The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-09-27

his face turned wharfward.
Easiest thingin the world, to handle a
boat, If one only has little gumption.
eoliloquized Mr.. Dorman, as an hour
lat r, he leaned comfortably lack in
the stern sheet of the etaunch
little cat boat chat headed sea-
ward, the boom jibed we'll out, was run
n'nH directly before the strong souther-
~ breeze. And then, having lit his
pipe, the young man gave himself up to
II curious day dream in which the
wItvmng face OF Polly Preston, was the
prominent feature, for young Mr.. Dor.
man was in love-and Tor the the first
tine!
An hour passed. Then, Mr.. Dor.
mans reveric was abruptly not TO saw
rudely-broken. The boom jibed over
With such startling and fiendish sudden.
ness, that 1t banged Mr.. Dorman's head
and sent his hat with his pipe, spinning
to leeward!
,"Ow! was his involuntary but natur-
al exclamation, and it speaks we'll for
the young mans moral character that he
checked \ more impetuous ejaculation.
And, as with great difficulty, he got the
boat round, he saw that there was q
bank OF thunder clouds rising behind
the Covert hills, .presaging one OF those
sudden wind and rain squalls peculiar to
our coast.
OF his wrathful and eminently unsuc-
cesslul efforts to recover Ills hat, need
say nothing. 1t is sufficient to add, that
giving 1t up, after nearly half hours
striving in vain, Mr.. Dorman flattened
down the sheet which he Immediately
made fast to the cleat, in the securest OF
knots. And as the Wave, we'll over on
her side, went spinning along toward
the harbor mouth, the young man be-
gan to realize that In practice as in meta
phor, there is vast difference between
It. Now, us the storm clouds blotted out
the sun, and a livid lightning flash was
followed by rattling thunder peal, Mr..
Dorman should have emulated the ex-
ample Of the fitting coasters and fisher
men everywhere in sight, aud shortened
sail at once.
But he was anxious to reach the har-
Dor mouth before it began to rain.
For OF course there wont be any
W: nd to speak Of" he added half aloud,
when all at Once-with rush and a
roar that filled the air with dust, and
flying leaves from the bending trees on
the eh ore, the squall struck! Aud the
sheet being f,st. the unvarving result
followed. In another moment, the Wave
was upside down. ami drenched young
man cl!nging convusively to the keel,
was being drifted seward, as fast as
wind and tide could carry him!
At the sound of the first thunder peal,
Polly, who with much apprehension.
had been watching the coming squat,
ran up stairs to Mr.. Dorman's room.
which commanded grand outlook over
tho sea, with her fathers old fashioned
the open window, she stopped to pick
up some scattered papers which the
wind had dis!odged from the table.
~ pom my word" exclaimed Polly
a|ouiin an Undesirable TONE For before
her upon a sheet of drawing paper was
Poily's own exquisite face with its broad
white forehead. about which. clustered
thick tendril-like rings Of dark hair, and
eyes Of unfathomabie depth, and under
meath, was written:
-"Polly carissima."
II wonder what 'carissima' means
she said very softly, with tender light
filling her eyes. as she laid the drawing
on the table, and turned to the window
Adjusting tie glass with fingers that
tremblcl visibly, Polly looked seward,
just rs great gust of wind tearing across
the harbor. its roar almost drowning
the terrible bass of the thunder peal!
Ono minute she ga8ed, and then az
little cry escaped her white lips. the
glass fell to the floor, and Polly few
swiftly down stairs.
"Joe!-Joc!.. she cried, but alas, Joe
had sought shelter from the storm while
| her mother was away somewhere, max
ing neighborly cali.
Only brief moment Of hesitation,
ard then Polly sped out through the
driving rain toward the wharf of ca.
ble's length distant. where lay her own
pet row boat. And five minutes later
the boat itself was flying toward the har.
Dor mouth through the driving spray
and storm, impel|ed by the light oar ir
| the hands of young girl whose supple,
white wrists seemed for the time to hold
an athlete power.
II could not have hung on many min
utes longer" quietly said Mr.. Do,man
as an hour afterward, he pulled the boa
| back toward Covert with r. lily drenuuIC
to the skin, very much exhausted and
| strangely quiet, sitting in the stern, anC
the look which accompanied his word!
was more eloquent than speech.
| "No" returned Polly, dreamily. "Mr
| Dorman," she continued trifie abrupt
| ly-"what does 'carissima' mean?"
| The Young man started visibly, ant
then bending his eyes on Pollv's Grim
sen,ng face, he said:
| 1T means that TO me you are the dear
est thing in existence" And Polly coule
only hide her bushes by placing be-
hands before her face, while her heart
was !o%@ti:s with a strange tumu't # joy
my own Polly carissima." Mr.. Dor
man repeated this over and over again
IN dazed sort of way, while in the sol
itude of his own room, he went through
the prosaic operation of making the ne
cessary changes Of raiment conseQuen
upon u thorough ducking. For, as the,
| parted at the bottom of the stairs, Poll!
had shyly whispered something in an
swer to the fervent appeal and the re
membrance of her words had zaade hin
.ose his head altogether.
Hence 1t was, that when the loop o
his dress coat caught on the head of
rusty nail at the back of the old oakel
ward robe, Mr.. Dorman. in place a
carefully unlocking the same, twitcllet
q; it impatientIy, thereby bringing
down loose board with startling clat'
ter. And when little alterward, Mr. 3
Preston and Polly ran up to his room il
obedience to his excited call, they fount
him staring at some half dozen huleint
mou'dy buckskin bags, that he hat
ranged on the table as he he had draw,
them from the hidden recess.
"The Preston treasurer exclaimed
Polly's mother turning very pale, an<
sitting down with excited sud,ie ness il
tie ne Arrest chair. And so it was i,
truth! Each bag contained hundred
gold guineas, and there were six o
them.
And so you are an heiress after all
Polly" said Mr.. Dorman with litt:!
smile. as they stood together in the sof
twilight, on the viue-covered porch, lis
tening to the voice of the sea whose lu!
laby had hushed Polly into sleep since
her earliest infancy.
"Yes"- answered Polly simply, as sh,
slid her small hand into his own-"bu
You won't think any less Of me, MI
Dorman?"-This rather anxiously.
III try not, Polly,"-was the Qrav'
answer.-"if you'll promise not to thinl
any the less of me, because hapDen t,