All-Story Weekly, Vol. 112, No. 1 — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

116 Aunt Caroline looked at him inquiringly. “You haven’t quarreled with her about anything, have you, William?”’ ‘“‘Quarreled? No, indeed; there’s been no quarrel.” “Tm glad of that,” said Aunt Caroline. “‘She’s too nice a girl to quarrel with.” Now, for the first time since her arrival on deck, she took note of the fact that the Sunshine was moving; also, that their en- vironment had completely changed. “Why, we’re sailing again, William!’”’ “ We're just out in the Sound a ways; I got tired of staying in one place.” | The answer seemed to satisfy her imme- diate curiosity. Bill wished that she would go away, so that he might drown himself in peace, but Aunt Caroline appeared to be taking an interest in things. “T don’t think they keep the yacht quite as tidy as they might,” she remarked. ‘“‘There’s a chair lying on its back. The magazines are blowing all over the deck, too. There ought to be paper-weights. Dear me, William; they need a house- keeper.” Suddenly she walked across the deck and bent over to study a dark object that lay near the opposite rail. “More untidiness,” said Aunt Caroline resentfully. “ One of the sailors has left a wash-rag here.” . She stooped and picked the thing up be- ¢ween thumb and forefinger. As she shook jt out drops of water flew from it. Aunt Caroline’s eyes became round with amaze- ment. . ° “Why, William! bathing-suit!”’ Bill stared at the thing, fascinated. ‘How on earth did it ever come to be lying here on the deck?” exclaimed Aunt Caroline. “She must have taken it off,” he mum- bled. ‘And came on board without it? Wil- liam, she is not that kind of girl.” What was the use of hiding things any Jonger? Bill looked Aunt Caroline in the eye. ‘She didn’t come on board,” he said. It required several seconds for that to sink in. It’s the skirt of her ALL-STORY WEEKLY. ‘“Not on board?” she repeated. ‘‘ Why, what do you mean? Where is she?” He waved his hand in the direction of Larchmont Harbor. ‘Having a swim, I guess,” he said, with an effort at nonchalance. ‘William Marshall! You mean to say she didn’t come back to the yacht?” ‘She hadn’t at the time we left.” ‘Or Peter?” ‘“ Nope. Peter didn’t come back, either.’’ ‘“Then what in the world is this boat doing out here?”” demanded Aunt Caroline. “Tt got tired of waiting.” “You don’t mean to tell me that you left them back there in the water?” ‘“That’s about it.” Aunt Caroline was puffing out. ‘Why, William! Are you insane? To leave that girl back there with nothing—” She looked down at the little wet skirt and shuddered. ‘‘ Oh, I can’t believe it!” “Well, it’s true, all right,” said Bill sul- lenly. ‘‘ They didn’t seem in any hurry to come back, and I didn’t think it was up to me to wait all day.” “It’s unheard of. It’s shocking! Why, she isn’t dressed to go anywhere. She isn’t even properly dressed for—for bathing.” Aunt Caroline for an instant was trying to put herself in the place of any fish who might chance to swim in the vicinity of Mary Wayne. ‘ William Marshall, there ought to be some terrible way to punish you!” Bill thought a way had been discovered; he had been punishing himself for the last two hours. “You turn this yacht right around and go back to Larchmont and find them,” she commanded. . In one respect, Bill found a slight meas- ure of relief in his aunt’s view of the sit- uation.. Evidently it did not occur to her that Mary and Pete might be drowned. and if such a possibility had not occurred to her very likely it was extremely remote. ‘“'What’s the sense of going back now?’ he asked. ‘It ll be dark in half an hour.” “Nevertheless, you turn this boat around.”’ “Oh, they’re all right by this time,” he said carelessly. comiclboolk C©