Faith was first to reach the deck, and as she approached, young Allyne
stepped forward from behind a rubbish heap, and said eagerly,
"I'm glad to see you out, at last! It's a beautiful morning after the
storm. Let me pilot you across these chips to that nice chair."
"Thank you," was Faith's rather stiff response. But he would not give
her time to be cool and unfriendly.
"Would you ever believe it could have been so dreadful last night?" he
rattled on. "But you were very brave, Miss Hosmer!"
"Was I?" asked Faith, almost overpowered by his friendliness.
"Yes, you and your sister both were, for the matter of that--and by the
way, how is Texas this morning?"
Faith's eyes began to dance. She mistrusted he had taken her for her
sister again and, following his glance, became sure of it; for Hope was
now approaching, along with Dwight, and the instant Tom Allyne's eyes
fell upon her he felt intuitively that she was the girl he had been
really waiting for, and his quick, annoyed glance proved the fact to
Faith. She did not feel so chagrined over it as she might, had she
greatly cared for his liking, and answered briskly,
"You mean Andy, don't you? Texas is the parrot, and belongs to Hope.
There she comes now--shall we go to her?"
Nothing loth, Mr. Allyne followed her lead, and, as he stood talking
with the two, made a closer survey than ever before, resolving that he
would not make this mistake again. Had he ever made it before? The
question, suddenly occurring to his inner consciousness, rather
startled him.
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