Omaha daily bee., 1884-04-19

HTst, IKE n partlCOlOreu ray OF lght, and
in a moment was striking out deity and
strongly, now over a wave, as If born to
the manner of it. Farther and farther
she went out, as il triumphing in the dis.
turbance of wave.crest and floating spray:
then the horn blew. Mamma on the
shore was in an agony and screamed.
Both she and the horn might just as we'll
have been silent, for the wind was blow.
ing s~horewards and the girl could evid.
emily hear nothing but the tumbling and
the dashing of the waves. l looked about
for the usual man in the boat; he was
padding away calmly 100 yards off. The
horns blew and blew and q small crowd
of urchins and fsherwomen assembled
Enid was getting farther and farther
away, although she was striking hard for
wherewith he might have gone out, and
moreover, as he was old enough to be n
grandfather, would have been of very
little use had he done 30. Mamma was
screaming and crying with the water over
her akles and Enid was evidently fast
losing strength. A scream from her de.
termined me.
81 tore off my coat and waistcoat and
plunged in. l am q good swimmer. l re.
member a long battling with the waves,
a graphing with something heavy, but
nothing more till l found myself lying on
my stomach on the sand, a crowd of PEG.
Pile around me and two men vigorously
engaged in pumping the water out of me
according to the rules prescribed by tbs
Humane Society.
"'ll revientl ii revientp were the first
words l heard. where is the young la.
dy2' were the first words l uttered.
"'Quite safe, sir; quite safe, thanks to
you, was the answer. Il don't know how
to express my thanks to youfor your gal
liant conduct
"The speaker, of course, was Euid's
mamma, 30 l murmured out of a few
common-places about having done what
any other fellow would have done under
similar circumstances and so forth,
and as soon as | felt well enough, made
the best of my way home through the
crowd.
"Of course this led TO my making the
acquaintance of Enid and her mamma,
whose name was Mountjoy; for, although
| would willingly escaped the prominence
into which my deed of momentary enthu-
siasm was sure to bring me, l felt under
an obligation to ask after Miss Mountjoy
and moreover was smitten with her. So
I dlned with them at their hotel and
went about with them as if we were
acquaintance of many years standing.
l think Mrs. Mountjoy must have made
some inquiries about me before permit
ting this intercourse, for abe was one CT
those proud, naughty women who do not
even deem the saving Of q daughters
life an excuse for STOPPING to gush and
extra gratitude, and l remember the
smallest p%erceptible curl in her lips when
my name was announced as plain Jones.
She was very severe on the plain 'snops'
and harmless holiday folk, and people
who dined early and who did not dress
according to the Partisan fashion sheets;
she was brimful of society and society's
doings, and knew more about dear
duchesses' and charming lords than any
woman l aver met with who condescend-
ed to spend a summer holiday at such q
plebeian watering place as Boulogne.
However, we got on very well to.
gether. l was the more enchanted with
Enid the more I knew of her, and l
tiattered myself that my ardent devotion
was not unreciprocated. Still l had not
pluck enough to make any serious ad-
vances, much less to put the a%ll-import-
ant question, although l had plenty of
opportunities, MS Mrs. Mountjoy, being
Of b ponderous physique, was not given
to much active exercise, and Enid and ]
were left constantly alone.
cat length the period of my holiday
was drawing to q close, and l felt that if
the step was to be taken it must be taken
soon.
"Enid had q hobby. She suffered
from acrostics on the brain. Every week
a pile of papers arrived from England
society papers which Mrs. Mountjoy de-
voured for their fashionable news, and
Enid tor their acrostics, and her excite
ment every week as the correct solvers
appeared was amusing to me, who had
hitherto regarded acrostics as simple pux-
zles for young folk.
But when | was introduced to the
formidable array of reference books, quo
tation books, gazetteers, geographical,
biographical and other dictionaries, when
| often found Enid with q severe frown
seated at a table Uttered with papers, /
began 10 think that, after all, there must
be something In them.
"One evening after dinner she
said:
"Oh, I would give anything to find out
this light! It's the last a%crostic of the
quarter and I'm already we'll up for a
prize, and | do so want to beat Mrs.
NUNS and mil Dssperandum,' who are
old ~solvers and are always winning prizes.
Do look at it, Mr.. Jones, and see if you
can make anything out Of IT,"
IL took up the paper and looked at the
acrostic as if 1t were q Telegu poem or a
ratiye edition of the Koran, and l read
out:
"Ancient rame of English town,
Something very near a OWE.
"'You see,' said Enid, the sides are
radical members, 30 that this fight must
begin with II and end with III. I've
done all the rest, but this beats me-"
II murmurod the lines about a score
Of times with a profound air, but the
more ! thought the further was / from
solving their meaning.
"a sudden idea struck me. Smith,
the Bore, will be sure to know it. I'll
write and ask him. So l said in a low
voice:
"'Miss Mountjoy, didn't you say you
would give anything to find this out7
"'Yes, that | would; anything In rea-
son, she replied.
"'Then,' said /; stealing her hand and
a glance at Mrs. Mountjoy, who was
doing over The World, suppose / ask
srnIN tntn nlu mo nnIR hnanf aaI