such an uncivil thing." S " It wasn't his fault, depend upon It. Ma- jlj glnnls called him back, you know, and no m if doubt hauled him off bodily, positively refus- Jj ' ing to let him pause for good-bys. A man of M ruthless determination Is Maglnnls." m Sho glanced up tho deck with vague un- easiness, disquieted by the unexpected sit- ' I i ' ! uation. Forty feet away sat the sailing maa- i ' tor's wife still placidly knitting at her pale i ; J bluo shawl, tho perfect portrait of secure ; I propriety. The sight of her thero was ' '' I somewhat reassuring. " So Is Mr. Hare, I always believed. But ' never mind. How fast wo are going ol- ; ready! " j I " Yes. tho C this yacht goes fast." " What is considered fast for a yacht? ' . How long would It tako us to get to New ! . r York?" -i " Three hours. Why not go? " j l A whlto clad steward noiselessly ap- ; I proached with hor parasol. Sho took It and i smiled at Varney's idle pleasantry. '; " Thank you, I have too many responslblll- fiX ties this afternoon. First of all, we have "wTi a guest at home. Then I simply, must go J j k to Mrs. Thurston's to see about somo sowing at 5. Last obstacle of all my mamma! " What would sho think had happened? " I " Don't you suppose that sho would : guess?" t "Do you think I'm tho daughter of a clalrvoyont, Mr. Varney? No, Bhe would not guess. Sho would simply, stand at tho il front window in a Sister Ann position all tho i afternoon crying her pretty eyes red. But ( this is a schooner something steam yacht, ', ninety feet long, I believe you said. What comes after that? " ', They had left tho town dock behind and i wero scudding swiftly. There was no longer any reason, even any pretext, for waiting. Every pulso of the Cypriani's machinery was beating Into his brain: "Tell her now! Tell her now!" But all at onco ho found It very, hard to cnal I " Thero is tlmo enough for that. There is something that I must tell j'ou first In fairness to Hare. The fact Is that I I made '-"5i3 Peter take him away becauso I wanted to be i alone with you." ' Tho crude speech plainly embarrassed hor; she became suddenly engrossed in examining examin-ing the carved handle of her parasol, as though never In her life had she seen It before. be-fore. Varnoy turned abruptly from her and looked out at tho flying shore. "Last night," said he, ''you may remom-ber remom-ber that you asked me a quostion. You asked me why. I objected to accepting help from you." "Yes, but that was last night," she interrupted, inter-rupted, her instinct instantly, warning her away, from the topic "and you didn't tell me, you know! Really wo muBt turn around in two minutes, and so I haven't time to talk about a thing but yachts." "I fear that you must find time." "Must, Mr. Varney?" " Must. This is a matter in which you are directly concerned." Sho faced him in frank wonderment. J " Why, what on earth can you mean? " f?5l "Now, you must! Now you must! " sang M the Cypriani's stanch llttlo engines. But he mado the mistake of looking at her, and this move betrayed him. There was no doubt of him in her upturned, perplexed per-plexed face, no shadow of distrust to give him strength. His earlier dread of this moment, mo-ment, strangely faded for awhile, closed In on him once more with deadly force. "Don't you seo that I am trying to tell you and that I am finding it hard?" ho said quietly. Thero was a moment's silence; then sho said hurriedly: "Of course I am all In the dark as to what you are talking about but tell mo another time, won't you? Not now, please. And O meantime," sho sped on, with tho air of hailing a new topic with acclaim, " I have something to tell you, Mr. Varney! mystery seems to be In tho air today. You must hear the strango thing that happened to mo this morning. I haven't had a chance to tell you before," " Ah, yes ! That mysterious warning." Ho clutched at tho respite like a drowning man at straws, though no drowning man R would have felt his sudden rush of solf-con- , tempt 3 "Who gavo It to you, and what waa it H about? " II Free of his hidden restraints, aho had fi quite thrown off tho embarrassmont which I she had felt settling down upon her a mo- I ment before and laughed lightly, and nat- lft urally. WSj "It was about coming to this beautiful Jf1 luncheon today-about not coming, I mean- fl! and It waa given to me-ion't bo angry-by I Mr. Higginson, the old man, you knowwho W helped you last night" Br "Ah 1 . . . Mr. Higginson." E " Ten me ! " 0he said impulsively, her eyes ' k upon his face "I aaw t nIffnt thafc yQu & distrusted hlm-do you know anything about I him?" Tob continued. J' I "I 4 |