All-Story Weekly, Vol. 112, No. 1 — page 117: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GOOD REFERENCES. Mary was also standing and staring. The Sunshine looked discouragingly small. . “Oh, well, we’ll sit on the beach and get some sun. If Bill—if Mr. Marshall thinks he’s having fun with us he’s greatly mis- taken. I’m having the time of my ecclesi- astical life.”’ He waded ashore and sat down on the sand. But Mary did not follow. She stood immersed to her waist, biting her lip. There was a look of annoyance and a hint of confusion in her eyes. ‘““‘You’d better come ashore and rest,”’ called Pete. ‘ You'll get chilled standing half in and half out of the water.” ‘‘ [—] can’t come ashore very well,” said Mary. ‘““What’s the matter?” She was flushing under her freckles. “When we decided to swim around the harbor,” she said, slowly, ‘‘ I—er—slipped off the skirt of my bathing suit and tossed it up to one of the deck-hands to keep for me until I got back. And it’s aboard the yacht now.” Pete stifled a grin. “It—it wasn’t a very big skirt,” she added. “ But it was a skirt.” “Oh, forget it,” he advised. ‘ Don’t mind me. Come on out of the water.” But Mary was again studying the retreat- ing yacht. At that instant she would liked to have laid hands on Bill Marshall. Not only the skirt of her bathing suit, but every stitch she owned was aboard that yacht. “I’m only a valet,” Pete reminded her. Mary was not at all certain about that, but she decided not to be foolish any longer. She waded ashore. There was something boyish about her as she emerged full length into the picture, yet not too boyish. Not only was she lacking a skirt, but also stock- ings, for when Mary went swimming she put aside frills. The scarlet bathing cap gave her a charming jauntiness, although she was anything but jaunty in mood. “My, but the sun is comfortable,” she said, as she sat down and dug her toes into the sand. . “It'll warm you up,” said Pete, affecting to take no notice of her costume. “ Say, what do you make out of that yacht, any- how?” 107 ‘“ It seems to be still going. It looks aw- fully small to me.”’ They watched it for another minute. _“There’s another landing down that way, where they’re headed,” said Pete. ‘“‘ May- be they want to send somebody up to town for something.” ‘“ You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” ‘“Oh, I’ve valeted ’round a bit in the summers, miss.” She gave him a swift, sidelong glance. Out in the harbor he had dropped the ‘“‘miss;” the water seemed to have washed away his surface servility. Now he was falling back into the manner of his calling. “They can’t go much farther in that di- rection,” he added. ‘‘ They’ve either got to anchor, turn around or stand out for the mouth of the harbor. We'll know in a min- ute or two, miss.”’ ‘ Please stop calling me ‘ miss,’ ’’ she said, sharply. <4 Why?”’ toward her. “It annoys me.”’ “Oh, very well. But I didn’t want you to feel that I was forgetting my place. Once you reminded me—”’ “‘ Never mind, if you please. I think one of your troubles is that you are too con- scious of your ‘ place,’ as you call it. You make other people conscious of it.” “I’m unconscious from now on, Miss Way—Miss Norcross.” She whirled around upon him in fair ear- nest. “Excuse me,” said Pete. “I get the names mixed. I’m apt to do the same thing when I’m with your friend Miss Wayne.” She studied him with uneasy eyes. How much did he know? Or was he just blund- ering clumsily around on the brink of a dis- covery? Last night he had flung a pointed hint at her; it came to her mind now. Well, if there was to be a battle, Mary felt that she was not without her weapons. She knew of a divinity student who followed the prize ring and who kissed the house guests of the master to whom he played valet. ‘ She’s swinging around,” said Pete, ab- ruptly, pointing out into the harbor. The Sunshine was turning to port and now showed her profile. But she was not He turned innocent eyes cCoOmiclbooks C©