Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-06-11

| from the ground which he had honestly
won. He invited her for no more lonely
pleasurings down the river if they went
together, it was with crowd of friends.
On one such excursion they became de-
/ tached from the others by some acct
dent, and were left, like shells forgot
ten upon the sands; for walking around
the bend Of the beach where bluff hid
them from sight, with the wind blowing
the other way, they neither heard nor
saw their companions embark for home,
too busy with their own affairs to re-
mark the absence of John and Elinor,
who only under stood the situation
when they turned back to where the
boat had been moored and found the
tents struck and the beach lonely and
deserted, except for some barefooted
children gathering driftwood, and a
flock Of sand-birds daring the waves.
The afternoon was just melting into the
tender atmosphere Of early twilight,
when all things wear an unreal aspect,
and half-guessed stars sift themselves
through the gloom, and the radiance
| from the neither half Of the sphere
from the morning world-seemed rum
ming over into this along the horizons
brim. Far away sail pricked itself
out against the heavens a moment, and
was gone; fishing craft was dropping
down over the bar: and a pleasure.boat,
bubbling over with song and laughter,
pushed its way toward home. John
shouted to them and waved his hat,
but the wind blew his voice down his
throat, and the gay jewellers fled on
wings of mirth.
"What shall we do?" asked Elinor'
Chow shall we reach homer
"The gods help those who help them
selves" said he. "We will ask these
gypsy children if there isn't boat to
be found. There isn't so much as
shed for shelter on this lonely beach"
But neither the children nor their
seniors-a party of half-gypsy folks who
had encamped on the sands to carry off
the heach-plums, and as a sort of eco
nomical method of spending the sum-
mer at the sea-shore, with plenty of
firewood at first cost and birds tame as
chickens-had anything but leaky
skif to offer, but who, with the ready
hospitality Of the dweliers in tents, in
vited them to share the shelter Of their
canvas roof; but as the oars of the skif
were broken, and Elinor's slipper was
not at hand, it seemed OF little use.
Thus at their wits ends they paced the
sands, upon which the waves epcroach-
ed more and more, making green hol-
lows in the moonlight when they broke,
and fringing the lone line of coast with
spray like tangles of pearls. John
heaped a cushion of beach grass, and
they sat in the pale light of moon
that was slowly dipping behind the
dunes, and watched the great unnamed
monster shake its name at their very
feet, and listened to its endless do capos,
and wondered if the silver bridge which
the moonbeams threw across the water
would bear them home, and repeated
love lines from the poets; or he sang
to her:
sOh listen to the bowling sea,
That beats on the remOrselesS shore,
Oh, listen. for that sound shall be
When our wild hearts shall beat no more!
Oh. listen well and listen loIg,
For, sitting folded close to me,
You could not hear sweeter song
Than that hoarse murmur of the sea!''
The moon fell lower while he sang, and
left the world to starlight; the wind
blew freshly off the sea; Elinor shivereA
in the blast. "shall we accept the
Gypsies invitation" he asked, cor shall
we walk to town %
Chow far is it, John ?" She called
him "John." It seemed a new name
as spoken by her. She gave it a new
meaning.
cit is eight miles, Elinor. over marshy
places and rough ways"
''Let us try it." But before they had
gone half mile On the beach her
strength gave out. 81 am so tired"
she said. eff one could only fy!" At
that moment he felt an aim ost lrresisti-
BILE impulse to seize the hand resting
on his arm and cover it with kisses; to
fold her in his arms then and there,
and whisper. eff you are tired, dar-
ling, rest here, for love is rest and bles-
sedness supreme; and love you" But
the old haunting distrust required what
if she should answer, "Not here; your
love is not large enough for me, not
blessedness enough" And while he
hesitated and doubted and half be-
lieved, boat shot along the shore and
buried its keel in the sand. They had
sent relief from town.
They sailed up the wide river, and
watched the lighthouse send its flame
far out on the waters, and met the
wraith-like forms of ships at the
wharves, silent as ghosts, the town
lights like ack-o'-lanterns and the tide
setting round the>piers; and when they
reached home, and he left Elinor at her
| fathers door, the clocks were striking
midnight, and a startled robin III the
elm tree overhead was trilling sleepy
note.
But fortune was not to be severe with
John for one neglect Of opportunity,
meant to offer him greater induce
ments and more tempting chances.
Elinor's father awoke one morning and
found himself bankrupt. Somewhat
later John went to purchase pair of
new gloves, in which to worthily pay