St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-08-02

was the sail, only a moment before
fairly strained by the wind, now idly
Tapping against the mast? Though she
was very ignorant about sailing boat,
Ruth knew that sail, to be of any
practical utility, should be well filled.
Here, then, was something that was
clearly wrong. She looked up in some
alarm.
"Yes," he said grimly, in answer to
her unspokeD question, ''the wind has
gone down with the sum-"
"What shall we do 2" in a perplexed
tone.
He looked, himself, she thought,
little dismayed but answered bravely
enough, "Oh there'll he another breeze
spring up, like as not. I'll put the boat
about, and we'll be drifting down with
the tide"
"But suppose breeze doesn't spring
up, Mr.. Appleton ?"
'But it will, Miss Ruth"
Rnth was silent. She had a way-an
unpleasant way it was-of looking at
the worst side of things. She didn't
believe in the promised breeze, and was
already calculating what the result
might he if it did not come.
For several minutes nothing was said.
The little wind that was left sufficed to
bring them about, and then died away
altogether. They drifted slowly along
so slowly that Ruth hardly fancied
they were moving; yet, as she kept her
eye upon the shore fading away in the
gathering dusk, she marked their slow
progress. This, too, she noticed, that
by degrees the shore itself seemed to
recede.
"How far out are we, Mr.. Appleton ?"
she asked.
He gave a look towards the dim, far
off outline.
about a mile, guess, Miss Ruth"
"And does the current set out or in
shore ?"
He would have said ''in," but with
her eyes upon him he dared not.
"Out, l believe" he reluctantly ad
mitted.
$50 we're going further and further
away all the time 2"
'In one direction, Miss Ruth"
She gave her head an impatient toss.
'But that's the important direction, Mr..
Appleton"
His silence admitted the fact.
"And if the breeze doesn't spring up"
she went on, "there's nothing to take
us in shore ?"
| He hesitated an instant.
81 suppose not, Miss Ruth but the
breeze will, no doubt, spring up"
''But if it doesn't, Mr.. Appleton
look at it that way-sha'n't we be out
all night 2"
There was no good in equivocating /;
he saw that at glance.
''rm afraid we shall, Miss Ruth"
To this she made no reply. Her face,
half turned away from his was pale,
and her lips were tightly closed, as
though keeping in some word of re-
proach which she ought not to speak.
81 am very sorry, Miss Ruth" he de-
clared. ~ wouldn't have had it happen
on any account"
"Of course you wouldn't, Mr.. Apple
ton," sadly "but that doesn't make it
any pleasanter fol me-"
Everybody will know how it hap
pened."
"That's the unpleasant part of it, Mr..
Appleton"
Then there was an interval of silence.
How long Ruth did not know. She did
not want to talk, herself, and Mr.. APP
pletOn's remarks, though no doubt well
meant, were not, under the ciIcum-
stances, cOnsOling. What would they
say at home, she wondered, when she
did not reappear9 Where would they
think she had gomez And how could
she, herself, endure it all the long,
weary night By this time, the twilight
had faded away, the outline of the land
was lost in the gloom, pail of dark
ness had fallen over them. Ruth felt
horribly alone. To hear Mr.. Appleton's
voice again was fairly startling.
''If could say anything to make it
less unpleasant" he began, in hesi-
tating way.
Ruth made no answer She wonder
ed idly what he could possibly say.
sit may seem unfair to say it just
nOw," he went on, stammering little
with evident cOnstraint, "but if we
could go home engaged to be married
might make it less embarrassing for
you"
All the blood in Ruth's heart seemed
to rush up into her face. How grateful
she was for the impenetrable darkness.
"Of course" he continued, ''it's rather
an abrupt way of saying it; but Pve
been thinking it over for sometime. 1t
isn't only because I've got you into such
a SSidpC3 Vlioo 1buth +, l. "Oulu nave Sdlu
it anyhow, though perhaps not tonight.
, Pm selfish enough fellow, and down
in New York the girls call me Il f1irt
but do like you, Miss Ruth. l do,
upon my word. And there isn't girl
in the world I'd rather marry"
Now, this was by no means a model
confession. To declare to girl that
} you have proposed to her prematurely,
and that she is the least offensive of
, her sex, is not, to say the least con-
ciliatOry. Under other circumstances
; Mr.. Schuyler Appleton would perhaps
have acquitted himself more gracefully
: Now, however, he felt driven into the
act, and with this consciousness lost his
, usual self-pOssession.
: Under other circumstances, too, Ruth
would surely have resented the address,
) as she had resented John Blakeman's
] presumption the night before. But now
she had lost her spirit. In the dark
ness, with the long, solitary night loom
ing up ahead, she was too miserable tC
$ be resentful. Indeed she scarcely noted
3 the words of Mr.. Appleton had used, oil
the manner of his speech. All she got
from them was the idea that he wanted
her to be his wife; that he was waiting
for her answer. And what should she
say -? She felt that she must say some.
3 thing, if only to put him off.
''Please let me think while, won't
3 you, Mr.. Appleton ?" she said timidly
"We've got all night before us, you
g know"
9 And when he had said, "Certainly
Miss Ruth" in his easy, courteous way
). she set herself to think.
e How far they were now away from
T. hnp,o chn did - l.