Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-07-01


How can you help it oh, why
doesn't he make love to me that way!"
Nonsense. Felicia; he makes the
same sort of love to every girl he meets,
I suppose"
''I don't suppose anything of the
kind"
The following day the wind turned
east, drizzling lazy rain set in, blot
ting out everything, and obliging them
to fold their tents and take refuge in the
little Sea. shell House at hand: and by
night all the powers of the air were
abroad; the air seemed to beat and bel
low under their very windows, the wind
whipped it into fine feathers of spray.
and the darkness was Ike garment,
There was gray sickly dawn creeping
up the sky, when Stella, looking from
her window, saw in the distance the
outlines of a wragged wreck painted
boldly against the horizon, and the
shore swarmiug with people moving
shout uncertainty.
''Oh, Stella" cried Felicia, "here's a
real shipwreck! Let us put on our
wraps and creep down to the shore, and
hear ali about it. / wouldn't miss it
for worldsi'
Felicia's teeth were chattering might
lily as they took their way to the shore,
and mingled among the groups Of men
and women.
She'll go to pieces in no time at all, y
some one was prophesying. Jim saw
folks a-clinging to the masts and things,
with his glass"
That's q master glass of his'n," said
another. "But amt they going to for to
do nothingr ~
They've sent out lifeline; but it
amt no pleasant places that lines fallen
into, let me tell you. jim he was a. GO
ing with it but for me and the children.
I'm powerful glad he didn't"
Girls! girlsi" cried Mr.. Martin,
bustling up, ''this is no place for you.
Better go back to your beds. Trying
scene. None of these men would
carry out the line to save soul. Aud
enreid has gone out with it himself-a
terrible risk. So much hriiliancy and
cultivation, SO much wit and experience,
as good as thrown away. They'll have
to pull the line In presently, no doubt,
and it would be painful for you to be
here, my dears, after so much pleasant
companionship. Oh. Stella! Stella! my
dear girl"
Stella had tainted away.
1t was a stirring morning that fol-
lowed at the little Sea-shel1 house, pro-
viding for the rescued, listening to their
story, and talking over the event. When
Stella left her room, about noon, she
was net by fsherman's wife bringing
her sealed note. 81 found it in the
pocket of Jim's pea-acket, and / made
out how it was Tor Miss Stella Ames,
and they told me you were the lady as
tainted on the beach," she explained.
" You see, Jim has gone for the doctor
up to town, and he changed his coat
first to look ship-shape like"
''Thank you," said Stella. Who
can have written to me here?" as she
tore it open and read:
" l am going to carry the lifeline out
to a shipwrecked crew. Ishall probably
never return alive, but it is their only
chance. While you are dreaming on
your pillow l shall, perhaps be tasting
the bitterness of death and parting.
Verify, death is this'-to see you no
more till the sea gives up its dead. Ny
darling, my darling, let me have the
happinessiof repeating love you, love
you, Stella. Goodbye, sweetheart,
goodbye"
John AUDENREID.
Then she turned to the torn envelope
addressed to Miss Stella Ames, Sea-
shell House. To be given her only in
case L never return" The revelation
was premature. Colonel Audenreid had
returned, but so spent that she doctor
had been summoned from town. Mr..
Martin took his family back to Martin
vale, but Colonel Audenreid remained
at the seaside fortnight longer under
treatment. In the mean time, Stella
went home-home for Stella meaning at
tendance on the whims of a wealthy
hypochondriac, with a small stipend,
without relaxation. One morning the
post brought her a letter from Felicia.
Perhaps it contained news of Colonel
Audenreid. 1t did with vengeance.
DEAREST STELLA" (it began)-
How odd that the very thing l wished
should come to passi I'm almost
daft. To think that, after all my non
sense, it should be me-myself little
insignificant, near-sighted Felicia Mar
tin, whom Colonel Audenreid asks to
marry him! | can hardly believe my
ears; and all-the while / believed he
was smitten with your charms. How
glad am that you didn't care for him
You must be my bridemaid. Mamma
says it shall be white satin and pearls.
Yours, in the seventh heaven,
g FELICIA"
"P. S.-After all, he doesn't make
quite the ideal lover 1 fancied-he is so
respectful. and-not at all gushing, you
know By the way, you never told me
how you came to faint that night of the
wreck"
1t was no wonder that Mrs. Davis
found Stella distraught that day, talking
at random, ab5ent-eyed and fantastic in
her moods. What did it all mean?
Why had Colonel Audenreid written
her that note if he loved Felicia, and
why was he going to marry her if he
loved somebody else? Didn't he know
that she had received his message of
lover Or did he mean simply to ignore
it, having seen fit to change? From
living in state of happy excitement,
when every footstep in the street below
might be Colonel AuGenreid's, who was
Fastening to repeat the burden of his
note, Stella was suddenly brought down
to earth, to the dull certainty that
nothing more was ever likely to happen
to her, that there had been some dread
tul mistake somewhere, which had lent
her days a rose-color for little willie,
to be sure, only to leave them grayer
and more forlorn than before.
All at once she remembered with a
shudder that Colonel Audenreid's fatal