The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-08-29
SELECT STORY.
THE TALE OF AN UMBRELLA.
"Can that be Annie Shepherd 2"

looked eagerly out of the window. The
expression that settled upon his face
left no doubt that it was Miss Shep-
herd.
"She has less common sense than
any woman l ever knew he said with
impatience.
The day was quite unfit for action,
though eminently favorable for reverie
and reflection. So all people Of regu.
lated habits would agree, lut Miss
Shepherd had seen fit to transpose the
very evident intention of the weather
managers, and had chosen to act
rather than dawdle and dream. And
Mr.. Manchester, who was more ortho-
dox, and who had done nothing all day
but build air castles, had denounced her
accordingly.
Such a rain as it was Nowhere
can more triumphant deluges come out
of high skies than in the Traverse re-
gion. The bucketsful that were pour
ed in great swashng sheets came from
such an altitude that ones breath was
fairly dashed out of ones body if
caught in sudden gust round a cor
ner.
Summering Pleasuring! And here
at Harbor Springs it was cold as Sibe-
ria. A north wind that had come
over all the ice of the poles had met a
tremendous thundergust from the
equator, and the two together were
having it out. And Of course, as
part of an idle mans luck, this contest
must occur on the very day he had set
to take Miss Shepherd with him to a
romantic dell he had discovered some.
where in the neighborhood.
'1s it possible 2" he exclaimed again,
as he worried about in his chair, evil
IDENTIFY too much nettled with disgust
to be able to keep still.
Now, Mr.. Manchester had been hard
hit. He-a typical Chicagoan-blonde,
of course, rotund, mediumly bold, not
very young-had been so well greaved,
so armed cap.a pie, as it were, that the
hit had literally stunned him, and ev-
erybody else, with surprise.
A well. delivered blow it must have
been, sent by cool hand and prac-
ticed eye. Whether it was heel or
heart that was struck time alone could
show; if the former, probably, like
Achilles, he would die of it, if the
latter, the danger was not appreciable.
Seated in the comfortable hotel of.
flee, he had done nothing all this day
but watch through the streaming win
dows the pelted and drenched street
The bulk of the tourist guests had
| gone on a steamer excursion to Macki-
nav the night before.
He had been invited to Join this par
ty to the island, but after the adroit
discovery that Annie Shepherd had de.
clined going, he had also declined.
His reasons for so doing were patent
to everyone but himself.
Then had followed that little episode
of his invitation to her to JON him in
walk the next day This had been
hastily whispered in the hall on part
ing at night, and accepted with nod
and a smile. 1t was to be to wood
near by, where free, clear spring
gushed and roared down a black
earthed declivity. 1t was one of the
dampest, mossiest spots in the whole
region. He had once found bears
fresh track on the moss, and had chris
tened it therefore aboard of Trade
Glen.'
But the rain had put provoking
stop to this plan. And Miss Shep-
herd had capped the peak of his dis
gust by pleading "hcadache" as rea-
son for keeping out of sight all day, he
having called very early in the fore
noon.
Yet there she went, or his eyes had
lost their cunning.
1t is true there was lull in the rain,
but none in the wind. And with
headache, what could tempt her out
Too i'll to see him, and yet we'll enough
to brave this tempest
| She went down the steps clad in a
gossamer, and with her umbrella up
an umbrella big enough for two. She
must have had the limbs of an Atalan-
ia to move with such equable grace
and strength, for the wind tried its
wickedest to puff out that ugly, ulster
shaped thing and to make her fine,
slender outline look fat He caught a
glimpse of good stout boot, seeming
all the daintier for its stoutness. And
watching and mentally taking in all
the fine points, he kept up scattering
fire of ejaculation: "She'll get her
death of cold" "Was there eve, such an
unreasoning, unprognosticatable crea-
ture as she 9"
She disappeared, fluttering like
loose-sailed pirate craft, round the cor
ner.
He knew just about her course when
he saw her turn to the right and bend
to meet the blast, which was directly
in her face.
He rallied his senses as he lost sight
of her. Bang into the chair went the
book he not even pretended to read
up the stairs, two steps at time, he
sprang, and presently returned arrayed
in his Edinburg great coat, and leisure
ly putting a newly-lighted cigar.
A good observer would have noted
an hour before that the weather was
likely to clear. There was a pale, yell
low streak in the North, and a tenden.
cy to lift and take fight on the part of
the clouds. These signs were at the
bottom of Miss Shepherds venture, but
Mr.. Manchester's perceptions had been
too long dulled by his native smokes
for him to have detected the imminent
change.
| Consequently he was greatly aston.
ished when, upon stepping along the
veranda and spreading his umbrella, he
found the rain had entirely ceased. AS
his friends well knew, foremost among
the things he hated-there was a long
list OF foremosts-was an umbrella. So,
on finding he did not need one, he
recklessly set his down in the rack in
the hall and sauntered indifferently
| out
He did not directly follow Miss
Shepherds route, but struck off into a
street that was sure to intercept her.
After much readjusting of hat and