The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-20
BY CHANCE.


hf sandP A purse surely! Five minutes
EwS more and the tide would have swal-
lowed it ur!" and the speaker quickened
her pace till she reached the spot where,
upon the clean golden sand, not far out Of
dainty little plush purse was lying.
"Whose can it be?" remarked Freda to
her companion.
LET us look at its contents; that may
help us TO discover the owner" replied the
latter.
1t was fine March morning. the sun
shining out over the sea and making each
blue ripple on the water glttering line Of
color.
The two girls seated themselves upon a
fragment of rock, far out of reach of the ad-
vaneing waters, and, with some curiosity,
unclasped the green plush purse, which had
fallen into their hands.
at seems to be almost new, Mabel" re-
marked Freda.
Yes, it might we'll be birthday pres
emit" answered the other GIRL turning the
contents of the purse in her hand. 1t con-
tanned absolutely nothing, save folded
strip of paper. There was not even SIN
pence besides.
thing" asked Freda merrily, watching her
friend, who was carefully scanning the
piece of paper.
wait, will tell you directly! Oh! FIRE.
da, what is this?'
Let me see" replied the girl eagerly;
and taking the slip Of paper from Mabers
hand, in some excitement she read aloud:
Dearest jack: ! cannot refuse to bid you
gO0d-by. You Will find me on tile sands at 6
OclocE this evening. | shall be seated under
the Red CliG. Your sorrowing EVE.
Thursday, 10 A. NJ
And to-day is Thursday' cried Mabel.
"ThiS very evening these unhappy lovers
were TO meet to say adIeu; and perhaps the
girl dared not venture TO speak these few
words, and so wrote them. Will she miss
this farewell, which might nave been her
one consolationY
How sorry | am for her." breathed
Freda Melham softly, thinking OF a day,
three months ago now, when the " dearest
Jack to whom she was allianeed went to
New York on business for his father. Had
she been prevented from receiving his good
| by how could she have borne it?
Now what can we do, said Mabel. "Was
| il the girl or the young man who lost this
purse? The girl may have slipped 1t into
| his hand, you know, without having had
the opportunity Of taking out her little
note"
.Ah. YES" returned Freda dreamily.
Her sympathy for the young pair about
perhaps to be ruthlessly divided increased
every moment What was it that was to part
them? Poverty? their parents refusal to
allow their betrothment? or some other ad-
verse circumstance?
"Mabel." said she, suddenly, 81 will 60
to the Red Cliff this evening, and if l see
any one there-either the young lady or
her aflianced-I will venture to speak to
them, and by few adrolt questions may
find the owner of the purse"
To- | wish I pnufi On with " cai6
Mabel warmly, You will tell me all
| about it tomorrow, won't you? Come early
TO our house-immediately after breakfast"
Freda promised readily and with thoughts
filled with the incident Of the purse they
turned homeward, leaving the glitterlng
sea behind them. All the rest of the day
the idea of the unknown lovers was present
to them, and as the spring afternoon grew
on Freda was internally much agitated.
Her mother and eldest sister were from
home on visit, and so she was lett TO the
cOmpanionship of her little sisters and
their gOVerneSs, and it was easy for the
Young lady to go out after the seh0Ol-rOOm
tea without explaining her errand to any
one.
In a few minutes she reached the sands.
The tide was far out by this time, and that
part Of the headands called the Red CHI
stood out clear and bright i'll the evening
Is she there at this moment?" thought
| Freda, quickening her pace Is she or
! hep"
There were but few persons on the shore,
for it had grown q little cold and people no
longer lOtered about; nor were there any
children to be seen along the broad, yellow
pathway. =,
as she sped on. The Red Cliff was close at
hand now; she had but to turn the corner
of a piece of cliff jutting out beyond the
line marked by the land 1uttlng upon the
| shore.
Wound up to the highest pitch of excite
ment, Freda reached at length the base OF
! the Red Cliff and in an instant stood still,
| with great feeling of disappointment
| visible enough on her pretty face; Tor no
| figure of lOvelOrn maiden or OF despair
ing lover met her view. The solitary cliff
stood up before her and silence reigned
around, save for the soft, far-away lap OF
the waves aud the name ess voices which
reach the listener by the sea.
mo one is here after all-neither he nor
she," said the girl, speaking aloud to her
self in her excitement. The little green
purse was in her hand; her blue eyes
searched the deserted strand.
| There was noise, footStep, and, emery
| ing from the shelter of projecting b0ul-
der, handsome figure and manly form
! came face to face with the young girl.
/" Pardon me-" said he, with courtesy,
| but in a tone which betrayed emotion, "did
you expect to meet any one here tonight?
Did you expect to see lady"
:" did not know whether it would be a
| lady or a gentleman" replied she, some
what incoherently and in much emDarrass-
| ment
"You did not know? Oh. pardon me.
but pray explain. And is it possible that
you have found that purse?"
" Yes-yes. Oh, is it yours? How for
tunate that l came here after all.' ex-
claimed she, with vivacity.
i a.
pretty bauble; with deepening emotion he
| received it.
I'll lost this short time after It was
given into my hands this morning." said
he. Tell me. does it not contain note !?
Oh, you must have examined it, Am l too
! late?"
mo, no. 1t says o'clock, and to meet
here" fatered Freda, deeply interested.
II came here on the chance Of that, for
we had met here often beloren cried he,
impetuouslr. "Oh, how can | thank you
for feeling such sympathy with two stran-
| gers unknown to you?
Indeed l want no thanks" returned the
girl, with a blush. II am only too well
| rewarded for coming to this spot. for |
have been enabled to restore the purse"
And then. with graceful courtesy, she
smiled and walked away from the Red
lgiIl who was loved by that handsome
rstranger-wishing that she could know the
| end of their sorrow ful romance.
"They are both together now-at least
| they will have the consolation of exchange
ing few words, of feeling the clasp of each
| others hands. of promising eternal truth to
one another! oh, why doesn't my Jack
writer America is not so far off but that
he could let me have his letters oftenerw
She sat down in retired spot far out of
reach of the Red Cliff, with only the sea-
gulls for her companions. A soft gloom
was gently creeping over the before bright
sky; purple tint Hinged the hitherto blue
waters; a mysterious beauty lay upon the
| sea.
How manly he looked. How hand
some! Is she whom he loves as fair and
as noble of soul as l am sure that this
stranger is2 How will it end for both of
themp And oh, is my Jack as fond OF me
as he is of her2 he and she. can call
them by no other name"
An hour passed by unconscionsly as she
fingered by the shore From afar her eyes
sought the Red Cliff. Surely she should
presently discern two figures leaving the
shore. and these would be the two lovers.
l n In