The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-10-16
MISS MASTERS.
By ~REATRICE WHITLEY,
AUTHOR OF THE AWAKENING OF MAR FENwIcK.
lcopyright. 1892. By NE Author.I

CHAPTER i.
The Western wind was wild and dark with foam,
And oil alone went she.
We are at the sea. Change of air and
scene is absolutely necessary for the health
of the orthodox Briton once a year. Our
father suggested that we should spend the
whole summer at home in our lonely house
in Norfolk, where there is nothing on earth
TO do but your duty. Of course he talked
poverty. bad barvests, reduction of rents
for ~grumbIing farmers, and all those other
~philanthropic stinginesses of which we
ey or extra amusement.
But we are q determined family. Our
opinions are as firmly established as the
government; we do not give way. My
father has four daughters. who lead him In
the path which he should tread. the result
beingthat we are at the present time spend
ing August at the seaside.
There are four of us-four Miss Masters.
My eldest sister. Miliicent, IS considered
handsome; her face is certainly sweeter
than her disposition, her blue eyes far
franker than her tongue. She possesses
what the poets call without poetic license
III q CacCt . WOaAhh - 1
curls and coils, the twists and loops were
most expensive, for the color is rare, and
therefore dear.
frank next in age to MillIcent. / am
ninsteeD; no one admires me so far as L
know. Though my nose is sharp. my chin
undeveloped, my hair auburn. my teeth
aggressive, nv range of vision augmented
by the use of eyeglasses. and my temper
uncertain, yet | have o pretty VIII which L
love TO exercise on my neighbors.
My parents, as would be OWNED by An
intelligent reader, have some originality OK
mind, though their ideas run m~uch-over
much-in one groove.
Having called their eldest born Millicent,
they named me, their second daughter, Mil
dred. their third Muriel, and. unable to
shake Oft the fascination CT the NJ. they
grated a French name upon our English
stock, and called the baby Melanie.
We are an agrecaDly-5Ounding quartet.
full of eupho9y and ALTERATION. The
lanie Masters roll generously of the tongue;
our names are = melody of ~maidenhood.
But. as Whose-his-nam says, Things are
not what they SEEM" and we have very
little that is harmonious and melodious In
our dispositions. We quarrel, we jar and
dispute among ourselves. However. we
unanimously allow that a woman who has
no temper has nc character, and what
woman. nowadays. could endure TO be char
acterlessf Perhaps our surname has some
subtle influence upon us. We are each one
of us. masters at present.
Mlllicent is to change her name In the
autumn. The wedding is fixed for October,
but as her q~uarrels with her betrOthed.
Maurice Mitchell, are incessant, and some
times exceedingly violent. the engagement
is an unusually precariouso one. If Maurice
had had the spirit of a Masters he would
have thrown her over weeks and weeks
-I - ~ - H. -... --x
man who would
Sell poor bliss
For proud despair.
If he thinks oil that sort Of thing about
MillIcenJ he must be mad. ano IL Is no use
arguing with o lunatic.
am not engaged-nobody has chosen
partially for Mr.. Chose, Our agent. The
girls don't care for him; he is in appear
ance like my Scotch terrier. with q reddish
face. emothercd ID rough, sandy hair and
ruddy beard. but not nearly so likely a
about like my dog-in fact. he does not
follow me at all-and he is very quiet and
reserved. However. he is coming down
here with my father this afternoon, be
sbaIl q K me ont sea-fshing when he
comes: the girls are not good sailors. and
tits dull to go alone. Maurice Will be
hero by that time, and two more young men
from the barracks who are coming partly
xOI II kCAAAo "A ~
make love TO Muriel, who is o most abom-
Unable coquette.
Our lodgings are on the cliff, close to the
sea. A zigzag path leads down upon the
rocks. Our rooms are very dear and very
dirty. They get dirtier every day; seaside
lod gin &c are irritating. The bedroom which
/ share with Millicent smells of shrimps
and mlldew. Our chest of drawers wobbles,
and the wood has warped. That chest OF
drawers Is o sermon on tact and q lesson IN
patience. You must vancouver and coax
this sort of furniture. Once grow annoy ed
4. and you are lost: for when the drawers
come ont with q run, they come out wholly
and stay out
Our dusty watering h olds q meagre pint
of water; the basin is shallow; the towels
nre fbrous and small; the bath IS q frying.
pan; the window rattles all night long: the
bed is not filled with potatoes, as [ was led
TO fancy, but scantily stuffed with hay anC
flock.
MiIlicent and I nave stormy times there
together, very stormy times. If the looking
glass is only half q foot square and cloudy
lie il.
There is wind enough to-day to blow
your head OH. as well as your hat.
II tempers are surly
With getting up early.
And tcmpers are short in the morning, =
il is no wonder that q spirited fam, y
should have a difference of opinion. We
have had more than differences of opinion,
we o had q domestic riot, with o VIC
lent conclusion.
1t happened in this Wise:
The sea was rough; so rough indeed that
the bathing woman herself. TO the loss o.
her daily bread, advised us to forego oul
intended bath; but We had not risen at
o'clock In the morning for nothing. We d.
not care for advice. nor do we shrink FROM
danger; we are courageous.
Still. as we stood in the break of tn,
waves holding on TO our ropes for dear life
and trying TO preserve our footing. wher
we were butfeted and beaten. when th,
breakers dashed spray into our faces, wheI
our feet were cut as the force of the water
drew the shin giles from beneath them. wbeI
the cold wind whistled IN our ears. dom
know which of us enjoyed herself, but
that i did not.
My sister Melanie is thin and fragile: she
likes 10 be thought delicate-as n matter O
fact, she is not rohust-so when a Rrea
wave came rolling like a green mountain
and, leaping over her head, dealt her
blow on the chest which rolled her dow
among the pebbles. she thought her las
hour had come. As soon as he- head wa
out of the water. she shrieked. let 90 be.
rope, and, throwing MP her arms behaved
rs though she were making an effort TO ge
drowned.
/ cannot swim, but / was near her, so
plunged her way, and gripping her BY tn,
hair, / tugged her to her feet. As she wa
too frightened to stand firmly the mex
incoming wave knocked her down for tn,
second time. She dragged me over. too
and, as / was screaming at her when / fell
i swalled q quart of salt water and @ peel
of sand.
Melsnie's long. lean arm cIutched m,