Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-06-01

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That was il! IF he GOT d chancel
It'ssa downright shame f0r her 10
treat me so. said Tom, watching her
and Jack Devere. as they went down
the bay. Sometimes think she does
il to bother me, and sometimes think
she does il because she likes me and
wants to make me jealous, 80 that I'll be
sure to propose. But IL can't be that,
either, for she won't let me propose.
Hanged If know Whist she does mean
by it. p
Poor perpIexed Tom sat down and
took newspaper out Of his pocket, aud
tried TO forget his trials in its accounts
Of murders aud accidents and other
cheerful matters Of that sort. Finding
them dull, he turned to the story de
partment. There was q little sketch
there called wv ashed Ashore Tom
read it. IL was about 8 man who loved
q womanzas he loved Miss Stafford
and singular coincidence, he couldn't
find out whether she loved him or not.
One day he was out rowing and lost his
hat. The waves washed ii ashore. The
woman he loved found it. She thought
he must be drowned, and to the poor,
inanimate thing, she confessed the love
she had borne for its owner. The sup
posed dead man happened to be near st
hand, and heard her tardy confession of
love and then and there all bis troubles
ended or began.
ssWhy couldn't try such an expert
ment on Janetln thought Tom. ssIf /
could only contrive to make her think /
was drowned. might find out whether
she cares for me or not. / don't see as
I'm ever likely to find out in any other
way. I'll try it.
lie went down to the beach and en-
gagged boat. He saw Devere coming
as he went down the bay, and Miss Stat
ford waved him a passing greeting with
her sunshade.
''That's lucky, !" thought Tom. 'sShe's
seen me going out on the water I'll
leave the boat somewhere along the
shore, and it'll be found, aud I'll be
missing, and she'll be sure to think fell
In, and was drowned, or committed
suicide, and when she thinks that, she'll
be likely to say or do something that'lI
give herself away, and I'll hear of il
after | turn up, and then I'll know what
to do. =
''Tt looks squally in the west, = De-
we're sung out after him. YOU'D better
not go far, Winters. y
THANK you" answered Tom; ssbut
I'll look out for myself, and he was
soon out of hearing of Miss Stafford's
merry laugh and Jack Devere's jokes at
his expense.
A peak jutted out into the bay, and
Tom concluded that boat abandoned
there would be pretty sure to float back
to the hotel when the tide came in. Ac-
cordingly he left the boat to the mercy
of the waves, and started back round.
aboutway to the hotel, over the rocky
cliffs.
The sky was overloaded by this time.
and the wind began to blow. To add
TO Toms discomfort, the rain soon began
to pour down in great torrents, and he
was drcnched to tho skin before he could
find shelter.
The sun was going down before the
storm abated.
It was quite well along in the evening
before he got back to the vicinity of the
hotel. He was thoroughly chilled in his
wet garments, he was hungry, aud he
was afraid that his plan would prove q
failure. Therefore he was not In very
pleasant frame Of mind when he saw
Janet Stafford's red jacket just little
way ahead of him, as he came down the
beach. The sight of that jacket, in it.
self, was not very disagreeable, but the
sight of Jack Devere's broad brimmed
straw hat, looking In the moonlight like
an aureole about his rivals head, made
him very angry.
Deuce his impairment attentions, =
growled Tom. He's puppy / sup
pose he answers ner, but I'd like TO punch
his head for my amusement. They're
coming this way. Now's my time to
produce sensation.
The waves were tumbling in on the
beach. Tom threw his hat out among
them, knowing they would wash it in.
and that the couple coming toward him
would be quite sure to see it on the sand.
Then he hid behind rock.
81 haven't seen Winters come back
yet,n Miss Stafford was saying, when
they came within hearing distance.
ssShe's thinking about me, SAID Tom,
and that shows she's-she's well, it
shows she's thinking about me, anyway,
if it doesn't show anything else, " and
this was some consolation to the poor
fellow. Perhaps they won't recognize
the hat as mine, but if keep shady to.
night and the boat is found, then they'll
think that must be lost and we'll see
what she'll say
He may have been cast away on some
island along the shore, laughed Jack
Devere. Maybe he'll turn hermit and
end his days and troubles there. I"
II hope not, said Miss Stafford,
t'for If that should happen / should new
er know what something particular
was that he wanted to say to me- Then
she laughed, and the sound of her mer-
riment made the listaner's ears tingIe.
Poor fellow" said Devere, but his
tone didn't seem to have as much pity In
it as his words did. .sYou're really too
hard on MIN. What's that at your feet,
Janetg a hat, isn't itg''
Sure enough. said Mss Stafford.
sto0ning to nick ii I'm. tsWhv. Jack.