The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-08-19
SELECTED STORY
A Hauled Mealer.
SUSAN COOLIDGE.
[Harper's Bazar.l

with that magical briliancy when III coast
regions follows as eclipse OF mist. Inc is
lands in the bay raised their clear forms out
of the intense blue water. Beyond, the
Gouldsboro hills shimmered IN SOFT outlines.
Close at hand like boat decked and built
by fairies, lay yacht arrived SINCE the night
before her masts and spars hung
with strings of many colored fluttering flags
outlined against the deem green of the Bar
Island cliff Even the prosaic village with
its thickly Widowed barracks and its UNI
compromising white painted hotels, took
certain charm from the charmed light, and
the air, mingling~ the perfume Of the sea
with that of numberiess wild roses, seemed
to breathe from paradise.
Robert Arnold stood in the doorway OF
Rodick's hotel, taking in the scene. Moth
ing but fog had been visible on his arrival
the night before, and all was new and inter
esiing. His eyes dwelt with delight upon
the plumy islands, the Illuminated yacht
the exquisite blues and ocean greens, and
noted with amazement and curiosity the sin
gularities of Bar Harbor architecture. Fresh
from long course of study in Swiss semina-
ries. and German mining schools, America
to- him was less the land of his birth than
problem to be investigated.
America and Americans. He had been at
home too short time to be familiar with
elmer. anu Ills SHY ANU SiuutOuo udDibo anu
lack of familiarity with society were a bar
rier to easy acquaintance. He fingered now,
watching wi b yelled interest he crowd de
scending to breakfast. Papas and mammas,
with their broods of lively, noisy chi ldren;
college students, brown with tan aud mus
cular with oar practice; girls innumerable,
ia all STYLES of blonde and brunette, but all
pretty, as it seemed to him, marvelously
pretty, and wonderfully well dressed, with
ease of manner and aplomb such as no 9th
er girls of his limited experience had ever
possessed, There was a difficulty in this
universal prettiness. Like bee in wilder
ness of flowers, his eyes lowered over the
broad field of beauty stated by possibility and
puzzled where to alight, while gay good
mornings were exchanged, and an increas-
ing clatter from the dining room beyond
showed that the morning meal was well un-
der way.
rac,iing sound attracted his attention !;
and looking OFT he beheld most astonish-
ing carriage drawing up at the door of the
hotel. Ii was simply broad elastic plank
swung between four wheels, fitted with a
couple of seats, and drawn by a rough, small
horse-a blackboard" in short, familiar
enough to New England eyes, but a most re-
markabe vehicle to those of Robert Arnold,
who had never before seen anything like it
in any quarter of the globe. Its occupant,
beside the boy who drove it, was young
lady in careless wrap or shawl and hat
tied on 'anyhow" over a thick knot of au-
burn chestnut hair, who descended without
a word, and foated past him without a
glance, but whose face and air produced
sudden excitement in the breast of our
young metallurgist.
'.Who was that?' be demanded of the no.
tel clerk, true son of the SOIL who, avail
ing himself of brief leisure, had come out
to snuff the morning gale
"That?-who? Oh, her. She's one of them
hauled mealers."
Zone of-what did you say?"
"Mealers-hauled mealers."
s'What under heaven is a hauled mealer2"
demanded Robert, completely mystified.
The clerk surveyed him with contempt,
but slightly tinged with pity.
'Why. where were you brought up?" he
said. ''Hain't you never heard before OF a
meaer? Mealers sleep out and come in for
meals. When they're hauled in buckboards
like that one, they're hauled mealers.
See? Guess you amt one of our country
people ..Ie. o., w.s horn ons at least. b0,
it's Is years since I've been in the United
States, and never came to Mt. Desert, and
never heard of mealer. Do you know this
lady name?"
swell, yes, but it's kind of slipped my
memory for The moment. Musty-Mustard
-Musgrove. That's it-Mss. Musgrove.
She's staying over to one of them small cot
tages on the bank, and she's made an ar
rangement with Ira Higgens's folks to be
hauled down to her meals"
By happy chance, as Robert considered
il, he found himself, when he strolled into
belated breakfast, seated opposite the ''haul'
ed meaer." She seemed TO have no party
l,,,+o mir in hluQ hOa ting
suit had pulled chair close to hers, and
was chatterine away in girl fashion, while
Miss Musgrove trifed with her toast,
and languidly stirred a cup OF ambiguous
coffee.
With every glance he veptured Robert
found her face more and more interesting.
Not beautiful exactly, not grlish exactly.
but fair with youth and the full fairness OF
womaphood. There was an arch softness in
the mouth sweet gravity in the beautiful
" set dark brown eyes. The chestnut hair
rippled like the bair of Greek bust. The
very turn of the elbow and curve of the
slender wrist were full of character and
grace. Her morning dress of creamy wool
en- stuff, with only knot of yellow lace un-
der the collar, was simple enough. NO orn-
ament, no contrast; but it suited her, and
that is all that any dress can do for any
woman. To the rest.she added the charm
of a delightful voice, low, clear, expressive,
and when she laughed it was more delight
full still.
'sBut you will come" he heard the girl
say, coaxingly.
'rm not sure. 1 have something to do
this morning"
sob, don't do it. Let it 60 for this one
day. We want you so much.
mot as chaperon, surely. Your sister
is going with you"
"No, not as chaperon. We want you
for yourself. Do come, Lila"
SO that is her name-and pretty
one, too. Liliace@, the lily genus; she is
rather like garden lily" meditated Master
Robert, while apparently deep in his break
fast.
"Well, Sue, I'll consider the matter, and
send word over by II O'clock, said the flute
voice opposite.
ious that that means you won't co." pouted
the other. =.
"No; it only means that am not sure"
The two rose and went out together. Ro-
bert heard the rattle of the blackboard as it
dashed down the street, and thought, AT
dinner she will be here again"
But neither at dinner, tea, nor breakfast
did the fair vision appear; and when the
buckL GARD drove up, it brought only little
maid. who delivered a message, aud present.
" drove away again with a tray of breakfast.
1t was not till dinner of the second day that
he had another glimpse Of the lady who had
occupied his thoughts during considerable
portion of the interval. She wore black now
which suited her as well as white she look
ed pale. and Robert heard something of a
headache, but her smile was undimmed, and
her voice as sweet as ever.
A fortnight passed, and the situation re-
NAMED unchanged. Shy by nature and stiff
by habit Robert made no advances to the
closer acquaintance of his fair neighbor at
table. A bow when she entered the room,
another bow when she left it-that was all;
vet gradually there grew over him sense
of intimate acquaintance with her. He knew
her dresses, her attitudes; he guessed at her
moods, and followed the slight and mobile
changes of her charming face. Miss Mus
grove neither detected nor suspected this
close observation on the part of her silent
vis-a-vis She saw only gentleman-ike,
taciturn young man, absorbed in his break
fast or his dinner "Raiher an uncommon
face" she said to herself, mot quite Amer
ican,' and then she for cot him. She usually
brought book or newspaper with her to
table, and busted herself with it when no
one was sitting with her; but this as not
often, for she had large following of young
girls, who were forever running across the
room to discuss plans or whisper important
secrets. Several of these girls were pretty,
and more than one bit of graceful by-play