The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-09-12
MOTHER CAREY'S ROCKS.

! sake let your wild spirits run away with
your'
Octavia GLAND, in her pink muslin dress
| tied here and there with jsunty little bows
of ribbon and a stray gypsy hat garlanded
with pink peoples, turned around. the very
| incarnation of radiant glee.
Mamma" said she "why should you
| grudge me my little holiday? Don't work
behind Miss Farnshaw's counter all the
year like any African slavef Don't I lose
my very identity in shirts and pufings
and toll my finger ends off with hounces
and tucks? Do let me play I am child
again, just this oncer'
So this beautiful young Euphrosyne
danced away, leaving only the sweet echo
of her laughter in the gloomy apartment,
and Mrs. GLAND sighed.
'She is so thoughtless," said the mother.
"And Duncan Ray aud Harry Bolton are
both going on the sailing party, and some
how feel as il today were to be the
turning point of her life. wish she could
bring herself to like Duncan. He's steady,
noble souled lad, as his father was before
him, but there isn't much outside show
about him. And Bottoms dashing young
fellow, just the sort TO attract any girl. But
somehow can't quite believe in him. 90,
tavia says haven't any knowledge of the
world. Well, perhaps she is right. But /
think we quiet, stay-at-home bodies are
sometimes gifted with sort of instinct in
these matters"
The day was all sparkle and sunshine;
the excursion steamer, futtering with gay
flags and the sound of music, glided ma
gestically along; the sea air breathed new
strength into weary lungs and touched
fevered brdws with alchenic power, and
all of those overtired, overworked sewing
girls forgot for brief while that life was
nothing more than treadmiu to them.
They laughed, they danced, they sang;
they flung flowers into the water that
floated around the wheelhouse; they
counted the glimmering sails that leaned
up against the horizon, and finally, when
the boat landed at White Crags, they all
scattered in various directions over the
silver shingled beach in merry pursuit OF
shells, seaweed and pebbles as so many
newly liberated school children might
have done. 1t
And Octavia GLAND, the prettiest girl in
all the throng, reigned as a sort of princess
among them.
Mother Carey's Cushion?" said she mer-
rily, echoing the words of an old salt who
was mending his nets in sunny spot
with an old pipe in his mouth, and a
picturesque, long beard blowing about in
the wind. SIS that what they call yonder
rock?"
THAT 'ere's what they halls her by, lady
miss" said the old sailor, his dim eyes
resting with evident appreciation on Octa-
Was fresh young lilies and roses. "And
we'll it's known hereabout."
But why do they call it soi" persisted
the girl.
Because of the cushion, my lady miss"
said the fisherman, laying his pipe down
on the sand out of respect to this charm.
ing young presence, ''and the Mother
Carey's chickens as circle around the point
of dark day, when there's storm com.
ing up. It's round rock near the top
dye seeS-with grass and MOSES growing
on it, in a circle like cushion. I and my
sweetheart-as has been dead these thirty
years-climbed up it once. But we didn't
care to stay there long, tell We. For the
wind howled, and the seagulls shrieked,
and the tide roared like hungry shark
around US, and it was as much as we
could do to get down again with whole
bones"
"Why, it doesn't look such a great
height" said Bolton.
"Mebbe not-mebbe notp' said the old
man. "a quarter of mile makes a deal
of difference in the looks of things. And
them as ant used to distances can't calcu
late"
And he went on with his work, while
the little group strolled on, bright Octavia
with her ribbons and curls floating, Boil
ton carrying her shawl, and Duncan Ray
walking silently on the other side.
And just then another gay party over
took them, and there was a discussion as
to where the site of their impromptu BAN
quet should be. Presently Duncan Ray
looked around.
where's Octavia;" he asked.
Everybody had some answer to make.
Auriette Hall had seen her not five min
utes before; Helen Ray was quite certain
that she was hiding behind the ruined
boathouse On the edge of the beach; Louis
Fielding suggested that she had probably
gone back to the steamer for a scent bottle
or a handkerchief
She'll be here presently" he said. an
the meantime let US get the lunch ready,
for there's dark little edge of cloud down
in the west that the captain says he don't
half like the looks Of"
And where was Octavia GLAND all this
timer
She was springing up the steep and wind
ing ledge of rock quicker and lighter than
any mountain channels, her veil floating
back like white wreath of mist, an ex-
quisite scarlet dying her cheek.
IF other people can climb to Mother
Carey's Cushion so can l." said dauntless
Octavis, keeping her face resolutely away
from the furious waves that boiled and
ragged below, lest perchance it should rem
der her giddy. "And how assonished they
will be when they see me waving my hand
kerchief to them from that dizzy peakl''
Long before the cold fowls, chicken
salad and sandwiches were spread upon
the grass the captain came up from the
steamer.
Ladies and gentlemen" said he, ''I'm
sorry to spoil sport, but there's a squat
brewing, il ever there was one, and we'll
be safer well at sea than on these ragged
points Of rock, especially as the tide is COM
ing deal faster than we'd calculated on-
so II you II step hNeIS 1 snail De particular
ly Obliged"
The ladies began hurriedly to repack the
Incomplete repast and 10 gather up their
mats, NeiiS, pArdSolS anu ElONCSl tue BCAttc-
men looked around for shawl straps, books
and baskets, and once again ran the qaes-
ton:
But Octaviai Where is Octavis"
And Dorsey Wheeler, strsining his eyes
through the gray mist which was already
beginning TO gather over the Landscape.
exclaimed:
WHO has an opera glass; see some
thing on that tall rock that seems to lean