The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-12

started on foot with his guide. III,
4 DID not know the guidc's namo, AMI
called him " Long" and the guild
7 name from his christening, only
CHANGING askance at Field the frs
time with twinkle In his eye. and
would.give no other name after that
tfs1 name was only q handletda mn
anS 'way, and one was Ms good us an
other, or better"
1t would be hard to define the mo-
tive that led Field to answer "Well,
II 1t is the same to you, Long, ills to
me. You np call me Meadow when
you don't think Of anything better. ("
" One morning they took q boat at
the head of the lake and rowed down
toward pond on the east side among
the hills, where Long said the ducks
came so thick you couldn't see
through 'em; and where the water
was shallow and the mud 80 deep
that when the duckSa were shot, the
! devil couldn't get 'em 'thout he had a
dog. After awhile a wind came
swOOping down on the quiet water
through dip In the hills and nearly
blew the skiff's bows out of water.
The sleeping lake woke up, pitched
and fOamed, and beat upon the bows,
and dashed over the young men till
they were nearly as wet as the waves
themselves. Field was pulling to
Longs stroke, the wind fiuttered his
hair in his eyes, and the water ran
down his back, but he would not say
anything till Long did. Presently
II omar lnOIrAI nro,xn1 Axynr hsa oh
der and hailed, 81 guess we'd best
throw up and get tow; L hear the
Wanita coming down."
Presently the little steamer. came
along and threw them line. Long
caught It and made IL fast. They
were neatly jerked out Of the water,
or flung into it, and then went boil
ing along in the steamers wake. A
boat hand drew in the line, and they
climbed out, swaying and flOundering
through cloud of spray, and all the
passengers ,crowding back to see..
They went forwsrd and up on deck,
and the captain spoke to Long from
the pilOt-hOuse, calling him Trap.
Long talked to him through the win
dow, and introduced Field when he
SuhC diOuS. MI mcuuOWt OoPCoih
Charner. Pm showing him bear
tracks and things around the pond"
How do you do, Captain? Don't
know me in the part OF Neptune,
eh 2" said Field. EEE
"Oh0!" said the Captain, glancing
aside from the wheel. It's you, is
it? Where's your friend? Trapp,"
he continued, "you'd better take Mr..
Meadow down and get Hess to dry
his coat" They went down to the
little cabin, where q trim, plainly
dfeseed, but very pretty girl was busy
with some sewing. She started and
laughed, when she saw Long, and
how wet he was. Then she saw there
was somebody else and blushed a
little.
"Mr. Meadow, Hess, and Miss
Hessie Charner, Meadow" intro
duced Long, and he told her what
the captain had hidden him.
She brought coat of her fathers
Tor Field and hung his up to dry near
the furnace, and the three chatted to-
gether till the boat warped i'm to the
wharf at her trips end.
Long did not know how 1t was, but
it happened constantly after that they
fell in with the Wanita somewhere
on her trip. He found that accident
pleasant enough at first, but some
how changed his mind before long,
and managed that they did not hap
pen upon the boat the next day.
That afternoon Field had some bust
ness in Bee, and set off in that direc-
ton, engaging to meet Long with
traps and bear bait at the Hexagon
Hotel the next morning. His bust
ness in Bee could not have required
much time, for when Long happened
down at the Leewell that evening
Field was smoking with Captain
Charner in the little cabin of the
Wanita, the Captains daughter sit
ting by with some sewing. Long sat
with them awhile, but he could not
smoke, and his conversation could
not be called brilliant or amusing.
Field, on the other hand, talked his
best, and was in his highest spirits.
Long got up and went away present.
ly, with only a goodnight to the
Captain.
One evening little later, two per-
SONS were looking out on the lake and
the dark hills beyond and talking In
low tones on the deck of the Wanita,
as she lay at her wharf. A tall man
passed down along the shore and
went by without looking round. An
hour later Field was walking quickly
along the shore in the moonlight,
crushing the gravel and whistling an
air under his breath, when Long
came out Of the shaded piece ahead,
and started past without any sign OF
recognition.
On Thursday of the same week
Field left Long at point on the east
of the lake to go to Bee /; and half an
'hOurafter there.was out on
the Lowell road, on horseback, gal
Looping south, singing stave of a
song us he dashed on. There was a
dance that night at the George Hotel,
and Field was there, the handsOmest
and gayest of men and there was no
prettier girl in the rooms than the
one he brought and danced so well
with, and whom no one else knew.
Late at night, looking up from her
flushed and happy face In q pause in
the dance, his eyes fell on another
face neither flushed nor happy, look
ing mt him from a door across the
length of the saloon, and he was
doubly spirited and devoted after
that. He did not see the face, but he
was half. conscious of being watched
as the ball came at length to an end,
and he saw his charge home to the
house of the friend i'm the town with
whom she was to spend the night.
He did not put on the rough clothes
again, but went as he was to mees
Long AT the appointed place acrost
the fake. Long was waiting for him,
lying on grassy slope. He nodded
when Field came up.
"Long," said the latter, 81 guess
this Is about played out"
looking Mt him steadily, without
moving, 81 guess you'd best quit"
UNorv xvpll cOIpo nm IN tho TN