The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-11-08
THEIR COMMON BOND.


THEIR COMMON BOND.
Several explosive sneezes interrupted
Loye Travis as she added the last
touches of charming disorder to the
fringe of curling bronze hair which lay
on her forehead. AS a particularly
energetic "Ah-tish-oo!' rent the air,
and caused her to perform an invOl-
untary courtesy, her straight, dark
brows met in the thoughtful little
frown which was peculiar to her, and,
looking meditatively into the mirror
she observed that her blue-gray eyes
were infamed, and that her pretty
nose, with it's suspicion of tip-tilted,
ness, had, on this occasion, more than
a suspicion of redness.
Il can't have taken a cold," Loye
meditateG "Itmust be; yes, it is the
ffteenthof August.r' she exclaimed,
as shek aced at the calendar which
hung she wall Of her room. at
has 60" she announced, soiemnly,
as walked into the room where
the family were assembled at break
fast.
"What? The Day of Judgment, or
a ~cyclone?" demanded Kate, Loye's
younger sister.
"NOne of your fippancy, miss ~ re-
buked Loye. "What evil genius has
logged my footsteps since my earliest
teens, lying in wait for me, andpounc-
ing upon me with mathematical pre-
cision every year on the fifteenth of
August? What diabolical spirit, may
I ask you, holds me in its clutches
from that date onward, making me
sneeze, and gasp, and cough at its own
sweet will-(not mine, I assure you y
until frost releases me from captivity
'Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are, Il" Hay fever time again"""
she continued, with mock despair and
real veXation. But" frightening,
and speaking with sudden resolution :
otis we'll for us all that a region lies
Where the ~infusoria never rise,'
and I'm going there this summer I"
Mrs. Travis, Kate and Johnny stared
in amazement. Had Loye developed
latent lunacy? Only last evening
they had all assembled in solemn con-
clave to discuss ways and means to
pay the butchers bill, and here was
Loye coolly announcing that she was
about to take a pleasure trip
"How?" inquired Kate.
"'sherl take her knapsack on her back,
And travel on the railway track"
sang Johnny, in an irritating falsetto.
"You know I'd be glad to have you
60 to Michigan, OF to some of those
Northern States, dear, but began
Mrs Travis.
Eyes" interrupted Loye, 81 know
the family e%Xchequer is not filled to
overlooking. But I have a plan, and
if Kate and Johnny will stop glaring
at me as if I were two-headed lady,
I'll tell you about"
She accordingly unfolded her plan,
and, after many feeble jokes and much
scofing on the part of Kate and
Johnny, great perplexity on the part
of Mrs. Travis, and much triumphant
proving of points at issue on the part
of Loye, she won her mothers con-
sent to what she wished to do, and
cheerfully dispensed with the approval
of ieering Kate and Johnny.
X
One afternoon, late in August, Don
aid Traitor stood by the river at a
Wisconsin summer resort skipping
stones. AS he was sauntering along
the wooded banks Of the Lac la Belle,
its smooth expanse suggested a re-
newal, at thirty, of one of his boyish
sports at ten. Acting upon the sug-
gestion, he had collected a smallmoun-
tain of thin, smooth stones, and for the
past ten minutes or more had been
laboriously trying to make them skip
properly. But instead of giving the
graceful little leaps which Trafton had
expected them to do as a matter of
course, they Intellectually grazed the
surface of the river and then plunged
at once beneath. They made a pretty
show of sparkles and dancing rings on
the water, it is true, but they were not
by any means fulfilling the duty of
skipping stones. Donald paused and
ruefuily admitted that his success was
not brilliant. So evidently thought an
unseen spectator, for, to Trafton's
stu~pefaction, there swooped upon him
an apparition in an ivory flannel dress,
with a dark green sailor hat atilt on a
bronze confusion of curl and wave, and
a pair Of
"Eyes Of a deep, soft, lucent hue,
Eyes too expressive to be blue,
Too lovely to be gray"
met his with the direct gaze of a child,
while a sweet voice pleaded:
"Oh, please let me show yOu.."
AS Traitor turned, a slight redden.
ing. which would have been an unde.
niable blush in a fairer man, over,
spread his face, and he met the gaze OF
the pretty stranger with a look of re.
cognition and pleasure which was in
stantly suppressed. She did not notice
this look, however, for her fingers were
tingling Tor the skipping-stones as AT
artists may Jingle for pencil and brusl
when he sees them used by unskillfu,
hands. Traitor making no reply t.
her request, she again pleaded:
"Oh, do let me show you"
He yielded his place at once to the
ncognita in ivory-and-green, and, after
ruthlessly demolishing Trafton's care
fully-built mountain, she CLEANED from
the scattered stones a few that met
with her approval, and proceeded t.
"show" him. How pretty she looked
as she stopped poised on the bank, tax
ing careful aim! With her fringe OF
hair blown by the winds into count
less curly tendrils, her lashes resting
heavily on her cheeks like black SAITH
on peach blossoms, and resOlute littl'
dimples deepening at the corners O
her mouth, Traitor thought he hat
never seen anything more satisfactor.
to look upon.
In another instant the stone wa
thrown. A def turn of the wris
sent it spinningoverthe river, touching
it's surface and bounding onward fou
separate times. Incognita breathed
quick, satisfied sigh at the successful
accomplishment of her feat, and said
excitedly, "There Johnny himsel
couldn't have done better Then sh