The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-13
BETWEEN THE TIDES.

low tide becomes an island of fine whit,
sand and shells. In I.ittleport harbor flooc
tide means comfort and security.
Each fisherman, as soon as the waters
subside, seeks his happy hunting ground
and Silver bar was Ben Flyers specia
preserve.
Near Ben's little house lived Mrs. God
frey and her son, Mark, a boy of a. Be
tween the latter and the clam pedler there
| existed a tender friendship fostered by LONG
habit.
Il wonder, Mark" he now began with
| evident effort.
well, what do you wonder, Benz"
"You see, Mark" Ben observed, "some-
how trust you. You say what you mean,
| and you are pretty sure to do what you say.
| 'Tisn't so with everybody. Some people
| hang out more than they wash"
| Mark did not mar the force of this tribute
| by any weak response.
''Did it ever strike you," said Ben, ''that
when it comes winter l feel that the even
, ings are ruther long"
'My mother sometimes says you must
be lonely" Mark replied
| THAT is kind of her. That is what I
| should have expected of her," said Ben.
"What are you going to do about it?' in
! quired Mark, eager that Ben should come
| to the point.
about your mother?"
81 mean about your evenings"
ooh, just So" said Ben, pleased to Fl nd
an easy road to full confession. 81 had
thought off, Here he broke off, con-
fused. ''!'m 30 years old, +" he remarked,
plaintively.
'What of that!" said Mark.
"My mother used to tell me ought to
get married." explained Ben. But while
she lived l never thought much about it.
You see, a man needs to get fixed idea in
his mind. And SO long as no girl seemed
to hold out any enticements l didn't like
to offer any inducements.
81 should think not" said Mark, with
natural scorn.
And" Ben opened, at is a widow"
"You don't mean to say you are actually
going to get married, Benz"
well, yes, Mark. She seems to calcu-
late on it. Marriage hasn't been habit Of
mine, and perhaps it is one of the things a
man ought to begin on when he is young,
but Mrs. Brown says better late than
never"
Ben was, in fact, to be married on the
following day.
Mark instantly grasped his friends mean
ing.
Ben" said he. forcibly and briefly, "you
go on your wedding journey, and Pll dig
the clans and peddle them till you come
back"
This settled all difficulties, for Mark
knew all the secrets of Silver Bar, having
many a time helped to load up the boat
with CLAIMS.
This went on all the week Day by day.
ot course, the tides grew later, and on Fri
d..y it was high water at o'clock.
Mark started out at dawn and made one
successful trip; then, rs an east wind was
blowing and the sky was half veiled with
clouds, he decided to go again In the after
noon and secure sure supply of CLANS for
Saturday, before bad weather should come
The strong east wind held the waters in
the bay, and although it was almost three
hours past the turn of the tide the bay was
still half submerged when Mark reached it.
However, he drew up his skiff, set to
work, and by $50 had filled two baskets
with CLANS, had dragged them across the
sands and was about TO empty them into
his boat when he paused and rubbed his
eyes.
Where was the boat?
He had, as usual. pulled it as high as pos
sibe out of the water, and here was the |
very furrow he had made in the firm, white |
sand But the boat itself was gone!
Looking across the bay. Mark thought |
he espied it beyond the beacon, near the |
lighthouse rocks.
Half laughing at the absurdity of the
predicament, he fastened his handkerchief |
on the end of his clam pick and set it up in |
the sand, then gazed ruefully toward Point |
No Point a mile away, and wondered if he |
could swim the distance.
Not very far away was schooner, main
II laden with shingles, all sails set She
was beating her course in the face OF the
east wind, and had sailed well into the
harbor mouth TO gain purchase for her
long tack This gave Mark an opportuni-
ty. He seized his pick, ran to the very
verge Of the bar, and waved the signal
frantically toward the vessel. shouting at
the top CT his lungs. BY good fortune
some one on deck happened to be looking
through glass at Littleport.
An instant later down dropped boat;
two red shirted sailors jumped into her |
and rowed with all their might toward the
bar. In less than ten minutes Mark had
scrambled into this welcome dory, having
first thrown in his clans, which the men
said would be a welcome addition TO their
supper.
Almost before he had realized what had
Mark was on the deck of the
schooner, answering the shippers Ques-
ions
By this time the sun had looked out
rom beneath o assure in the bank of
.lolds in the west. sending forth one fiery
yleam, then had sunk beneath the hori-
ION.
Night descended almost on the instant.
or the whole face of the water by this time
vas covered with mist.
The captain told Mark he could not spare
he time or the men 70 send him ashore,
,ut that they would take him 10 New Lon
ion. for which port they were pressing all
all, aud which they hoped to reach by day
light.
Mark could only accept the situation.
lie took supper with the captain and his
title daughter, girl OF Z.
She was delicate nye.sy creature. with !