Hyder Weekly Herald

She Might Have
Explained
By ALICE DUANE
. by McClure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service
WHEN Mrs. Hanford managed to get Terry alone in their tiny stateroom, crowded almost to overflowing with handbags, cameras, golf bags, magazines, boxes of candy, flow- ers and books, she looked at her daughter intently and suggested firmly that she had on altogether too much rouge. "You know your father and I don't object to a little. but you look positively theatrical."
Terry assured her mother that her face was rougeless and rubbed the flawless skin of her pretty cheeks with her handkerchief to prove her innocence.
"Then you must have a fever," decided Mrs. Hanford.
"Just excitement-" Terry told her and dear Mrs. Hanford believed that the excitement was due entirely to the fact that now after all these years of anticipation they were finally going abroad. Not just going for a few summer months, but for over a year of gorgeous adventure, made possible by the fact that Terry's first year out of college coincided with Professor Hanford's year's leave of absence.
And as they hurried out of the state room to rejoin their friends who had come to see them off. Mrs. Hanford reflected that among all the good peo- ple who had come to wish them a "bon voyage" not one had come on Terry's invitation.
"I'm sorry." she told her daughter. "you didn't have some of your own friends here."
"Oh, well," said Terry, "you know father doesn't like to have young peo- ple around very much, and there's hardly anyone here in the city any- way.
"But you expected Bob Taylor didn't you?" Bob Taylor was one of Terry's friends of whom her parents entirely approved.
Terry was about to explain away her disappointment at Bob Taylor's nonappearance when they reached the deck and found the young man in question in the circle assembled round the beaming professor. Seeing Terry, he broke away, greeted Mrs. Hanford and accepted Terry's invitation to make a tour of inspection.
"We'll be back--soon." she called back. "There's half an hour more be- fore people have to go ashore."
Terry hurried Bob to a secluded corner of the writing room. "Some- thing rather terrible has happened," she told him. "I left my passport and ticket at the hotel. I wouldn't dare tell father. He'd be furious. But if I take a taxi I can go to the hotel and get back."
Bob insisted at first on going with her but yielded to her second plan.
"I'll have to go at once. You stay here and explain. Tell them every- thing will be all right. And if it comes time for visitors to go ashore. you come ashore and wait for me. Don't let them come ashore. whatever else you do. Tell them you'll arrange to get me at the last minute."
Once on the dock Terry sped with all haste back toward West street.
Bob made some unsuccessful at- tempts to explain to the Hanfords who were too absorbed in their friends to think much about their daughter. It was not until the first signal for visi- tors to go ashore that Bob managed to make them understand
An hour later Bob watched the last glimpse of the liner going down the bay. And then quietly, from some- where, appeared Terry, looking entire- ly serene and unhurried
"Here I am," she told him. "But don't do anything about it till I ex- plain."
"But maybe we can charter a tug- boat or something," he said. "I prom- ised them I'dand it's all right about your passport and ticket. Your father had them all the time."
"Of course he did," Terry told him. "I didn't go to the hotel. I just stood out on West street until the boat had gone. It was just out of the question any way you put it. Father's a dear and I admire him, but being together. morning, noon and night for over a year would be unthinkable."
"Well, of course Im glad, Terry-- that is. I couldn't endure the thought of not seeing you for so long. auu I wouldn't be able to get over even next summer-but what are you going to do? I mean, you'll have to send a wireless as soon as possible to let them know you're safe and what you are going to do-"
"Maybe you better figure that out." Terry told him.
"You tell them I'm safe and everything is OK and I'll write them so they'll have a letter by the time they land."
Bob drew a notebook from his pock- et and scribbled with a pocket pencil.
"How's that?"
"Terry safe.
We have decided to be
marriedat once.
Letter following."