Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-05-27

EhIt wv Ou. quite SURF
And then, If We swamped the boat. when
the tide rises there would be nothing but
drowning before US. If YOU will put your
arms round my neck. | will undertake to
swim ashore with you. If | can. But No'
No. Then all we have to do" said Colonel
Mastinsux, sis to make the time short for
each other till the returning tide floats US
off," and he took his seat beside her in the
boat.
Agatha burst into tears. ..Oh, how dread
full how dreadful :" she sobbed. What
will my aunt--what will all the world say p
why do YOU care what they say. so long
. as il was unavoidable. and our own conseien-
ces are at ease' All. be quiet will you dis
tress me? And he took down one of her
little hands. and then kept il. AFTER all"
he said. lit is nothing TO a night | had when
We were out in the Sioux country" And
before Agatha was quite aware Of il, with
the tears still sparkling on her cheeks. and
her eyes like the late August stars tina, were
shining over them. she was looking up and
listening. all absorbed. He broke off sud
denly with laugh. and began to sing, the
rich notes Of his voice rolling and echoing
| on the woody shores.
II have heard the song before. but it new
er sounded like that" she said /. and then. as
he sang, another was singing too, and he
ceased while her voice rose in the dusk as
If in the clear height of its resonant, and glo-
rious soprano it sought companionship with
the very stars tha, seemed to stoop and lis
ten.
What a delicious night that was Watts
of woody fragrance stole from shore 10 shore
and crossed them on the way the soft low
breeze curled around the water Tapped be-
low the darkness sown with stars, seemed
to Agatha like the courts that one might
thread and tread before entering heaven.
BY -and-hy he was telling her of all the dan
gers and exposures OF his homeless. loveless
life-;elling his hopes. his fears. his thoughts;
and she was oonhdIng 10 him the little event
less story Of her own wears; and then the
sweet bell notes we're blown from the dis
iant town. telling the hour Of midnight.
They were singing again now. Agatha
had forgotten abou; her trouble and apprc-
hcnsion. She no longer remembered TO
care what her aunt would saw or 10 dread
Mrs. Jullan's sneer or lielen's eyes let her
aunt turn her adrift, she should at any rate,
have had this night-this unay oldabe, this
innocent. this happy night She listened
TO him with thrill after thrill Of pure Joy,
and nov she joined him. and now she sang
alone again and a. she paused both her
hands lay in one Of his ; his arm about
her his face was close Upon her own. ''Oh.
my darling, my lI,tle darling - he was say-
ing and she was letting him say il. did
YOU think that from the moment first
heard tha, voice did not love the singer
did not mean TO make her mine. If mortal
power could do it. You have been hard,
hard. hard, to win but at last, at last,
have done II 80
The moon was rising now-lust -lanting
her rod horns over the dark tips of the
woods; the long level light stole slowly
from reach 10 reach Of the river, from the
shore Of island to island /. the great dropping
elms rose and fell Ike weird fountains Of
shadow the stars grew pale They sat
ba;hed in the full lustrc Of the waning
moon, a. she rode lou and filed the slole,
heavens with her strange glory.
Well" cried a VOC. below them las
YOU couldn't return to me. Il have come 10
YOU :" And looking over the side Of the
steep rock. ihry saw Roger in hi. boat. You
have idea Of the etfcc; Of your appear
ance." he cried, "Memmon Vas nothing to
IL Throned there ON the rock in the moon
light, the hole thing about YOU Is ike the
grand transformation scene al the theatre
1T - grand transformation scene" said
Mas;ineux. III changes the theatre of both
our lives. Up With you, Roger
"Ea.ier said then done" answered Roger.
NO the tide will fow in an hour or 80,
and bring me nearer your level. And then,
between the two Of Us. Agatha can be let
down. and YOU can follow. lntermediately
shall take the floor Of my boat for a nap"
But although II vas two hours instead Of
one that passed, Il vas little more than
breathing space to Agatha before she found
herself suspended in mld-air moment, and
then dropped into Rogers grasp. and seated
in the stern Of his boat. Roger lifted his
oars 10 turn the boat about " Wait bit,
said VIII Mastineux. do YOU remember
the stone parsonage and chapel in the village
up the river2 Head for that, il you please,
Cousin Roger
Aha" said Roger. with low whistle; is
it that BY George, Mastineux, if you're
no, great fellow for putting thing through
Agatha, my child. have YOU consented to this
Sabine business p
Il don't know-l don't understand-I
never thought"
tip the nser'" cried Mas,ineux.
Wedding songs the birds are singing"
cried Roger for now the birds, whose faint
pipings had stolen across the deeper dark,
were filing the dusky air on either bank with
music. Wedding bells will soon be ringing
declare, i, makes me break into poetry as
if my name were Wegg" And he headed the
boat up stream with the flowing tide that
began TO brighten from the slowly brighten
ing and mysterious east, where great
morning star was hanging.
II was the fall, rich. golden atmosphere Of
sunrise in which they rowed down river at
length, after the brief call at the stone chapel,
lettering along the way, and slipping, as they
went, over Table Rock itself, that nov again
was hidden by the tide The breakfast bell
was ringing, and Mrs. Odiorne came bustlng
out on the piazza where the Others had col
lected-Mrs. Julian, with vide open, insolent
ewes. Miss Harvey, with her most simple
minded abstraction. and Helen and the girls.
and Judge Oldfeld, who had come to spend
the night-and turned to survey the scene
Just as the boat touched the garden steps.
Agatha went up, trembling, between her two
companions, with the bushes streaming
over her face.
Agatha Agatha Odiorne :" screamed
her aunt, as she stepped on the piazza a.
i, possible YOU dare"
stop, stop, mother" cried Roger.
"One moment, Mrs. Odiorne," said Col
onel Mastineux, in that voice OF his that al
ways commanded everybody. pray, for
give our escapade for the short time We
main. We leave in the noon train for our
own home; and in the meantime-"Ah,
Oldheld, is, that YOU? Let me have the
pleasure of presenting you to Mrs. Masti
neux - HarPer's Bazdr.
A drunken Scotch parishioner was ad-
monished by his his parson. Il can go into
the village concluded the latter, land
come home again without getting drunk"
"Ah. meeDester. but I'm sac popular :" was