The Osceola times., 1880-12-25

a single bound, as it seemed, he was by |
Marions side.
"Are YOU hurt he cried. "By heav-
ems. There is another ball left for me if
you are"
But Marion, with the same hasty red
staining her cheeks for the second time
since | had known her, had started back
and, conscious that all eyes were on them,
laughing, held up the end of the little
lock of hair the ball had sheared. Il
heard it whistle" she said.
"How tragedy treads on our heels this
summer" exclaimed Sallie.
"But we escape him." said Marion,
lightly, and passed on, as Raymonde
stepped aside, STOPPING presently to ca
ress the spaniel that, by jumping on Ray
monde as he stood waiting, had been a
cause of possible disaster. There was no
more shooting that evening, but | saw
who caught and hid the lock Of hair the
bullet cut away.
Day by day went by, and Marion swept
along with the same indifferent beauty,
dancing, and driving, and bowling, and
rowing, and strolling with this one and
the other, and never observing Ray
monde's existence other than when
sometimes that rebellious red again
flushed her cheeks, or she laughed more
gaily than usual when she felt rather
than saw his presence. Meantime all
Raymonde's old-time sweetness went; he
had neither smiles nor interest for any;
he no longer paused " look over my
sketching board, with the old pleasant
words, although he sometimes caught
Charlotte's baby and tossed it in the air,
if the nurse went by with it as he sat on
the smoking piazza with his cigar. The
children missed him in the bathing cove,
and the amateur players in the hall; and
gossipers on the porches were busy with
him, you may be sure. But he gave no
sign Of leaving. | had kept my observa-
tons to myself, and, except to think him
stony-hearted for being so untouched by
the lovliness of the woman whose life he
had saved, and then again 40 nearly
taken, as to make no more advances, l
had allowed them as little thought as
possible; and no one else ever coupled his
name with Marion's, even in thought, /
suppose and 50 the gossipers were none
the wiser. /, to be sure, had never had
any experience in love affairs, but
knew enough to mind my own business,
give Raymonde piece Of my mind, and
Marion II dreadful taking down.
Suddenly, in the midst of the pleasur,
ing, We awoke one day to find that there
had been frost; and although, as the
sun mounted, it was still warm and
genial, everybody felt that summer and
pleasuring were at an end. The luggage
came down as If 1t had wings, and the
air, so to say, was full Of flying trunks,
A few, however, yet remained, and
among them Mrs. Mercer and her suit 0,
she awaiting her husband and the cluster
of more intimate friends. Marion APP
peared to be- in fever to get away; but
Raymonde said to me that he should
stay as long as the house was open, for
he had always enjoyed the Indian sum-
mer by the sea. And he went on paint
ing in the morning and cunning in the
afternoon, some one or other of the gen.
tlemen going with him, and We could
hear the puff of their rifles echoing away
in the fairy music all along the shore.
1t was tho most perfect day that last
one we went out, and went, Us il ch8nced,
alone. All the distant marshes and
woody thickets were blazing with gold
and carlnin6 under the softest violet
haze, and a silver sheen hung over the
sea like a stretch of gauze, behind or
through which phantom sails slipped by.
For a time we heard the rifle here and
there, at least we might have heard it;
did; and then there was a pack peddler
with smuggled laces and shaWls at the
door, and We were so occupied In trying
to get something for nothing, with the
true feminine instinct, too, in some of us
for smuggling that sunset was on us in
no time, its wide blush dying out pres
emily in grarsness and mist that before
we rose from the tea table had settled
over everything like rain, and through
which no star was to be seen.
"'Rain on the food, nothing but scud;
Rain on the ebb, as well go to bed"
quoted Mr.. Munson. "It's going to be a
storm Of quality if that holds good"
1t was gloomy evening, and after the
landlady assured us that we were going
to have the equinoctial, as we should see
when the tide turned, and it still rained
and blew, and we might then expect a
giori0us surf, We went to our rooms early,
and were surprised 70 hear, when We
awoke next day TO find wild gallo blow.
ing with gusts of sleety rain, that Mr..
Raymonde had not returned. However,
he had undoubtedly found shelter in
some hut along the beach, they said; and
after the mail coach, an hour late, came
in, we addressed ourselves to our various
tasks, having yainly tried 70 penetrate
the thick weather, which hid even the
first white line of the breakers. | saw
Marion, in her waterproofs, go out for
wreste with the tempest, which suited
her defiant mood; but she was quite
powerless in it, and came back, half
blown on her way by the blast, and wet
with the flying spray and foaia flakes rs
well as with the rain. An hour or two
later, as one by one of the gentlemen,
and of the men about the place, came in
and threw off their cloaks and overalls,
we found that there had been some un-
easiness in the house concerning Mr..
Raymonde, which was increasing, and
presently that was the one theme of con-
yersatioD.
II did not need much urging to cause
exploring parties to rangs up and down
the shore; and as did not care straw
for what any one said did not hesitate
to urge. But by nightfall they had all
returned, unsuccessful, and the rain was
still lashing the panes, the wind bowling
round the house, while the roaring and
pounding OF the susf made it impossible
to hear any other sound II one put ones
head outside the door. And the storm
and darkness did not diminish the anxi-
sly about Mr.. Raymonde, when those
who knsv this region stated that there
was no shelter on oil tbs shore, except it
should be some casual gunner's t6nt, and
as for that, no tent could have resisted