Thomas County cat., 1889-09-05

|
All Rockford was really nervous, so eager
were they to get a glimpse of the Southron
beauty willy enough to have shared Martin
Delancy's heart; all but little Christie
Burns.
She heard the gossip with blanched face
and compressed lips, and her sweet dreams
of Cedarwood vanished into the bitterness
of the cruel awakening.
Only week before the Captain had in.
vited her over to see the new arrangements,
and seemed so pleased with her warm up.
proval.
And now-he would bring a bride from
the southland tc its coy apartmentsl
| o! it was too much! Christie walked on
| the bright shore; climbed up the hills, high
up among tho silvery birches and strag.
| Cling oaks to try to forget It could not be
nay, she must remember.
Somehow she had always felt so sure OF
Captain Delancy's heart; she had read his
love many times In the quiet, expressive
eyes.
And only last week ct Cedarwood he
looked at her in such way that her heart
throbbed to the old, old story as it never
had before.
Then, too, he had kissed her hand at
friend"
What did it all mean; why had he called
her that! What were the pretty carpets and
flmy curtains at Cedarwood to her if-if-
Christie went no further in her painful
questioning, for the rock on which she
stood suddenly loosened from its sandy bed
and slipped down the hillside.
She clutched at the roots Of hemlock,
but they eluded her frantic efforts, and with
Q cry Christie shut her eyes and went down
-down-down.
"The waters mighty rough, pears to me !;
guess I'll pull ashore" And shoreward
came the boat Of old Lee, the fisherman.
His long, unkempt locks blowing in the
breeze, his ragged jacket and general dilap-
dated appearance were enough to excite
pity, but for all that he would have laughed
the idea to scorn.
He and "the old 'ooman" were contentcd:
they ''had nuff to eat and wear, and what
more was wantin'r'
He gathered up his basket with its two
pickerel and trudged along over the wet
sand, his hair flying in the wind and dreamy
expression1 fitting across his wrinkled
visage.
.sLor', what's thisa Why! great guns, it's
the little brown-eyed darter of Widder
Burns, as I'm aliver'
He stopped over the prone form and, see-
ing no signs of animation, he shouted to a
boy some distance up the shore
'Ahoy! there, Marc" The boy turned
and came back.
The spray from the incoming tide
drenched the feet Of the unfortunate girl,
and lacerated arm showed through the
orn sleeve as the old fisherman lifted the
white face tendcrly to his knee.
''She's doad, do b'lieve; must ha' fallen
from them rocks up thar SOM ers,' - he NUT
tered. Il wonder why in all natur peoples
got to 20 galivantin' up these pesky hills
for, any wayr'
The boy knelt by Christie and took her
wrist with trembling fingers. ''She's alive,
SIR" he said, joyfully.
"Aye, ayer' assented the old man, and
he gathered up his unconscious burden and
bade Marc run on ahead Of him and break
the news gently to the mother.
''Don't go an say she's dead, now," said
he; ''but say Christie's had q fall an that
I'm q bringin' her home"
Marc understood, and fairly few over tie
sands toward the little cottage quarter of
q mile back from the pier.
Old Lee sped along forgetful Of the two
pickerel, Of the old ooman's tay, Of every