The Van Buren press., 1875-07-06

among your employees, young lady
named Florence1 l have, accidentally,
come into possession Of on article be
longing to her, which l am anxious to
return
But ne one answered the advertise
ment, and though more than one Flor
ence turned up in the shops, they were
not the one; they had no connection with
the little green pocket book.
So MAY passed, and jane and July, and
when August drew on, and the city be
came great focus of baking walls and
evil savors, our friend, tough and active
as be was, began to feel need OF change
: Flossy's' words haunted him. The
long, cool roll and the svash, the gull'
diving and plunging in the spray; they
filled him with longing for the sea. Ht
resolved on vacation; and one sultry
evening, after an hours humping on the
railway, and a farther jolt in q country.
wagon, he found himsslf at Orienta
Point The red farm houses, scattered
along the beach, sufliced for the few stran
gers who had found out the place, and in
one Of these Singleton and his knapsack
were received and welcomed with hear
ty country hospitality which it was to be
feared would disappear with the nearer
approach Of the ubiquitous steam.whis'
tie.
Two days Of basking in sun and salt
and two nights Of cool freshness, made
him q new man. Utterly content, and
utterly lazy, he felt indisposed for every
thing but to lie under the shade ofrocksr
watch the water come and 60, and nap
and dream.
It was on the fourth day Of this oyster
like existence that he ioused from doz-
ing reverie at the sound of voices speak.
ing near. Some ladies had seated them
selves just below him. One, dressed in
mourning. aud wrapped in shawl, seem
ed an invalid. The other had dark red.
brown hair streaming down over cool
looking white and black dress. She was
reading aloud Lowell's little poem, Sea.
Weed John caught the words distinctly
Il wonder what that means exactly T
she said rs she finished
1t is very graceful
Yes, but it's puzzling, too-a fascln.
ating puzzle I'm always wondering il
Mr.. Lowell, when he wrote it, meant the
same thing which fancy he meant. 1t
quite leases me-
And yet you like it so much
,hk that'a m. yorv ranann / like To
be teased and set to thinking Alice, are
you warm enoughT
John pricked up his ears. Bnt his
girl has dark hair.
Thanks-ycs, I'm almoH warm en-
ough. Still, you might fetch the gray
shawl, Marion, if you don't mind
John caught glimpse OF the girls
face as she came back with the shawl,
fresh, pleasant face, with eyes Of the sam'
red. pro ~ as the hair. She saw him too
and the sisters lowered their voices He
did not hear another word after that.
Two days later his landlady met hin
with troubled countenance.
I'm so sorry she began. Its jus
as sudden on me as on you, but my
daughtdr, she's written that she and thu
hidren must come home for a spell,
cause the youngest had cholera infant
eide, aud the doctor he says they mus
away's fast's they can, andit's too bad tt
turn you out. but don't see no other way
to fix it, aad if you don't mind Elkins
next door, has n room free every bit lik'
the one YOU re in now, and Almiry shal
carry over your things. and you'll b'
every whit as comfortable, and l hop
you'll have no hard feelings about it. Al
this in a breath. and with no audible
punctuation.
John comfortcd the good dame, whos
face was full of trouble. After all, wha
did it matter2 Almiry' lent hand, an'
in two hours he was sitting in Mrs. Elk
ms front room, 'cvery whit as comfort
able as he had been in his old quarters.
Going down to dinner, the red browl
eyes which he had noticed on tho beach
confronted him.
Its the Miss Whittemores, Mr. -
| don't recall your name, remarked Mrs
Elkins, spooning our her steaming chow
der. And, in this uncercmonious way
the introduction was effected.
Intimacics ripen fast under such cir
cumstances. Reading, sailing, walking
together, spending whole days, ard da.
after day, in company, it was no wonde
that, before long. the three so lately stran
gers should become as old friends. !
was easy to know the Misses Whittemor
they were so frank and simple, so pleas
antly well.bred. Alice, the eldest, gen
tie, womanly creature, quiet in speech ans
manner, full OF certain sweet common
sense, was evidently the object Of fond
est care to the brown. eyed Marion. Johl
had never known any thing like them. |
was q revelation Of the pleasant posi-
bilities Of life to be in such contact. Still
his old habit of shyncss and dstrus
hampered and held him back. VIVA
man ever understood woman 2 he asked
himself. 'Idon't pretend to. 'Flossy,
indeed! did have real glimpse OF he
in that blessed little book Now, ifsom
fairy would open door, and let me SCI
the inside of Mariou's heart in the SAM
way, then l should know where was
Marion. Yes, the imaginary Floss!
was dethroned; the real Marion reigne'
in her stead John, however. was still
unconscious OF his subjugation, and how
long the affair might have halted no on'
can tell, had not Fate, as she often does
taken the matter into her own hands.
My brother is coming down for Sun