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

ans while he was yet far up the beach.
Cant see any particular harm in max
| ing his acquaintance. | know all about
him. We're ont of civilization now,
besides. wonder if he'll take very
decided initiative. If he does not, he
isn't the man | think he is. OF course
he may stalk by, just as if he always
saw young ladies sitting on the sand in
| the immediate neighborhOod of the
forest primeval, but | don't believe it.,
and, to be perfectly frank | shall be
horribly disappointed if he does. In
deed, in that case | couldn't answer
for myself, | should very probably
throw something at him. He has
thrown away his cigar-that's a good
sign"
The sand grated harshly.
81 couldn't with any decency help
hearing that" and she dropped her
parasol in front of her, and glanced
around over her shoulder. 1t was ex-
cellently done-glances of any kind
were rather in her line. In this one
there was just the necessary curiosity
as to who might be the disturber of
her solitude, mingled with a not unnat-
ural surprise at its turning out to be an
intruder from the confines of cIviliZa-
tion, and over it all delicate shade of
utter indifference as to who this in
truder really was. What was it to
her, in any case? All this was in it,
and an instant sufiiced to deliver it.
Then she turned slowly away again,
raised her parasOl, and turned over a
leaf of her novel.
"NO pride of the village looked at
me that time" thought Evans. "That's
not the way the pride of the village
does it. | feel rather sat upon, yet
not utterly annihilated /; cast down, as
it were, yet not destroyed perplexed,
but not in despair. But what's to be
done next? One must be careful, very
OVERRIDING it. She has a pistol by her
side, and n box of cartridges, so it
seems little superfuous to offer her
any protection against the jellyfish.
Blood thirsty, | see. However, she
don't look like the sort of woman that
fires behind her by mistake, so Pm
probably safe where | am. Confound
her self-possession | feel like an ass.
can't stand looking ut this Internal
schooner much longer. | wish she'd
do something, or give me an opportu-
nifty to. I'd like to save the life of Il
girl with that profile, but she can't
very well fall off the sand. y
1t certainly seemed an unlikely sup
position. She was calmness, uncon-
seriousness, personitied. Not aggres-
sive Inconsistencies, that shows itself
in pretty little sudden turns of the
head, or twitches of refractory rib
hons there was no archness, no Shad-
ow of Il blush. She had been inter
rupted, but she had long ago forgotten
what the interruption had been, and
she had almost finished another page
of her book. Jack was rapidly near
ing the point where men adopt strange
and reckless eXpedients, with no
thought of dangerous consequences.
"There are but two alternatives left
for me to choose FROM" he said to him
self; ''no halfway measures will do.
Either | must pick her up and throw
her into the water, and then pull her
ont; or must walk on up the beach,
and not look back at her once. can't
bear to do the latter, but the former
seems severe, and she would never
forgive me if it should turn ont to he
unbecoming. Good heavens why
doesn't she help us both out ~
just ut this point some papers flut-
tered ont of the girls book, and sus-
picion of breeze found nothing bet
ter to do than to watt them toward the
water. Evans sprang forward and
picked them up, and for the first time
| looked the young lady full in the face.
a light color touched her cheek as she
took the bits of paper from his hand.
"Thank you," said she, with II quiet
little smile, and the subducd sunlight
shining through her lashes. ~ was
very stupid to let them 60" Then
she dropped her eyes on the page
again, us if there was nothing more to
be said, and he stood and looked al
her as if he thought there ought to he,
but didn't know what it was. But he
was resolved to have no more long
silenceS.
''This can't go on" he said at last
-''my standing here, you know, an'
you not looking at me"
She did look mt him then, and caugh
the smile which made Evans lady
friends so singularly obtuse to his Sc
rious faults of character; but her eyes
were on her book again as she replied
"No, suppose not"
"Not too encouraging. certainly,
thought Evans, grimly; "but perhap,
yes, think so-just encouraging
enough" So he tried again: "Th'
beach is rather deserted"
~ shouldn't call it deserted" sh,
said, slowly, raising her eyes again fa
enough to glance along its level line
at is not fair, | should say it wa
rather-unoccupied."
This was positive advance. Evan
initiated the Internal schooner, an,
tackled abruptly. "Will you shoot IN
if | sit down by you?n he asked
glancing ut her pistol. He was anXiou
to be on Il level with her and catch
, longer look at her eyes and chin.
''She smiled little. II never shoe
, at shorter distance than ten feet,
she said.
r "Then." he said, ''it would be simpl
r suicide for me to go on. The farthe
) off ! should be, the greater would b
the temptation"
| He stood looking wistfully down a
f her, but she did not reply at frs
Then she said, demurely, "You Nigh
| go the other way"
: 81 never retrace my steps," said Jac
boldly. 81 always fall with my feet t
/ the foe. Don't you believe in it ?" Ii
5 questioned, after a pause, during whic
' he felt rather than saw, the encourage
, ment of another little smile.
r at depends great deal upon III
5 boots" she replied.
e Evans was tempted to sit down o
7 the strength of this, but forebore lie,
T he should seem to take advantage {
t her levity. THAT principle seems t
=! me dangerous one" he said, gravel,
= ''Unswerving fidelity demands til;
y there should he no such exception