Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-06-02
BY THE SEA.

When Capt. Thompson built a mod
est seaside dwelling he had no end OF
wife's sisters coming to stay with
him. He liked it, or them-some of
them. If only one of them would
come at time! He was too old to
enjoy the stiff breeze such company
created. He preferred Bella. pre-
fer her myself. She may be twenty
six; a sensible, gracious woman.
Where pretty sisters are, somebody's
nice brothers will be. Older men and
graver came to smoke with the cap
tain. One of them was certain
Royal Mcmillan, who, from crude
youth, had mellowed into rare kind
of man, they said who knew. The
tide in his affairs that leads to fortune
had not long been flood; but he took
frequent periods of what more am
bilious men would call spendthrift
recreation. Being homeless man,
without ties, he was easily persuaded
by merry hearted Mrs. Thompson to
stay with them awhile; then another
while; then all the while he pleased.
He was certainly pillar of support
where the girls were concerned, one
to whom nothing was trouble or
difficulty born man of affairs. The
girls, admiring his stately figure,
charming temper, and the income,
were inclined to love him also; even
the more, when he evidently detected
this disposition and was amused by
it. Blu. at last drawn off in other
ways, they left him to himself, I'M
less, when he now and then fell to the
companionship of Bella, who cha
peroned the parties when Mrs.
Thompson did not 60.
Well, as they knew each other it
was a. rare occurrence to be walk
ing, as they were a certain superb
morning, on the hard sand, the long.
green rollers breaking twenty feet
away at their right, five miles before
them of delightful footing, the light
house the goal. They were friendly
enough to talk or not, as they pleased,
and as Bella was the only one who
had not sought or avoided him. he
felt easy in her presence; so easy that,
like his old jacket, he didn't think
about it.
At first they talked of the West,
and Mcmillan, who was sometimes
retrospective, when he could get any
one to listen, had been rather GUNNER
ciful in anecdotes of his boyhood,
when he suddenly broke long 81
lence by saying:
"Is there anything more idiotic
than the behavior of two people un
der the delusion called love? Look
at the couple before us. They have
forgotten we are behind; or, do they
suppose they are acting like civilized
people?" -.
ITO me it is touching" But she sud
denly gave a Suppressed exclamation
of contagious mirth, in which ne
Joined.
us it anything particular, Miss
Summers?"
II was reminded of something"
so was /; do you know I feel con-
victed by secret guilt. / suspect we
have both been fools. If you will
not laugh much, I should like to tell
kind Of adventure OF my own"
II can sympathize to any extent in
q romance"
81 suppose you will call it ro-
nance. l wonder myself how it
could have happened. 1t was at the
Centennial. I had been lounging
about the grounds all day delight
ed in the people-and was resting on
a shady bench, when there appeared
q remarkable pair-father and daugh-
ter, I concluded. They, too, sat down
to rest. He was distinguished
looking man, with white mustache;
she was the most beautiful girl I ever
saw in my life. Your pretty sister
Eve reminds me Of her sometimes;
but this was creature divine. l sat
and devoured her with my Western
gaze, while her companion asked me
some questions. And when she
turned her eyes full on mine, as she
did, presently, I went down-under
the waters" He stopped.
3Go on" said she.
MAY I have cigar Miss Sum
mersY
sIwas going to suggest it"
"Well. / do not know how to go on
without giving you the idea that she
was too easily wooed. You Northern
women are so frostys and perhaps
Won cannot understand"
81 do, perfectly"
II was able to be OF some service &c
her guardian and we we're constantly
together after that first day. he
soon found out all about me, and he
even left her with me for hours. !
reached desperate point that week
.Did you not know her name?'
sThe old gentleman gave me his
card, and though I have it yet 1 have
never been able to read that name
It was foreign one, and scrawled
abominably. (. I said something al
near it as / could get, and was never
corrected. She took the card ano
wrote 'Sybylla;' and Sybylla | called
her. I made few attempts to find
out about them; but our time was
short, and she plainly told me she
did not wish me to know who they
were. I was to take tbs present and
be patient. It was useless to love
her, she said; she was bound by 90.
1.I. ~bo on,,11 not hraak If