The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-11-04

SurrenQer5. Give lef no quarter
that's my advice;" and now, Mrs
Maxwell, seeing his face brighten
ventUred a laugh.
/ 1t Wss q clear, musical laugh, anC
it cheered Herbert still more. He
hesitsted. If another five minutes
lcOuld have been granted to Mrs
Maxwell, she would have prevailed
But at that moment a voice cried:
Here he is. Hurry up, Hastings.
We've been looking for you every
where. The stage driver says he
won't wait another moment. All 1!
Mrs. Maxwell. Our holiday is over
you see. Good-by."
That interruption decided Herbert.
He shook his his head in reply to
Mrs. Maxwelrs imploring look,
wrung her hand. and dashed out of
the drawing groom. The next min
ute the crowded coach was rolling
heavily through the sand, with the
surf laundering on its right.
1t was six miles or so, to the
steamboat landing. For the first
two miles the passengers, all Of whom
were gentleman, chatted gaily; after
that they gradually grew silent, the
monotonons drag Of the wheels in
The sand acting a sa kind of soporifc.
One or two, in fact, fell asleep. And
now Herbert began half to repent of
what he done. "Perhaps 1 have
been too hasty," he said to himself.
"What if Mrs. Maxwell is right p
He mused thus for quite half
mile. "Pve a great mind to go
back" he thought. "Hold on driv-
err" he cried, ave changed my
mind. Stop till 1 jump out. I'll
walk back"
Before his sleepy companions
could ask what he meant, he left the
coach, had lit a cigar, and was plod
ding through the heavy sands on his
return.
His mood soon changed again.
"What a precious fool 1 am making
of myself he reflected, and he half
turned to hail the coach, but it was
a quarter of mile of.
He stopped still. "If that fish
hawk dives before I count fifty" he
said, "Tll go back to the Metropoli-
tan; if not, I'll walk to the landing
and take the afternoon boat"
The fsh-hawk dove almost imme-
diately.
Fate has decided for me-" he said
desperately. 'NoW let us see how
wisely"
Meantime where was the offending
Kate. To do her justice, she was
not aware how much sbe loved Has
tings until she refused him. 1t was
not altogether coquetry that led her
to say mo" The answer had been
given in the first surprise and en-
barrassment Of the proposal. She
was frightened to find, almost i'm
mediately, how much she misunder-
stood herself. She grew more and
more embarrassed in consequence ;
and her manner afterWard, at which
Hastings took such ofense, was, as
Mrs. Maxwell had suggested, really
the result of nervousness. Even be-
fore he left her she bitterly repented
what she had said. Had he perse-
vered 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 in the morning, she had
started for walk on the beach, hop
ing to meet him there, as usual, for
hardly day had passed within the
last fortnight that those two had not
so met.
There was an old wreck, at that
time about. a mile or more above the
Metropolitan, which had been a IA
vorite haunt of theirs, and thither
she repaired. She tried to read TIL
Herbert should appear, but her
thoughts wandered from her book
continually. Meantime the hours
passed without Herbert appearing.
Her heart began to fail her. She
spent the time examining her real
feelings, and the more she scrutiniz-
ed them, the more she felt her love
had gone from her forever. Byand
by the hot tears began to come. She
knew how proud Hastings was, and
she said to herself that he would
never come back.
The sea rolled heavily in the
Hsh-hawk sailed overhead the
breeze blew fresh from the east
ward the sun shone dazzingly
bright. 1t was getting toward noon.
She gave up all hope at last, and ri
sing, she 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. She
would not abandon the chance Of
seeing HIM. Gradually she fell into
a sort ofreverie, and began, half un-
consciously, to trace Herberts
name in the sand with the point of
her parasol.
1t was at this juncture that Her
bert, walking along the top of the
bank above, discerned her. He had
already passed her, and would not
have seen her at all but that his at
tention was suddenly directed to
fish hawk that, diving for a victim,
had gone sailing off northward with
it's prey. His heart began to beat
fast. Here was the chance he had
wished, yet not dare to hope for it
surely was a favorable sign that she
had gone to the usual rendez Tous.
He hastily sprang down the bank,
and began hurriedly retracing his
steps toward her.
He thought she would hear him as
he approached but she did not.
She was evidently too absorbed in
what, however, he could not yet dis
cover. He came nearer and nearer.
What, with the roar of the surf, and
her own absorption, Kate still re-
manned unconscious of mis- presence.
He approached so close at last that
he could look over her shoulder
Blessed vision /! Could he believe
his eyes She was writing with her
parasol, in the sand, the word Her
bert.
His first impulse was TO snatch
her to his arms. He was loved,
then {! Mrs. Maxwell had been