Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-10-12
SeIeeteO Storm.
fHE trseeNsCI6Us CONFESSION.

Hurry up, gentlemen the coach is wait
ing, cried the voice of the stage driver in
front ofthe Metropolitan Hotel, at Long
Branch.
Ely dtory goes, > back to the days when
railroads to the Branch we1e s.5 get ytin-
known, and when the transit to New York
v4s achieved by coaches=that ran toward
Sandy Hook, where steamer awaited the
passengers.
tall, handsome young man. at The sum-
mons, came dom tie stsir-case two steps
at time, and almost ran osef nlpffuEls
women few years his SENIOR, who was
crossing the hall
''Whati Going to leave us?" said the
lady In some surprise, and with more
taeAIhfhH hesher look than in her words
Yes! Itsno Iise." was the reply. =
thanks. for your, good wishes. which |
san see II your looks, Mrs Maxwell. But
~ tired Of playing the fool"
'Pshawt' said the lady. putting her arm
iamilIarly into his, and leading him into
the drawing -oom, which at that hour was
deserted. ''Faint heart never won fair lady,
DIR. Hastings Listen to me. The coach
will wait o moment
Its not question of faint heart" an
have me. See here, Mrs. Maxwell-it's
hardly fair of you to corner me-but she
fhftsed. re, point blank last night"
!, ''And what Il she did? refused Mr.
Maxwell the first time myself. It's o way
come OF our sex have. Come, stay, and try
again.
I'm proud man, was the reply, ''and
don't like being trihed with But I'd stav,
Ii thought it would do any good. But it
won't. She is not anywhere about YOU
see though ! tol3 her I would 60 away to-
day. When | said it she actually laughed.
And yet, confound her, / can't help loving
her."
Mrs Maxwell would liked 20 have laueh-
ed also. But she kneW batt5r than to do
30 just yet.
'She was little hysteriosl, or she
wouldn't have laughed" she said. 'sThe
truth is, Herbert you are pair of fools.
You are proud as you say, and don't brook
retusals- Kate is perhaps bit of fiirt,
hut sincerely believe she loves you. All
Che needs is little tiiore Urging. You
must storm tie fortress Till it surfenders.
Give her no Quarter, that is my advice"
and now Mrs. Maxwell, seeing his face
brighten, ventured laugh.
1t was a clear, mdsical laugh, and it
1t another five minutes could have been
granted to Mrs. Maxwell, she would have
prevailed. But at that moment, voice
cried:
Here he Is. Hurry up, Hastings. We've
been looking for you everywhere. The
stage driver says he won't wait another
moment. Ali Mrs. Maxwell. Our holj
Gay is over you see. Good-bve.''
That interruption decided Herbert. lie
ahook his head in reply to Mrs. Maxweil's
imploring look, writing her hand, and :
dashed out of the drawing room. The
next minute the crowded coach was rolling
heavily through the sand, with the surf
laundering on its right.
Ii was SIX miles, or so, to the steamboat
landing. For the first two miles the pass
engers, all of whom were gentlemen, chat
tered gayly after that they gradually grew
silent, the monotonous drag of the wheels
IN the sand acting as kind of soporific.
One or two, in fact, fell asleep. And now
Herbert began half to repent of what he
had done. Perhaps [ have been too
hasty," he said to himself 'sWhat if Mrs.
Maxwell is right?'
He mused thus for quite half mile -
I've great mind TO go back, he thought
Hold on, driver" BE cried, s.I'ye changed
my mind. Stop till jump out. I'll walk
back"
Before his sleepy companions could ask
what he meant, he had left the coach, had
lit cigar, and was plodding through the
heavily sands on his return.
HIS mood soon changed again. .sWhat
precious fool | am making of myself" he
reflected, and he turned to hail the coach,
but it was q quarter Of mile off
De stopped still. ssIf that fish hawk di-
I
back to the Metropolitan Hotel; if not, I'll
walk to the landing and take the afternoon
boat"
The fish hawk dove almost immediately.
Fate has decided for me-" he said de-
sperately. NOW let US see how wisely"
Meantime where was the offending Kate
10 do her justice. she was not aware how
much she loved FL istings until she refused
nm 1t was not altogether coquetry that
led her to say, mo" The answer had
been given IN the first surprise and embar-
rassmept of the proposal. She was fright
ened to find. almost immediately, how
much she misunderstood herself. Shegrew
more aud more embarrassed in conse-
quence; and her manner afterward, at
which Hastings took such offense, was as
Mrs. Maxwell lad suggested, really the
result OF nervousness. Ever before he LEFT
her she bitterly repented what she he'd said
Had he preserved little longer. she would
have confessed the truth. She .did not,
however. think he would leave the Branch
even after he had said SO. Hence, early
n the morning, she had started for a walk
ON the beach, hoping to meet him there
as usual: for hardly day had passed with
III the last fortnight that these two had not
so met
There was an old wreck, at that time
about mile or more, above the MetrGpo-
htan, which had been fayorite haunt OF
theirs, and thither she repaired. She tried
TO read till Herbert should appear, but her
thoughts wandered from her book continu.
ally Msant!me, the hours passed without
Herbert appearing. Her heart began to
faIl her. She spent the time examining her
real feelings and the more she scrutinized
them, the more she felt her love had gone
rom her forever. By and by the hot tears
oe6Nn to come She knew how proud Has
tinse vas. and she said to herself that he
would yer come back.
The So rolled heavily in the fsh-hawks
sailed ove1.sSad; the breeze fresh from the
eastward; the IN shone dazzlingly bright.
il was getting ta,-ard noon. She gave up
AL hope at last ana rising, began to walk
back toward the hotel But after while
she sat down on a boulder, under shelter
OF the bank, for she had been all this time
upon the beach below it. Sae would not
yet abandon the chance of seeing him. II
Gradually she fell into a sort o. ~everie.
and began, ha,f uneonsciousIy, 10 trace
Herbert3s name in the saud With the point
of her parasol.
It was at this juncture that Herbert,
walking along the top OF the bsnk above,
dIscerned her. He had already passed
her, and would not have seen her at all but
that his attention was suddenly directed to
a fish hawk that, diving for a victim, had
gone sailing of northward with its prey
His heart began to beat fast. Here was
Sue chance be had wished, YET not dared to
hope for; il surely was favorable sign that
she had gone TO the usual rendezvous. He
hastily sprang down the bank, and began
hurnedly ret.acing his steps toward her
lie thought she woull bear him as he ap-
preached; but she did not She was evil
uehely too absorbed; III what, however, he
co9lo hot yet discover. He came nearer
ana nearer. What with the rear of the