People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-10-27
COPYRIGHTED By .BLlpPINcoTT COMPANY

ma Nd LhCdA1 W SdJ IldL the DuOy
marked an obstruction in mid-channel,
and that the navigator in entering port
might pass on either side OF
it in safety. 1t also stood
as the mark of a terrible OBJ
struction at the entrance of fair
young life. He who would come to the
knowledge of all she was and all she
did and said must steer carefully and
pass by on either side the moaning
memento of mystery and heavy sor-
row. Two fathoms deep in her young
heart lay the unspoken secret of her
life and the sea.
Could there be any connection be-
tween that prosy buoy and a young
girls life and love? Wait Every
thing comes ashore at last.
People wondered why old Capt.
Breeze johnson gave his daughter such
strange name, Capt. Johnson, re-
tired Sandy Hook pilot and now keeper
Of the lighthouse, best knew what the
three letters that that made his daugh-
ter's name meant-if they meant any,
thing. She had never been baptised:
the name had simply been given to her
by the old Captain, and apparently for
no reason whatever. There were
those in the village who said it was an
"outlandish heather namA auvway,and
not tit for a sweet young thing like
old Capt. Johnson's darter."
Merely three letters-Mai. Mai
johnson. The old man, her father,
pronounced it as if spelled "May;" so,
for those who never saw it written out.
1t seemed a proper and rather pretty
name for a young girl just touching
seventeen.
AS for Mai herself, she thought its
curious spelling merely some pretty
conceit of her fathers fancy, and wore
her name with becoming pride and dig
nifty. 1t was her name, and it never
entered her young heart to ask what
1t meant The old man knew in part,
and so did the moaning buoy, but one
would not tell, and the other spoke
only IN means no man could understand.
The season had fairly opened. The
white steamboats, had already begun to
make their daily trips to Wilson's
Holl from New London, Conn. The
procession of vessels continually drift
ing along the horizon to the north
east, bound east or west between Long
Island sound and the Vineyard, or
turning southeast past the cape and
making for the open sea, had LARGELY
increased. Already a yacht or two
had anchored at the Holl, and the
yellowish-green hotel and fantastic
cottages were open and expectant of
summer boarders. There was a broad
piazza at the front Of the hotel, where
the guests sat to view the sea spread
out before them; and here, on a bright
morning early in July, sat two ladies
mothers of grown-up daughters, and
women prepared to look at the world
in certain calm expectation of any
thing that might happen to the advau-
tage of their blooming girls.
Did You see the arrival last night?"
mo. understood the barge came
over from the misunderstanding with
only man. was not Interested"
You would have been, had you
seen him"
Have you learned his name, my
dcar??"
81 examined the hotel register after
breakfast, because he sat next 10 our
table. Rather good-looking-fne eyes
and very gentlemanly, of course. A
man that many girls would like, though
| must confess | did not"
what is his nance"
Tell you as soon as ! come to it.
It's little singular, because | hear his
mother, who was 4 widow for many
years, has married again-married very
well, too, for her, and for the young
man, too, for l hear he has nothing
and spent it all in Paris"
'And who was she?'
Ellis mother? Oh, l don't know:
but she first married some person by
the name of Yardst,ckie."
"Yardstickie?"
"Yes. Curious name-pronounced
Iedstick, with the accent on the first
syllable, and spelled with al lie. ROYAL
Yardstickie is his name"
Then she added, in a lower voice.
Here he comes now"
A young man about 2S years of age
walked slowly out OF the open door Of
the hotel. He was dressed in white
flannel, and seemed very much at
ease with himself and the world. He
gazed round with an air of calm assur-
ance on the few ladies and children
scattered over the piazza, and then
looked out over the garden, the path
along the bluff, and the blue sea be-
yond. The view did not seem to in
terest him in the least, and he looked
a trife bored, as if he wondered why
he should be east upon such a charm
ing and uneventful shore. Seeing the
top of the lighthouse, he sauntered
down the steps and took a leisurely
pace along the path that followed the
shore on top of the sandy dunes that
bordered the broad beach.
II do not like him."
why not, dear? Pm sure he's
very handsome"
"Dissipated,-or has been. Comes