The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-09-29
"Why, good morning, Mr.. Wheeler Are

| full"
And then they would find their paths, quite
as matter Of course, running in the same di-
rection Soon banter added spice to the meet
ings "quite by chance-the usual way" Grace
was funny in the drollest manner, and said the
oldest things in the soberest fashion without a
curve of merrimcnt in her perfect lips, or a
look Oftun- consciousness in her serious face She
would "chaffn the young man, tell the iunni.
est stories, or shoot him with quick rcpartee,
until he hardly knew whether to be abused or
veXed.
Lets go and hear what the sad sea waves
are saying" said John one evening in August.
"Oh, know all about that" she replied
with toss of her love-locks. "They are say
ing, 'chow-der, clam chow-der,' and I'm going
to have some,
For men must eat and women must stew,
And the chowder pot put a-b-o-i-l Ling"
She sang in absurd imitation Of the great sea
song.
Il believe you would burlcsque anything"
said John with decided Impotence. Gould
you favor us with parody on Praise God, or
perhaps you Will kindly rehcarsc your grand
mothers funeral?"
Now Mr. Sarcasticus, you are cross, and
really hope you won't take any chowdcr. |
like you better cross than--well, better than
sweet. Sweet men | can't endure but merry
men do good like medicinc-and cross ones,
too, if they are not your very own
"As for buresquc," she continued, laugh
ing, Il do enjoy buresques-good, mind you
of anything not really sacred. never laugh
ed harder than to see an old darkey Richclicu
at the MINISTRIES in a burlesque of Booths act
ing, proceed at the climax of the play to draw
around his ward--a regular Topsy-' the aw-
full circle of the church Of Rome with piece
of chalk-pufling and blowing as he stopped
over to make his mark. | never since then
see the cardinals wicrd finger and glittering
eye outline the protecting circle, nor hear his
awful Kissing menace, without laughing IN
wardly, which is q great gain. It's so waste
full of nervous forces to have ones feelings har-
rowed up by mock heroics and sham sorrows"
"Yes, but find it more wearing to wish to
laugh in the wrong places, | always feel a
sort of personal responsibility for would-be
clever preachers, aad actors, and singers. And
n faux pas makes me want to hide my head.
A bad Ophelia for eXampe-and they are
mostly so bad that | should dread to have them
play within car.rangc of Shakespcares curse
guarded bones-stirs my ashamed sympathles
to their depths Yet | have seen young wo.
men giggle at the spectacle The outflow If
woman's sympathes except in cases OF abso-
lutte wrong or suffering, can't he reckoned on
with any more certainty than the form in which
a crcsting wave shall break"
Mr.. Wheeler" said Grace, whether sobery
or saucily he could not tell, you know abso-
lutely nothing about wOman's heart. Your
observations have been confined entirely to the
beach. OF the deep sea soundings you are as
ignorant as that urchin who is building sand
fort at the hali.tide line. No impudence or
sentiment is in Order" continued she, seeing
thought taking form in his face" my own
heart Is all beach and Swallows"
And breakers" said John in desperate
effort to assert himself but rs long AS you
keep so clear light bcaming in the windows
of my soul and have so many buOys standing
outside, the harbor ought to be snug and safe"
"Flattcry and bad pun in one breath |
shall have to sentence you to the hotel for three
hours"
AT hard labor" laughed the banishcd youth
as he started up at the sound of the dinner
gong.
Yet through all their growing intimacy
whether in banter or seriousness, agreements
or differences, the young couple got on togeth
er famously Though they spoke no word Of
love, they instlnctlvcly touched upon many
themes and experiences that pertain to that
charmed state. The moonlight had new
glamour for them. The tide broke and rip
Piled with a swcetcr music. Rocking together
in their little boat, seeing nothing but each
others faces and the open sea or overhanging
sky, all the rest of the great, busy world so
near them was for the time oblitcratcd. With
out knowing why, or perhaps realizing the
fact, they were growing into oneness.
Sitting together one evening on the rocks
they fell to discussing the descriptive terms
applied by poets to the sea, AS they watched
the waves break, rush forward like living
things, seemingly to search vainly for rest
ing place and then glide back to be engulfed
by the incoming tide
81 wonder if the poets of the sea have hit
upon the very best words yct?" unused John.
81 have often tried to better their choice"
said Grace but they seem to have ransacked
the dictionary pretty thoroughly. The break
ing waves dashed high you know they roll,
thunder, rave, creep, crawl, uprear and crest
themselves; they sing, they thunder, roar, muir
muir, and do all sorts of other things. But
will try II new word if you dare call it scamp
err for movement, and-and- for sound"
Capital Only it seems to me you have
sacrificed ideal beauty to alteration, Il trick
of too many of ourpoets. Slosh"-how charm
ing"
"Oh! you can laugh of course, but they do
slosh, although I'll admit the word is more ey-
pressive than elegant Take your turn now,
no flinching"
"Wel call it kiss'-and that combines
both movement and southland John illus
tratcd with daring lips the seashell tint of his
companions soft check.
The sca-shell tint deepened several shades as
Grace turned surprised and inquiring glance
swiftly upon him. She saw II rather abashed
but not unmanly look on his face, and with
true intuition read the aiiectionatc impulse and
homage that prompted the unusual token.
at is Il custom of the country" said John,
in Il dcprecating tone, always to kiss for good
lock when you see the new moon over your
right shoulder"
II wouldn't have the customs of the country
broken for the world responded the selfpoS.
scsscd young woman, "only il | am 10 he kiss
cd don't like To have it strained" and she
lifted the Illusion veil which her good aunt
had tied on, and in scripture fashion turned 10
John the other check also.
The last of the summer days came on. and
the full harvcstmoon" was rising like world
Of fire out of the deep, ms John and Grace went
down the beach for II swimming match The