The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-06-17

coined with hearty country hospitality
which it was to be feared would disap.
pear with the nearer approach of the
ubiquitous steam-whistle.
Two days of basking in sun and salt
two nights of cool freshness, made him
a new man. Utterly content and utterly
lazy, he felt indisposed for everything
but to lie under the shade of rocks,
watch the water come and go, and nap
and dream.
1t was on the fourth day of this oyster
like existence that he reused 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 and wrapped in shawl
seemed an invalid. The other had dark
red-brown hair streaming down over a
cool-looking white and black dress, She
was reading aloud Lowelps little poem,
"Sea- Weed" John caught the words
distinctly.
"I wonder what that means exactlyY
she said as she finished.
at is very graceful"
"Yes, but it's puzzling too-a fasci
mating puzzle. Pm always wondering if
Mr.. Lowell, when he wrote it, meant the
same thing which l fancy he meant. 1t
quite leases me-"
"And yet you like it so much!"
"Oh, that's the very reason. like to
be teased and set to thinking. Alice, are
you warm enough?'
John pricked up his ears. But this
girl has dark hair.
"Thanks-yes, Pm almost warm enough
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, a
fresh, pleasant face, with eyes of the
same red-brown 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 him
with troubled co untenance.
"rm so sorry!" she began. ats just
as sudden on me S on you, but my daugh-
ter she's written that she and the chill
dren must come home for a spell cause
the youngest s had cholera infanticide
and the doctor he says they must get
away S fast 5 they can and it's too bad
to turn you out but don't see no other
way to fix land if you don't mind El-
kins next door has a room free every bit
like the one you're In now and Almiry
shall carry over your things and you'll
be every whit as comfortable and hope
you'll have no hard feeling about it." All
this in a breath, and without audible
punctuation.
John comforted the good dame, whose
face was full Of trouble. After all, what
did it matter? "Almiry" lent a hand
and in two hours be was seated in Mrs
Elkins' frontroom, every whit as COM
Portable" as he had been in his old quar-
tiers.
Going down to dinner, the red brown
eyes which he had noticed on the beach
confronted him.
cts the Miss Whittemores, Mr.
don't recall your name," remarked Mrs
Elkins, spooning out her steaming chow.
der And in this uncercmonious way the
introduction was effected.
Intimacies riren fast under such cir
cumstanccs. Reading, sailing and walk
ing together, spending whole days and
day after day in company, 1t was no
wonder that before long the three Sc
lately strangers should become as old
friends 1t was easy to know the Misses
Whittemore, they were so frank and sim
pie, so pleasantly well-bred. Alice, the
elder, a gentle, womanly creature, quiet
in speech and manner, and full of a GER
tain sweet common-senSe, was evidently
the object of fondest care to the brown
eyed Marion. John had never known
any girls like them. 1t was revelation
of the pleasant possibilities of life to be
in such contact. Still his shyness and
old habit of distrust hampered and held
him back. "What man ever understood
a woman?" he asked himself. II don't
pretend to. 'Flossy,' indeed! did
have real glimpse of her in that blessed
little book Now if some fairy would
Just open a door and let me see the in
side of Marion's heart in the same way
then l should know where was"
Marion! Yes, the imaginary Flossy
was dethroned; the real Marion reigneC
in her stead. John, however, was still
unconscious of his subjugation, and how
long the affair might have halted no ont
can tell had not Fate, as she often does
taken the matter into her own hands.
"My brother is coming down for Sun
day." said Alice, one morning.
"Have you brother?"
"Oh yes. Have we never told you
about hims Poor boy! it is his first va
cation this summer. We have wished
for him so often, and now at last he car
come"
John watched the sisters curiously a
they made ready for their walk to th'
depot that afternoon, but he did no
offer to accompany them. "Lucky fel
loww he muttered, with sigh, and fel
to glawing his mustache, sure sign o
uneasiness and emotion. .-
By and by they came back, each hold
ing an arm of broad-shouldered, merry
faced youth, who walked between will
face of entire contentment.
"My brother, Mr.. Singleton" salt
Alice, in her gentle voice, as John ros
to greet them.
"Happy to know you," said the new
conner, shaking hands cordially. 9Th
girls have written about you till fee
as if we were acquainted. l say, what
beach, Can't we have sail this even
ing, Flossy?"
John started as if shot.
81 thought your name was Marion,
he said, confusedly, staring like one in
dream. ..-
"Yes, so it is" she answered, careles!
ly; but my middle name is Florence
and Tom called me Floss always whe
we were little. He does now sometimes.
"You really must leave it Off" sal
Alice. "Flossy is absurd for a grown. u
} person"
"Pm rather fond of it," remarke
Marion; ait doesn't sound absurd to m
at ALL"
"It's beautiful" jerked out John, sti
absorbed in the suddenness Of his SUI
prise. Marion looked at him, astonishet
, He felt himself blush under her gaz
. but offered no explanation, and the sui
tot x.,oS Il dropnod