The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-02-07
THE ROCK BESIDE THE SEA,

g How absurdlv disagreeable YOU
can make yourself, Jack. But there
I'm not going to quarrel with you.
How much longer are you going to
keep me up to abuse mep" and Ruby
laughed aloud in her usual saucy, tan
talizing manner. Jack looked at her,
his face black as a thunder-cloud, on
which was written stern determina-
ton, but she was in no way appalled,
by it. On the contrary, she looked at
him gayly and carelessly, as if she
were perfectly indifferent to him or his
moods.
''Miss Howard" he began, "Miss
Howard" she mimicked mockingly;
''since when, pray? How ceremonious
we grow, TO be sure"
He resumed, as if she had not inter-
rupted him; Il will not detain YOU but
a moment longer. While l am con-
vinced that at the epresent time you are
perfectly heartlcss, owing more to the
unhappy way of your bringing up and
to the influences and fashion of society
than TO natural hardness of heart"
"Oh! thanks, thanks awfully, are too
good she broke in again, laughingly.
1t was all as good as a burlesque to
her, accustomed as she was to lovers
rantings. Il am as firmly convinced"
he went on, in SO calm tone, that it
should have warned her that this
meant more than an ordinary tiff; that
YOU love me; but, with Your natural
perverseness, will neither acknowledge
il to yourself nor me-"
As he said thiS-with an air of a
Judge prOnOuncing sentence on some
unhappy prisoner-with his grey eyes
fixed on her face with the sternest
gaze they were capable of-in spite of
herself the bloom on her soft round
check deepened to a bright red and for
an instant her saucy, mocking eyes
fell before his. A transient smile
passed over his gloomy face at this
evidence of his power, and left it even
gloomier than before. As he regarded
the lovely, half shy face before him he
commenced again bitterly: And why
will yon not yield to that love and
make us both happy? | will tell you.
You do not wish to be tied to one; to
receive the love and homage of one is
not to your taste. On, no; not for
wears to come. If | would wait pa
tiently and in the meantime be always
ready to dance attendance on all your
whims, not noticing any one else. and
always keeping in the background
when desirable Irritation came up,
then, perhaps, if you didn't meet some
one YOU preferred to me, after keeping
me in suspense all that time, you might
graciously condescend to marry me.
Int / Ia.jinn fn ha.nn,a tho Slarn nf
anv woman; and, as much as | love
you, am going to leave you forever y
''Ha, har and her sweet, low laugh
rang out like a chime of silvery bells.
The plot thickens. Please go on; it
is as lovely as a play"
II know and feel" said Jack earn
estly, ''that we are especially suited to
each other, and believe that in time
YOU will realize the truth of what say
and will regret me. even as l regret
you now-but no more. I've already
said too much-more than | intended.
Goodbye and with a deep bow he
turned and left.
well. of all thingsm she murmured.
''Foreverl Fudge. I'll see him to-mor-
row on the promenade the same as
usual. He is delicious. | do like him
the best when he asserts himself. He
is grand when he gets enraged. He
looks so stern and glares SO, and is so
unapproachable that | am almost
afraid of him-the darling. If | don't
look out he will end in making me
marry him before the season is over.
OF course l shan't marry any one else,
but I'm not going to hurry myself;
there's plenty time After which
sage conclusion she went up to her
room III gay spirits. thinking of the
good time she would have in making
up with Jack as she had done a mum.
Der of times before.
The next day Miss Ruby failed to
meet Jack as usual. In fact Il week
passed, and in all that time he had not
called. She had missed his presence
from ball and opera, and every place
that she had graced with her brigb
presence. At last. making few in-
quiries she found that Jack was out
somewhere on the ocean on his way TO
China to join his brother, tea mer-
chant, and was likely to be absent a
term OF years.
Although outwardly Ruby managed
70 conceal the shock she had received,
she could not conceal from her own
heart that something had gone from
her that she missed and longed for