The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-21

length. LQaI MIS- Lie WOUdU,
The girl shook her head. "Not in Ruan
itsel'-Ruan parish. Wen have TO 60
round the point"
She was leaning back and gazing straight
before her, towards the harbor's mouth.
The boat was one of the class that serves
along that coast for hook and line as we'll
twenty-seven feet in the keel and nine in
the BEAM 1t had no deck beyond small
cuddy forward, on top of which light
hoar frost was gathering as they moved.
The minister stood beside the girl and
withdrew his eyes from this cuddy roof to
contemplate her.
do you mean to say" he asked, 'athat
you don't take cold wearing no wrap or
bonnet on frosty nights like this?"
She let the tiller go for moment, took
his hand by the wrist and laid it on her
own bare arm. He felt the flesh, but it
was firm and warm. Then he withdrew
his hand hastily. without finding anything
to say. His eyes avoided hers. When,
after half q minute, he looked at her
upon the misty stretch of sea beyond the
harbor's mouth.
In minute or two they were sweeping
between the tall cliff and the reef of rocks
that guard this entrance on either side.
On the reef stood wooden cross, painted
white, warning vessels to give a wide
berth; on the cliff a gray castle, with
battery before it, under the guns of which
they sped seward, still with the wind
astern.
Outside the sea lay as smooth as within
the harbor. The wind blew steadily off
the shore, SO that, close-hauled, one might
fetch up or down channel with equal ease.
The girl began to iatten the sails and
asked her companion to bear a hand.
hn.y h1v, Ia av,d he
noted with surprise that the girls was
feyerishly hot. Then she brought the
boats nose round to the eastward, and
heeling gently over the dark water, they
began to skirt the misty coast, with the
breeze on their left cheeks.
How much farther2" asked the minis
ter.
She nodded towards the first point in the
direction of Plymouth. He turned his
coat-collar up about his ears and Won
dered if his duty would often take him on
such a journey as this Also he felt
thankful that the sea was smooth. He
might, or might not, be given to sea-
sickness; but somehow he was sincerely
glad that he had not to be put to the test
for the first time in this girls presence.
They passed the small headland and
still the boat held ON its way.
II had no idea you were going to take
me this distance. Didn't you promise me
the house lay just beyond the point we've
Just passed."
To his amazement the girl drew herself
up, looked him straight in the face, and
There's no such place"
There's no such place. There's nobody
i'll at all. l told you lie"
''You told me lie-then why in the
name of common sense am l here?"
1ufo
Pm sick O. love for you, an want'ee to
marry me-"
"Great heaven" the young minister
muttered, recoiling, sis the girl mad?'
"Ah, but look at me, sir. She seemed
to grow still taller as she stood there, rest
ing one hand on the tiiler and looking at
him with perfectly serious eyes. Look at
me well before your fancy lights pom
some other o. the girls. Tomorrow they'll
be all after zee. an this III be my only
chance; for my fathers no better'n a
plain fisherman, an they're all above me
in money an rank. l be but common
Ruan girl, an my family is counted for
naught. But look at me well; there's
none stronger nor comelier, nor that1l
love thee so dear!'
The young man positively gasped. "Set
me ashore at oncer' he commanded,
stamping his foot.
NAY, that will not till thou promise,
an that's fiat. Dear lad, listen-an' con-
sent, consent-and l swear to thee thou'u
never be sorry for IT,"
IL never heard such awful improperly
in my life. Turn back, 1 order you to
steer back to the harbor at once!"
She shook her head. mo. lad, I won't
An what's more, you don't know how to
handle boat, an couldn't get back by
yourself, not in month"
"This is stark madness. You-you
abandoned n n
to keep me here?"
Till thou give in to me. We're goin'
straight t'wards Plymouth now, an if tn
wind holds-as 'twill-we'll be off the
Rame in two hours. If you haven't said
me yes by that maybe We'll go on or per-
haps We'll run across to the coast O.
France"
Girl, do you know that if I'm not back
by daybreak I'm ruined?"
"And oh, man, man! Can't ZEE see that
I'm ruined, too, if l turn back without
your word? How shall show my face in
Troy streets again, tell me?"
At this sudden transference of respon.
sibility the minister staggered.
You should have thought of that be-
fore" he said, employing the one obvious
answer.
90 course thought of it. But for love
O you made up my mind to risk it. An
now there's no goin' back" She paused a
moment and then added, as a thought
struck her: "Why, lad, doesn't that prove
l love zee uncommon"
81 prefer not to consider the question.
Once more-wlll you go back?"
81 can't"
He bit his lips and moved forward to
the cuddy, on the roof of which he seated
himself sulkily. The girl tossed him an
end of rope.
''Dear, better coil that up an sit upon it.
The frost III strike a chill intn thaa
With this she resumed her old attitude
by the tiller. Her eyes were fixed ahead,
her gaze passing Just over the minister's
hat. When he glanced up he saw the rime
twinkling on her shoulders and the star
shine in her dark eyes. Around them the
armament blazed with consultations up to
its coping. Never had the minister seen
them so multitudinous or SO Respondent.
Never before had the heavens seemed so
alive TO him. He could almost hear it
breathe. And beneath ii the little boat
raced eastward, with the reef-points pat
terlng on its tan sails.
Neither spoke. For the most part the
minister avoided the girls eyes, and sat
nursing his wrath, The whole affair was
ludicrous; but it meant the sudden ruin of
his good name at the very start of his
career. This was the word he kept grind
ing between his teeth-''ruin,n ruin"
Whenever it pleased this mad woman to
set him ashore he must write to Deacon
Snowden for his boxes and resign all con.
nection with Troy. But would he ever
get rid of the scandal? Could he ever be
sure that, to whatever distance he might
flee, 1t would not follow him? Had he
not better abandon his calling once and
for all? 1t was hard.
A star shot down from the milky wav
and disappeared III darkness behind the
girls shoulder. His eyes, following it. en-
~ Lee. -.