Show go loo ell nil L 1 AMES WILLIAMS WILLIAMS E STORY SO FAR alter after a chance meeting and swift courtship will me starts for or moose bay leaving robin dale to wonder how a career girl could be so completely swept off her feet she knows little of 0 will except that he Is an engineer and that he be has a brother named angus a dour scot who hates women tired of the city and eager for adae adventure iture robin decides to take the next steamer up the st lawrence to moose day bay driving to the port where she Is to take the boat robin meets a salmon fisherman who turns out to bi be angus mcphail A letter from will asks her to help heal angus heart broken by an early misfortune now continue with the story CHAPTER III robin wanted in a friendly tender r il g s tonight to help heal those athe the 8 sitting on the edge of the hitow h itow bunk the letter in her hand she remembered the lines of old pain around the salmon mans mouth the dregs of stale suffering in his eyes he was like a small boy who has been hurt in ways he does not understand she lay awake a while that night being sorry for him wishing to help him wishing to make him happier it was some time before she thought of will at all then she remembered that angus expected will to go with him on this trip upon which he was about to embark from moose day bay up toward labrador and down the west coast of newfoundland they must have planned the trip after wills letter to her was written for he had not mentioned it angus was counting on it now she remembered his tone when he spoke of will understood the deep affection in him for the younger man and she decided that nothing must interfere with that trip they meant to make together certainly she would not rob angus of that happiness but if will knew she had come to moose bay he would in insist on staying with her that simply must not happen before she slept she decided what to do the white queen was bound on a gypsy cruise around the gulf of st lawrence she would stay aboard take the cruise land at rimouski simouski Rimo uski on the return trip and pick up her car and go on her way will need never know she had been so near him next morning she was one of the late breakfasters and the small di dining in saloon was almost deserted but before she had finished mr jenki jenkins ins in his checked suit appeared and sat down beside her saw you on the dock last night he reminded her yes I 1 remember he seemed nice enough by daylight in this safe security with the stewards about he seemed even nicer when he be said c easm afraid you found me annoying may I 1 apologize some friends had been seeing me oft off I 1 was a little exuberant I 1 hope I 1 bother you she forgave him at once you really annoying just friendly too friendly he insisted lets forget last night start fresh he asked again whether she knew anyone in moose bay and why she happened to be going there and when she said she was an artist he assured her she would find plenty of things to paint she had made up her mind not to leave the ship at moose bay at all but she need not tell mr jenkins that she finished her breakfast and left him busy ath eggs and went on deck there itra af pf twenty or thirty passengers the white queen most of them for the cruise most of them feminine she found a group on the afterdeck tossing soft little bags of sand at a perforated board and exclaiming delightedly over their scores the purser a pleasant young man named lewis was with them and robin spoke to him about abandoning her plan to land at moose bay and continuing the cruise he was pleased and he introduced her to the others in the group here A sister and brother in their later teens bob and helen marston were the youngest and the liveliest passengers aboard and helen urged robin to join in their game but robin said later please ive a letter to write first the letter was to will mr lewis could mail it at moose bay so that will would receive it after the white queen had gone she told him about meeting angus and he happened to mention that you and he were going off on this fine trip together and I 1 could tell how much he was looking forward to having you with him I 1 know if you saw me you go they came in sight of moose bay in mid afternoon As the white queen drew in toward the long dock robin saw through a fringe of trees a considerable town on the wooded shore the houses all brightly painted fresh and new the dock itself was impressive by its length and by the fact that three freighters lay there gorging disgorging dis their cargoes she was on the upper deck of the white queen watching the rug rugged ged coast black with spruce when bob and helen marston came to the rail beside her they were in bathing suits slim and young bob and I 1 are going swimming as soon as we dock miss dale helen explained the purser says theres a landing stage we can swim from says it will be right under the bow almost when we tie up dont you want to come robin swam well and she was an expert diver that might be fun she agreed maybe I 1 will were all ready the boy said you better go dress but robin said she would wait till after the white queen was tied up 1 I want to see what the place looks like as we come closer she explained pla ined she wanted in fact to keep out of sight till they had docked for will would certainly be at the dock to meet angus and will must not see her the white queen would remain tied up here for an hour or more would sail about five thirty time enough for her to be sure will and angus were gone ashore and to have her swim afterward she wished wistfully that it were going to be possible to see will for just a minute but of course angus would be with him all the time so that hope was in vain the white queen neared the dock moving slow and slower in spite of the fact that it was la late te saturday afternoon men seemed to be working everywhere there were scores of them at the outer end of the dock an electric crane lifted out of the hold of a vessel something that looked like a tremendous iron rolling pin with na no handles twenty five or thirty feet long four or five feet in diameter she wondered what it was part of the machinery tor for the paper mill probably will would be able to tell her but then she remembered that she going to see will her eyes for a minute burned with disappointment A switch engine die sel powered moved along the dock with a train of three cars A traveling crane that looked like a steam shovel on a flat car was swinging huge crates out over the opposite side of the dock and lowering them toward the water there must be a barge alongside to receive them men were everywhere some of them busy some of them watching the white queen three or four muddy automobiles waited on the dock and there were great piles of stores and materials robin on the boat deck kept herself half hidden for fear will waiting on the dock to meet his brother might see her the white queen drew alongside and robin saw that they were slowly approaching a landing stage for small boats that was where those children meant to have their swim beyond the landing stage a man in a bathing suit poised on the of the wharf and dived rather poorly robin thought she smiled understandingly stan he was showing off of course for the benefit of the white queens passengers A heaving line went unreeling through the air from the white queen to the dock was seized seize d there ills V 1 t 1 0 9 0 she took the air in a swan ilive dive and taken in the hawser following robin obin suddenly wanted to say goodby to angus the gangplank would come aboard on the deck below where she stood and she went in to descend to that deck mr jenkins came out of the smoking room as she passed the door and he protested thought you were getting off here no ive decided to stay aboard for the whole cruise it seems like fun he urged say youre making a mistake have a great time here stay over and let me show you the sights you dont want to miss moose bay when youre so near im afraid I 1 do she said smiling a little 1 I mean im afraid I 1 do want to miss it she and mr jenkins blocked the stairs and here was angus mcphail trying to pass she spoke to him over mr jenkins shoulder goodby mr mcphail thank you for telling me all about salmon have a fine trip she would have offered him her hand but before she could do so he said goodby simply neither smiling nor rebuffing her and descended the stairs to the deck below robin mr jenkins following her moved out on the upper deck in time to see angus mcphail step on the dock she looked for will to meet him but another man who seemed to be a workman robin saw only his clothes not his face hailed angus and robin not listening to mr jenkins continued ur urgencies gen at her elbow saw angus and this man who had greeted him go toward a decrepit automobile get in and drive away along the dock toward the shore half a mile away toward the town beyond robin had a moments wonder why will was not here maybe he was sick or hurt or something then she realized that will was probably at work too busy to come to meet the steamer mr jenkins was still urging her to change her mind sh she said excuse me im going to have a swim here so ill have to change she left him and went swiftly to her cabin while she was dressing one of the youngsters called outside her door ready miss dale in a minute the landing stages right ahead of us you can go along the dock and down to it that way well go ahead you come as soon as youre ready right robin agreed dont wait for me her bathing suit was designed for swimming reduced to its essentials and since she was traveling with a minimum of luggage she had no beach robe she came out into the companionway and turned aft toward the gangplank and saw mr jenkins standing there he was talking with mr lewis but she suspected he was waiting to intercept her so she turned back and went toward the bow adjusting her bathing cap she go along the dock she could just dive off the white queens rail on the forward deck when she came out there the fore hatch was open the cargo derrick lifting some freight out of the hold and the men stopped their work to look after her as she passed them she had not realized there were so many men about till they all looked at her now to get into the water as quickly as possible she climbed on the low bulwark forward and took the air in a swan dive arms wide body beautifully arched bright and slender in the sun she met the water cleanly and went deep thrilling to the cool sweet shock of it she arched her back and glided toward the surface letting her own buoyancy carry her up till her head emerged As she came to the surface she felt rather than heard a heavy splintering crash she felt its impact P ct through the water then even with a bathing cap over her ears she heard sudden shouts with excitement cit ement and terror in them the people along the of the dock above her silhouetted against the sky suddenly whirled and disappeared they must have run toward the other side of the dock something had happened A great surge of water came through the forest of piles under the dock and lifted robin and let her down again bob and helen marston and two or three older swimmers off the white queen were climbing out on the landing stage running up to the dock level disappearing she swam swiftly toward the stage swung herself up on it followed them men were packed along t ue opposite side of the dock their backs toward her crowding standing on tiptoe trying to see over the shoulders of men in front looking down at the water she touched one of them what happened he told her with only the briefest glance the crane fell over the side of the dock fellow in it trying to get him out he spoke almost with unction but hes done for all right robin went back toward the white queen sick and shaken the day was so sunny and fine and fair the sky so blue and beautiful yet someone had died she dressed slowly oppressed and miserable she went to find mr lewis did they get the man out she asked he said no not yet the purser added he was mr brother will mcphail when angus mcphail stepped off the white queen he expected his brother will to greet him will was not in sight but pat donohoe was here pat was as ugly a man as you could meet in a nightmare red hair that stuck up in some places like sprouting grass with a red face and a battered nose which suggested that it had met strange fists in its time and might again with one ear half the size of the other with a great scar on his upper lip a horse had kicked him there so that his mouth would not quite close but he had a twinkling blue eye which made you forget the rest ol of his battered countenance and he caught hand and squeezed it to a pulp and he took heaviest bag and heaved it into an automobile which stood with the engine running and he said get in yourself here we go wheres will waiting for you be sure so angus got in and the car picked its way through scattered groups of men and past piles ol of freight and around switching engines 91 es and then speeded up tor for the last half mile run along the dock to the shore there the rough rou ah new road slowed them down they bounced and grunted and angus thought pat was driving faster than he needed to but he did not complain he wanted to see will once he as asked ked why will meet me all right is he sure e hes fine busy most like he doing now pat chuckled whatever they put him to this thing and that hell make a hand that lad angus nodded pleased and happy he said 1 I see unloading the rollers aye pat dolefully agreed to that means the end of the jobs in sight I 1 hate to see the rollers come another eighteen months and well be moving on else again pat would be engineer and navigator on this trip which angus and will meant to take but he was a construction man by habit and by long love heres the bunkhouse like as not well find him here but will mcphail was not there angus after one glance inside said so and pat walked in and said in seeming surprise sure he is not at that I 1 made sure he would be well wait hell be co mingin any minute now put but if will was not here other men were and one of them volunteered information mcphail he was out on the pier half an hour ago running the traveler TO BE CONTINUED |