The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1879-09-17

have waded in the brook in my child
hood and bathed in sheltered little
cove with unfrequented beach in after
years, but it is ridiculous, at my age, to
face the gaping crowd of loungers as we
go out, and, oh, horrors as we come in,
wet and dripping. I am strongly in
clined to give up the idea, after all and
the discovery that my "suit, as they
style it, is too short and too narrow for
my ample proportions, does not tend to
reassure me. Kate laughs heartily as
she views my costume, in which re-
semble an overgfown blue-hannel por-
poise.
Still the thought of this odious man
nerves me to lay aside selfin the guard
ianship of my niece, so, with many a
doubtful look and backward glance, we
leave with lingering steps our closet, and
sigh for it moment later, as for an ark
of refuge, when the eyes of apparently a
thousand people fall upon the spectacle
of a hitherto sensible woman arrayed in
two blue garments ola nondescript kind
evidently never cut out for her. Kate
looks trim and jaunty enough in gray
and scarlet, but as for myself, | hasten
to hide beneath the waves. The first
touch of the water sent cold chills over
me, and | feel rheumatic pains in every
Joint. My head whirls, and an icy hand
seems clutching my heart. | want to
turn and flee VIGOROUSLY, but groan and
set my teeth grimly, as a well-known,
curley black head comes in view, and
recognize Mr.. Allen.
clutch Kate in despair, and wade out
farther and farther, gasping with cold
and anger, and vowing vengeance on that
gentleman for the tortures am under
going. Kate and the other girls think
it splendid fun" but every drop OF
blood in my body seems turning to ice.
| After discovering that one is warmer
with the water up to ones neck, | grasped
| the rope and presently find breath to
look around. Blue bathers and gray
black and red, one hideous orange and
| brown striped, swim or float, or wade OF
scream in the surrounding bay. They
seem to do more screaming than any
thing else, as the waves fill eyes and
mouths with salt water, or dash COM
pletely over the heads done up in oiled
silk caps and dilapidated straw hats.
am in q state of semi comfort ut last,
and fall idly to watching a thin woman
who wades from the beach into about
three feet of water and back again
screaming all the time at the frightful
danger, when discover that / am alone
The gray and scarlet suit is gone, and
catch glimpse of it far out with two or
three others. and the inevitable Mr..
Allen, of course.
What to do. l don't know. I am afraid
to let go the rope. / can't make hel
hear me, and if | could she might not
come, for | begin to think Miss Kate is
not the meekest of girls, about this at
fair, at least. Fate must intend them foI
each other, l believe, and no maiden
aunt, much less a helpless one clinging to
a rope, comparatively alone in wilder
ness of waters, can fight against destiny
longer. Then the sneering vision of Mrs
Ellis floats before my minds eye, and
thoughts of what she and others would
say about the foolish old woman who
allowed such a sacrifice, turn the way
ering scales again, and bring judgment
and prudence to the rescue.
The affair shall go no further, say We
hemently to myself. | will call her back
and take her home, or to Europe, or any
where out of Royal Aliens mercenary
clutches. AS | raise my voice in a des
perate attempt to out-scream the noise
of girls and waves, higher wave than
usual strikes me and fills my mouth and
eyes with salt water. Half strangled
by the bitter dose l begin to cough
when, alas! alas! something white and
glittering falls from my mouth, and with
wild, despairing Shrek, I see my
precious upper teeth shrink out of sight
beneath the treacherous waves, and
feel that the climax of suffering is
reached. / am lost in a stupOr of griel
and dismay, and stare blandly at the
place where they went down, as though
expecting some mermaid to rise and de.
liver the lost pearls~So me.
What shall | do? Hates desertion-
even Royal Aliens baseness-is forgotten
in the calamity that has occurred to me
| No one knows / wear false teeth, no
even my niece, for l had several of then
| filled, that they might not appear too
white and too perfect. How can / face
| those giggling girls, and the cause of al
my misery-that handsome scamp?
can't speak without them-1 feel tel
years older as my mouth sinks into dread
full caves and hollows, and cannot e
| home in such a toothless condition
| Was ever an unfortunate woman in sucf
plight before? Deserted by my niece
shivering with the cold so that my teetl
would chatter if I hadn't lost half o
them, / stand vainly gazing at the spo
where / saw them disappear, and just a.
vainly cropping down in the sand, wheI
| / turn my head and see Mr.. Allen com
ing toward me alone.
| That is the last straw in my burden o
trouble, and / have determined to tel
him that l cannot and will not endur
his conduct any longer. and to bid hin
bring Kate to me, when l suddenly re
member my fatal loss, and turn away t.
smother my indignation as well as can
miss Kate sent me-" he begins
when my doleful face impresses him,
suppose, and he hastily inquiries if an
cold or tired, or need any assistance
He looks so seriously alarmed that
humble out that / have lost-some
thing. "Just heres A ring, a brace
| letp I'll find it in a moment" he an
swers cheerily, and ray of hope come
back again to my halfdistracted mind
o, if / should find them, and keep m.
secret, vow inwardly that / will thinl
better of him than / have done for al
hour or so. He certainly is handsome
/ muse, and kind and gentlemanly, as h
brings handful after handful of wet sane
to the surface, laughing and tossin.
back his wet curls, and looking like
young water-god almost. To tell tn
truth, / don't blame Kate for her fame,
or him. If he were only as good as h.
| is handsome-but the "ifo died ava,
from my lips, and / am sure he is th,
best of men as see my missing treasur
| lying in his palm, and note the grave
I courteous look in his dark face as
awkwardly take them. Amy other MAJ
especially young man who had fount
SO unexpectedly a cross old woman
teeth-would have said something silly
or laugh at least. And when after s
moment with half-averted head / turn tt
thank him, and see only his vigorous
strokes twenty feet away, / own to my
| off that h;o Ia1,oo+a ohtuo 1ro,,o ooo due