The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-26

retreating tide. The clif-path to the
shore was steep and narrow. Wayne
had to help Hetty with a tender care.
Perhaps life had never held such ex-
quisite pleasure for him before. Her
little light shawl lay over his arm, her
small hand rested IN his clasp. 1t
seemed to him the world was bounded
by Hetty.
Never had his heart beat so high with
hope. Once she stopped to gather a
| tiny blue cliff Flower, and after a mo
ment's pause, she shyly gave it him.
Was il only the sunset glow that mock
ed his fancy, or did delicate color re-
ally mount to her cheek at his low spo-
ken word of thanks?
Out, far out on the low, black ledge
Of cruel rocks lay the great shattered
ship. Little boats piled swiftly and
safely across the quiet shadows where
the storm waves had ragged not many
! hours ago. Hetty was all excitement
to see the rescued people; while Tom,
with the frankness of his age and kind,
declared aloud that ''this sort of ship
wreck wasn't much good-there WASH t
any drowning to be doner'
4HC liiOuRulAu1 41diAilGlDA uda vi
course brought telescope, and stood
like statue of Atlas while Hetty rest
ed the glass on his shoulder and watch
ed the boats land their burdens at the
little fishing-pier.
He was in a sort of rapt dream, hear
ing dimly Hetty's little CALCULATIONS of
pity over the bedraggled aspect Of the
shipwrecked, and altogether ignoring
Master Toms somewhat crude chatter,
as that youthful torment wetted his
feet at the margin of the tide, and gave
his opinion with delightful confidence
upon matters in general, and ship
wrecks in particular. The sunset glory
grew brighter and more vivid, lighting
up the sombre cliffs and level waste Of
water, and throwing into sharp relief
each black stake of the fishing-nets
which dotted the bosom of the broad
bay.
1t seemed to Wayne that he would
like TO stand just so forever-Hetty
close to him, he her support and COM
fort, no one to come between; for Tom
certainly did not count for mitch. Was
it not a type of what all their life to
come was to be? Crimson glOry-Het-
ty depending on him, his highest hap
piness to minister to her.
Suddenly into bis dream ran a shrek,
wild and terrible. The telescope rolled
from his shoulder, and splashed into a
pool at his land as he turned to
catch Hetty's fainting figure in his stall
wart arms, with one lightning flash his
eyes fell where hers had rested, and
saw, in the crowded boat-load just
reaching the shore, among the bronzed
and bearded faces of the wrecked ships
crew, the face of Hetty's lost lover
his own brother Jack!
All! well, well! Wayne behaved cap
italy, every one said. ''Old Don be-
haved like the brick that he is, after
all" to use Jack's own expression. He
took his brother into partnership and
enabled him to marry Hetty within six
weeks-Hetty, to whose pale cheeks
the roses had come back, as if by some
magic spell. He never married. ''Don
was an old bachelor before he was in
knickerbockers, Jack confides some
times to his wife.
People say he means to leave all his
money to his niece, little Hetty, who
has her mothers eyes. And deep in
secret drawer, carefully treasured from
prying eyes, lies a withered scrap of
weed, which was once blue cliff-tlow-
er, and is all that is left to Huntingdon
Wayne of his life's one holiday.