lmness of those
usually turbulent waters, which are the dread of veteran navigators,
Miss Starland held the spokes of the wheel for several hours. Such
good fortune is not likely to come to a navigator once in a score of
times.

When the yacht steamed out of the wide mouth of the Amazon and headed
southward, the assumed relationship between Major Starland and his
"sister" was dropped. There was no call to keep it up, since every one
on board knew the truth.

The _Warrenia_ was well up the western coast of South America and
steaming rapidly toward the city of the Golden Gate. Hardly a breath
of air rippled the bright waters, and the sky overhead was brilliant
with its myriads of stars, whose gleam was intensified in the soft
crystalline atmosphere.

Major Starland was seated on a camp chair, where he and Miss Rowland
were sheltered from the wind created by the motion of the yacht. She
hardly needed the gaudily-colored zarape wrapped about her shoulders.
They had been talking of their strange experiences, of Manuela
Estacardo, of Captain Ortega and of those whose memories were much
less pleasant.

You can imagine the trend of that low, delightful conversation, for
the scene, the surroundings, the time, indeed all the circumstances
tended to draw them closer. What was said was too sacred in its
nature, for us to quote in full: the conclusion is enough.

"Warrenia, you have played the sister for some weeks to perfection.
You must have become accustomed to hearing yourself called 'Miss
Starland;' it certainly has a familiar sound by this time."

"Yes," she replied, ceasing her efforts to disengage her hand from the
fingers that had made it prisoner; "it could not well be otherwise.
You know there is quite a similarity in our names."

"What I wish to ask, Sweetheart, is whether you will not agree to make
a slight change in the term by which you were addressed so long."

"In what way?" she asked, as if she did not know what was coming.

"Instead of being 'Miss Starland,' will you not consent that your
correct name shall be 'Mrs. Starland?'"

At first she begged for time in which to consider the proposition, but
Jack was always headlong and presumptuous, as you know, and he
insisted, and what could she do but consent? And among all the friends
the two most pleased were "Teddy" Rowland and his partner, Tom
Starland, when they heard the good news.

* * * * *

Transcriber'