The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-10

tiers talk with him, he subsidies into silence,
enjoying his cigar. Then we reach shore.
scramble out first, before he rises; he fol-
lows; then comes Ottalie. Once more on
land, my courage revives.
"Tell Michael" he begins-but l interrupt
him. In my opinion it is high time the farce
should cease.
"You are mistaken, sir" say, tartly, try
Michaers daughters.
seNot MchaePs daughtersp' he repeats.
"Then who the dev-I beg your pardon.
Then who are you?" But he speaks with a
ring of mockery in his tone. What with that
and what with Ottalie's black looks at me
turn back to speak again.
''We did not 60 after you-to fetch y0u-
we knew nothing about you. OFT this lady
got into the boat for pastime, believing it to
be at liberty and she was foolish enough to
row over to the opposite side of the inlet.
We are ladies'"
Thanks" he ANSWERS, staring at both of
US and raising his straw hat. My tones may
not have impressed him-perhaps puzzled
him, for there is sighting lightuess about
him, and anything but reverence in his face,
''Thanks for your kind eXertions," he adds to
Ottalie, who bushes furiously and makes no
reply.
Raising his hat again, he walks his way,
duu VIC VAIN Oulos NihhSih5 DoSh3 = wv :"
man in rough costume approach him.
"Good gracious, that must be MchaelP l
say. ''He will want to charge US for the
boat"
Ottale turns upon me savagely. Deborah,
you are an idiot! Had you only held your
tongue, he would never have found us out
never. What does it matter if he did take us
for the boat-girls?"
''Had you not better tell me it was my fault
Zoo = a of oil o'j 7 ST witch
you would not do these things"
"What good-looking man he is?'
We walk home in silence, for don't an.
swer her. Ottalie hates reproach, but she is
a little ashamed OF the escapade herself.
In time we learn that the strangers name
is Dame: he is apparently well-to-do, and is
supposed to have come to this little out-of
the-world lplace, Some, for a spell of quiet
ness. He lives at the hotel, pays literally,
and "keeps himself TO himself" occupying
his time with boating and fishing. 1t is
who hear these items of news, and try to
impart them to Ottalie, but she will not lis
ten. Meanwhile, il by chance we meet the
stranger, he lifts his hat in silence, and gazes
at Ottalie as he passes Probably, Just as we
have heard his name, he has heard ours, and
knows that we are not MichaePs daughters,
but the Misses Peyre. And each time this
meeting occurs O:tale's bushes grow more
ridiculous. 1t makes me angry with her.
Three Sundays come and 60. On the
fourth we see our schoolboy cousin, Keith
Harland, who has come down to Some with
his mother. Mrs. HarIand looks frostily blue,
and does not even give us the tips of her fin
gers to shake. OF course she did not know
we were at Some, for we do not enlighten the
world as to our movements. Her dead hus-
band was our mothers cousin; SO the rela-
tionship to her is not much, but what it is
she is ashamed of. The scrambling, moving
about, shady kind OF life that Ottalie and
lead does not enhance our worth in her eyes.
Lead it we must, however, until the end
comes and the '''finis'' is said. And then !?
Well, perhaps in the Great Hereafter Ottalie
and may attain 10 responsibility.
On Monday morning Keith comes rushing
into our lodgings, all excitement.
81 say, Ottalie, what do you think?' he
cries. "Who do you think is here?"
s'Who is ?' asks she, from her place on the
music-stool. '
casper Dame, have just seen him."
Ottalie strums away and does not answer.
She is as red as the peoples outside.
sWho is Jasper Daine?" question.
''A regular BRICK" responds Keith. "He
was at college with Tom years ago, and he
came over to see Tom last autumn and get
some shooting He has nice place of his
own"
'sAnd is well off? ?" '.,
s'Well off? wish was likely to be half as
well. He is going to take me out fishing this
afternoon. I told him you two were here,
and that you were my cousins" ~-
draw the hoy to me as Ottalie leaves the
room, and look into his eyes, speaking i'm
pressively:
"Keith, you must take care. No tales out
of school, you know, about past troubles"
At first the lad, gazing hard at me with his
honest eyes, ,. scarcely @al seems to understand.
"Why, Deb, hope you don't think there's
need to caution me on that score," he says,
promptly and half Indignantly. "My mother
would skin me, expect, il could talk about
that. And serve me right, too!'
Sitting on the bench in our solitary cottage
garden at sunset, l see two figures coming
across the sands. Can Keith be going to
bring that man here? How stupid the lad is.
Yes, on they come, and inside the gate
Keith eager as the schoolboy he is, the other
already lifting his straw hat respectfully. OF
talie rises deliberately, turns her back, and
looks over the side palings. ,,..
"Mr. Dame, Miss Peyre," cries the lad,
making the introduction after the manner of
his elders. Sand this is her sister," he adds,
pulling Ottalie round by the arm. "Ottalie,
here's Mr.. Daine."
Ottalie and bow stif1y; she puts on her
coolest manner, comes back to her seat, and
takes 1t. Mr.. Dame sits down. facing US, in
a small iron chair. Keith climbs the trunk
of the big tree and lodges himself amid the
branches. He begins telling of their fishing
expedition in fthe afternoon, and what they
caught and did not catch, which leads US on
to general conversation. In the midst of it
appears the small Servant-maid.
"Tea is waiting Ma'am," she says to me.
What can I do but ask the intruder to take
some tea? We all 90 into the sitting room to-
gether. place myself before the table; they
range themselves at the open windows. Of
tales beautiful gray eyes glance up at him
ever and anon through their long, dark eye.
lashes as he talks to her.
snow is he not jolly brick?" demands
Keith, as Mr.. Dame says good night and
leaves. -..--.
"Very," cries Ottalie sarcastically.
81 can tell you, Ottie, all the girls down
with us thought so. Not that he thinks
much of women" adds Master Harland. "He
does not take to them. And now must 60,
or my mother will be outrageous. dined
with him at the hotel-such a jolly dinnerp
"Well, this is very prettyP ?" cry, as the
boy disappears. "That insolent man, of all
others to make friends with usp'
"Why did you give him tea ?" says Ottalie.
"Give him tea could 1 help it and for YOU
to talk SO freely with him, Ottalie. did
hope you had learned prudence
81 did hope you had learned prudence"
mimicked Ottalie. "Mark me, Deborah; if
anything upsets our equinimity, our domes-
tic calm. you will have brought it upon your
SELF"
eco on, go on, child"
But she does not go on. She turns to the
piano and begins the first bars of the old
French song: --.
'Partant pour la Syrie, ejeune ct brave Dunos.'
"Women are moths" murmur. "She has
singed herself once, and she'd like to futter
near the fame again." And take up the
bed room candlestick.
Day: Sunday. Time: FIVE O'Clock on a
sultry afternoon. Dramatis persona: Ottaiie
myself and Jasper Dame, who has just I'M
latched the gate and is sauntering toward us.
Ottalie is on the bench under the tree. / am
in the room looking from the window.
"Been fishing?" she asks aconically, as
he drops down by her side and mods to me.
Fishing! how irreverent she is.
mo-" he says, 81 have been boring myself
with myself. After inficting my company
on you in the morning, had not the face to
come any sooner and while was thrown on
my own resources, came to the conclusion
hot in - I,,JI,