Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-12
MIDSUMMER FIRES.
IAN the Year Round.l
CHAPTER I.


day. The sun wss nigh It's setting
Out over the level, shining sea b
seemed 70 lie; blood-red and rudd.
purple cleaned the throbbing waves o
he HORIZON; rosy and golden came tn
ripping wsvslets from that distant patl
Of the sea to the yellow sands Of tn
Msux coast.
A path winding mp headland let
from the western shores to white road
The red CLEAN Of the sunset was upor
Il, and The sparse heather landwsfC
glowsd rudy. as some girls ssuntereC
lettering along the path.
There were three Of them, sisters
One was . child. Nessie; the others
Meta and Kate Qualtrough, were on th'
happy borderlaud Of girlbood and wo
manhood.
We have no picturesque national gart
of . foreign land where with TO set them
foTtb--thsy were dressed as hundreds
of girls in London might be dressed,
though they came Of so pure Msnx
race as to be proud Of the days when
English people were looked upon as
foreigners in Man.
Nessie vas full OF life !; she danced
ahead. or she fingered behind; she
spraDg TO right or left over the broken
ground Of the hesdlspd what her SIS
tsrs waited for had evidently no strong
hold on her thoughts. At last she
struck in with this:
"Ye'll be utterly foolish, you girls,
idlipg here any longer for those lads. "
Her accent bore the North-country lit
and the soft, sweet tones of the Manx
people. "Do you think they'll be
leaving their fishing for the"
"Hist !" commanded Meta.
The girls we're sll at play in sense.
but it was play with serious vein in
il TO Meta.
Eh?-I'm full Of respect! q" and
wild Nessie threw out her arms and
made q gay, bowling reverence in a
circlipg fashion to the hills and the
green mountains. But the boys are
not so, and I'm thinking they'd only
be hindering us If they were here"
"Siill, we promised" Kate put in.
"Aud they promised, too; and if
they break their promise we'll be free
from ours, / say. Do come, we'll be
swfully late, aud there's lot to do"
Then they walked on bit faster.
Nessie was out Of sight, but yet they
were closely following on her steps. So
many turns and bends and shoulders
there are to these Manx headlands that
one may he easily out Of sight.
A shoir burst forth into the still
summer cir, and the next moment Mes
sic, with waving arms and with yellow
hair flying as the light wind caught her,
was seen on the topmost bit of green.
"Boat ahoy !" and her arms gesti-
cuiated. There was boat skimming
across the bay-Peel bay. One un-
bonneted head was in the stern of the
round, deep boat. 1t belonged 20
fisher lad, who was the working chum
of three scarlet.cspped youths. One
of these last was Qualirough, a cou-
sin of The girls; the others were his
friends--lsds who, a year or two back,
had been with him at King Williams
College at CastletowD, but who, being
English, we're only in Man for sum
mer jaunt now.
And now it had been for the delec-
tatioD of these same young EOglishmen
that the doings Of that midsummer eve
were being made SO much Of.
"Do they mean to land or not? ,"
asked Kate.
"Undoubtedly," was Metals deci-
sive word. DO they not know it is
for them we are making this delay9"
In very short time the boat was out
Of sight, which means that she was well
under the headland and landing her
crew in While Strand Cove. Some few
moments more and three young men in
boating fannels, and each with rough
pea. Jacket atop, appeared from clam
bering up the face Of the hesdland. Then
the party went or more swiftly.
First on to and across the white sun.
lit roadway, then down an opposite
lane, rough and stony and INTENDED.
This lane finally lost itself on furry
common, where, short, sweet, messy
grass was patched irregularly by a
savsgery of gorse, and furze, and
strong, waving bracken. Meta, walk
ing apart, pulled the bracken; Kate
and Nessie, with energy Of more
talkative and less solitary humor, babe
the young men bring out their knives
and slash away messy branches OF
gorse and furze.
Where is ali this to 90 now?"
asked Doyle Philipson, the elder Of the
two English brothers. "Is this COM
mon the haunt of--of-the enemy?"
A twinkle lighted up q would-be grave
face.
Ion don't -" Metals exclamation
was insiineiive.
"There - cried the Manxmsn Of
the party. "Take Metals horror for
your keynote, Philipson, or you'll be
setting uslall in danger Of the evil in
Aue7ces oftfhe hour"
"Eh, Wallet" and Nessie flung her
vigorous small self against her cousin.
herself armed with huge bundle Of
prickly furze,s yen be the worst Of
the three. You ought to know better"
Blessed are the immunities Of igno-
rance " the youth exclaimed.
DO not say that at ALL" quickly
young Pbilipson replied. Z" / wish to
kpoe--I wish to-
"Meta will tell you them"
The girl was still in her silent hui
moI-perhaps dangerous humor for q
nature just degree prone to mysticize
over things.
These were men from the outer world,
The brave outer world Of which she
dreamed; the faithless outer world,
which she knew ridiculed any ancient
fantasy of custom. Should she be
silent, or should she be brave and show
that she was not too weak to acknow-
ledge her weakness? One second she
had for hesitation, but no more.
"Will you," came the question
poiptedly put to her, "lay your com
mands upon me, Miss Qaaltrough, and
tell me while obey" How light and
- <x,,a Ala no 1Not 90 t;c o,a.,