The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-08-22
NUMBER II.

! anu pleasant ways soon won Anus
near. She was just recovering from
a severe illness, and for several days
after her arrival she wore close fit
ting princess wrapper of some solts
/ gray, W0Olen goods, with no trim
ming except "A double row of smoked
pearl buttons down the front, The
perfect DlainnehS Of the garment at
tracted Ann at once. and it was goO1I
to see the admiration with which she
watched the slight trim figure.
But on Sunday Helen came down
wearing white muslin. For the
style of dress then in vogue nothing
could he more simple but the deep
rufile that bordered the skirt made
Aun lOU0k at her askance.
as Miss Helen professor,
ma'ain?" she asked that afternoon.
as Helen, under the shade of blue
rarnsol, took Johns arm for stroll
on the teach.
Yes" said, "she is a member of
DR.. IS church, and teaches in the
Sunday School"
"And yet" said Ann. slowly, ''she
wears f0unres."
1t was very seldom that Ann asked
for "a day out" Her father and
mother were dead, and she had few
acQuaintn ces that she cared to visit:
but she never seemed 10 feel the lack
OF cumpaniUnship. If She CHANGED to
haye few spare ElUtnpnts in the
morning size was usually found sit
ting on the WOod.pile engaged either
VITA her knitting work OF in reading
her Bible. chOsing that prOsaic spot
evidently for the sake of being near
the kitchen; but her fav0rite resort
III fair weather. when work was over
for the alternr on, was Owl Rock, an
Isolated bOWder just outside the gar
den fence. the garden sloplng almost
to the water's edge.
Ann was 50 plain and practical that
we wondered at her fOndness for this
romantic outlook, but a neighbor one
day gave us a possible cleW to the
mvstsry.
IA good girl. but little queer.'
he said, tapping his forehead. "Her
young man went off to sea two or
three years ago, an amt never been
heard from"
ITO think of Ann Dorner's having
loved and lost !" | said to John.
ut only proves" replied John,
"that the humblest lives may have
their romances and-their tradge.
dies"
Whatever the motiye was that took
Ann so often to Owl Rock, whether
she went TO watch for the return of
her lover or merely to read and med.
itate, promptly, as a rule, at 5 o'clock
she came blck to the Kitchen to pre-
pare supper. But one afternoon, for
the first time, she was a little late
and Was at the point of starting out
to call her when | saw her coming
through the garden, attended by a
broad shouldered. sturdy looking
young fellow, whose rolling gate at
once revealed the fact that he was a
sailor.
1t was easy to see that Ann was
happy, and suddenly L made the dis.
cOvery that she was something more
than pretty. In place of her sun bon-
net she wore three cornered hand
kerchief tied under her chin. The
wind had roughened the hair.ahout
her forehead and her cheeks seemed
to have caught their color from the
| red glow in the west. She carried
her Bible in her hand, and with her
shining face She looked at the mo.
ment, in her prim dark gown, like a
sort of transtigured nun.
When they reached the door step
the young man said good night and
hurried back to the beach.
"It's JAS m. ma'am," Ann ex-
planned, as she came into the house.
Il hadn't seen him for most three
years, an that's what made me late.
We used to be friends" she added.
shyly.
Nearly every afternoon for the
neXtI fortnight Jason Joined her at
Owl Rock.
Ann during these days went about
her work with a preOccupied air.
did you ever think, ma'am," she
asked one morning, as she was dust.
ing the dining room, "that you'd like
to be Il missionary P'
l confessed to haying had in my
younger days vague aspiration in
that direction.
"Oh, | think it would be beautiful
ma'am J" said the girl. "Jason's
been tellin' me about an island he's
been to - they were shipwrecked
there. thlt'S u,hU ho ,,,,, ,...,a -