The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-04-23
LEFT BEHIND.

btCIl VIZ "a ~
The idlcrs had Just risen from the break
fast table. TO this la ter class belonged
the Young man who leaned lazily on tho
piazza railing. and looked abScntly out on
Lake Winnipakc. Beside him in 4 huge
chair. sat Il little woman rocking 10 and
fro, with an untiring movement, ano
with def fingers plying i'll and ou1
among bright silk and crcwcls. She was
idle. too. in her woman'S laboriouS way,
but there was Il lack of rcpoSc in her III
do.cncc that made it rcStful to turn agall
to her brother, who stood in statucSVut
inaction, looking into the still wa'c1
below.
"What are you going to do, to-day 2
the little woman asked.
''Nothing.'
..Thcrc'sa great deal going on, anc
very nice sort of people, too. DO 70,
see that pretty girl down there at the
lunding:"
The one with red =
..Ycs, don't you think she's pretty ?"
81 hadn't thought of IT,"
'.Wcll, she i>-rcmarkabIy. Nouldn'
YOU like to meet her 4! | could caSlI!
manage IT," -,
lin not particular. Is she worth
while q
Ben. YOU cxaSpcratc me. DO yo'
take an interest inanythins "
81 don't do anything else IN Wal
street. I'm off duty now | believe il
resting in a philosophical sort OF a way.
"Wcll, | suppose you are tired, poo
fellow. | know how you feel. l an
tired myself most of the time
.'Tircd. | look like it" laughed thu
Young man. ''lIl tell you how it is;
simply want my liberty. 1t doesn't pay
--this dancing attention on half 4 dozel
girls whom you never see again"
':Oh, well, don't, then"
Ben Adams at twcntv-onc had per
formed lis social duties with great zcst
Four years later he was still heart whole,
and beginning to take 4 purely fratcrna
interest in blushing dcbutantes. He
danced less and went to the opera alone,
or with his friend Rutland, a confirmed
bachelor of 1w%cnty-nlnc. With entire
resignation voung Adams acted as usher
at many fashionable weddings, and with
out a SIGH saw Catharine. Kate and Kit!
led down the aisle by other men. And
so he approached his thirtics and within
a wear of them leaned idly over tho
piazza railing at Lake Winnipakc, and
declared to his sister that ''Robinsor
Crusoc was the luckicst fellow of his ac'
ouaintance. Give me q desert
isle for a summer soiourn. What would
refresh a man like going back to savag'
cry"
II don't think it would be enough OF
a change to benefit some | know
laughed his sister. ''Wcll, Ben, all
can say is, you are very different from
what you use to be-
In the meanwhile the boat below
pushed off, and ADAMS followed it with hi:
eyes, chiefly because it would have beer
more trouble to look another way. The
young lady in the stern was Miss Joseph
inc Vail, and the boy at the oars was hcl
twclve-year-old brother. Josephine wa:
a young lady of views supported by more
or less logic and by what some thought
an extremely pretty face. Her cnemie:
but she had nonc-would have SAID
that while she despised conventionalities
no one was more annoyed when obliged
10 disregard them, and while she re
sented the protecting limitations of hcl
sex, she was quite willing to accept tho
attentions based ON the theory OF theil
existence. Her father said one day
"Nothing would take the kinks out O.
Josephine like settling down with a gooc
husband" The young lady took it il
high dudgcon, and went away mcekly tC
wonder if it were true. On this par
ticular July morning Josephine accepted
her brother Toms services rs oarSman,
not because she was not perfectly able tc
row herself, but because it would kccl
Tom out Of mischief.
"Don't rock the boat, Tom. 1t doesn't
brighten me, but | can't read"
There was a pause.
Grow near the bank, in the shade,
Tom"
Another long pause.
''Sar, sis" said Tom at length, 'now
we're off, I'll tell you where wc'rt
going"
''Whcrc you're going? Why, You're
going to take me- out for q row."
Not much. I'm going two miles
about to see some fellows who are camp
ing out"
And going to take me? think yor
are mistaken, sir. Give me those oars.
NO YOU don't. Leave EN- alone anC
sit still"
Tom, turn this boat instantly, or II
What'n you do? Come now; you ST
still or HI"
"Tom. there's the Desert Island just
ahead. Don't run into it. BE careful
you're going straight toward it."
1--WE might land thcrc,' he said
blandly.
"To be sure we might" said his sister
glad of anything to divert him from TIT
first scheme.
''All right, just as you say
Tom turned his boa; toward the grca
rock. which lifted its broad back out 0
the water. 1t was fifty called the Dcscr
Isle, for its few square feet of surface
supported not so much us Il blade O
grass or a bit Of moss.
FLOP ont" said Tom: 1--WE got to SET
to the boat. ! guess YOU can climb up t.
the top easy enough
''Of course | can" said Josephine
'as if l needed your help, YOU LITTLE
monkey"
In Il moment she stood ut the top O.
the rock, and in another moment q de
risivc laugh came from below.
''Good-bv; | hope YOU will enjoy your
self. I'll sec you later
Plato says: "a boy is the mos
vicious Of wild beasts" Plato and Mis-:
Vail were of one opinion on that point
She looked about her and took in the
situation. She was monarch of abou'
twenty-five feet of rough gray rocks, thu
sides of which descended abruptly to thu
water. Pcrcilcd high on this pedestal
her figure stood out against the sky il
bold relief. \ book and parasol were
her only accessories, for by some happ.
inspiration she had chung to these. Th'
sun was high in the heavens, but its no
rays were mcrcifully tempered by a sof
breeze IN the lake.
Josephine seated herself, raised he
parasol n opened her o she lacc'
the probability that at least two hours o
MONDAY solitude were before her. The
philosop hical course of action was It
make the best of it. But what 4 situa
ton to be discovered in! She remem
bered with satisfaction that a larg'
party had gone on a picnic to-day, ane
the dowagers left behind were no
given to boating at high noon
She tried to think how she SHOULD
laugh it off if anybody should see her,
but under the most cheerful aspect sht
seemed to herself a little ridiculous spec
tacle. To be ridiculous in a good cause
had in it an clement of hcroism, but the
present situation was one of unrnitigatcd
absurdity, and Joscphene Vail always
felt the heroic rather than the comic to
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