St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-08-24
On the Maine Coast.

1t was off on the Maine coast, some
miles from any point considered eX-
posed to what is ordinarily termed the
rush of summer travel. Certainly the
idea of rush was something utterly
foreign to this blessed placidity of sky
and shore and sea. A few boldly out
lined rocks seemed to have been placed
along the shore for the purpose of keep
ing guard, but, like sentries in time of
peace, had rather lost the spirit of the
occasion, and were summing themselves
in lazy Indifference. A gray haze hung
over the sea, making impossible the
binding diamond glitter of Il sunny
day. Ones artistic soul was satisfied
with the quiet tone of the whole visi-
bile world. Everything was soothing,
everything was harmonious, everything
until, with shock that seemed to
break the delicious loneliness of the
scene, and scatter visions of eternal
quiet with sky and sand and sea, ones
startled eyes fell upon hlOtch of scar
let staring above Il fragment of rock
with an air of utter irrelevance, if not
of positive lrreVcrence. One felt rath-
cr than saw that it was parasol, Il
large red parasOl. 1t was so very large
and so very red that in this dignificd
calm it produced the effect that would
the sudden entrance, not to say
bounce, of Il rosy milkmaid into IA
circle of ;rSthetically cultured maiden
ladies. The thing might he good of its
kind, but it Jared it had too purely
a human interest. 1t was worse, even.
One might look at the sea as long as
one chose, but ones gaze would inev-
itably come back to that parasol. 1t
made one angry it was parvenu, i'm
pertinent, inSOlcnt.
The hopeless incongruity of thing
struck Jack Evans as he strolled NJ
the beach, with Il half-smoked Havana
hetween his teeth.
"Striped, too, by Jovel" he NUT
tered, as though the audacity of the
thing grew upon him. ''There can ht
hut one person under it; not that there
is physical impossibility of there be-
ing two'-and he smiled cynically as
one who has seen the folly of it-''but
these are the wilds of Maine, and tn,
woods are certainly not full of striped
red silk umbrellas. There's but one
woman in the village who owns such
harbaric article as that yonder, ant
she's alone. Nice day for an afternoon
on the sands-none of that confounde,
glare that sets your teeth on edge, anC
makes the lot of clam seem the Onl,
happy one, provided he's insure,
against being dug out. Rather gla,
! I'm not Il clam, though; general,
| speaking, beastly sort of life not to b,
able to walk around and look unde
red silk umbrellas. My ideas are Ger
tainly formulating themselves after th
fashion of Alice in the Wonderland
By the way, | wasn't at all sure that
had come out to look under that on
but it's rather borne in upon me at pres
ent that | haven't much to live for ex
cept the pleasure of making that girl
acquaintance. Might go back to tn
farm and get letter of introduction
| don't think she saw me at all sh
didn't look across the way Once-no
that that's any sign, though. | Onl
saw the parasol and the round of he
chin, and six-buttOn undressed kids, Il
she came down the walk Poetica
justice would demand that as | am
city dweller, weary of the haunts {
fashion and the giddy round of sociG
DltdSNlt- 1 sIlbull Stth ulNtESlOIl dli
true happiness in the society of a dairy
maid. But even city life has its ALE
= viations, and merely as a setting for
picturesque toilet, the country knock
the spots out of ballroom. Hor
the dickens does she come to be u
here alone, | wonder! Perhaps, aftt
all, she's a country beauty who Ia
been to boarding school. If thOs
, gloves should be the only pair she eve
had, and that parasol a wild dash aftt
the absurdities of fashion, and IL,
merely quietly accepted eccentricity
But it can't be; she's one of those pee
pie who always do right | know /
: her chin"
h Meanwhile Evans had tossed ava
his cigar, and drawn very near to IL
:. rock, on the other side of which 81
. the owner of the Parasol, but still 1
motion betrayed any knowledge of Il
approach. He had serious thoughts
- attempting a cOugh, but this time-hOl
ored device always struck him as al
) surd. Skipping stones would do as
make shift but he finally decide
upon more audibly crunching the san
under his feet. The mind the 9th
J side of the rock had meantime III
T been blank.