Frostburg mining journal., 1895-08-17


Perhaps, jack" she blushed, "if
you had, you would have gone ahead Of
me in the class.
"Oh, Lois" began to say, and then
staInmered and grew red in the face. l
could feel the blood fly along my neck,
and my hands shook so could not have
put them out to her if she had asked me
to- 1 had never spoken of love to wom-
an, and now my inexperience was pain
full to me. l knew that the brave man
could win triumph now, but l was not
brave. On the contrary, l was cow
ard, an arrant coward, and in my fear
slipped down off the rock where we had
been sitting and walked out upon the
sand.
"Where are you going, Jack?" she
called to me. II don't like to be left
here all alone. I'm sure Charlie Verder
wouldn't treat me like that :"
That was enough to set me wild. Yer
der was the one fellow I dreaded, and
he hadn't known her six months either.
1 went back to the rock and stood at the
foot of it, Just near enough to touch the
hem Of her gown-such a sweet, white
gown, with bit of blue showing
through it as the blue sky peeps in and
out from the fleecy white clouds
"Do you like him?" asked sullenly.
"Not any more, guess, than you like
Matte Swami" she retorted, with a
perk of her nose and shake of her
fluffy hair.
"Then you like him pretty WE'LL"
said in worse humor than ever, and
quite insistent upon nagging her all I
could.
perhaps I do" she snapped, land,
if do, I'm sure he is very nice fell
low"
"Not any nicer fellow than Matte
Swami is girl, " put in as mean as I
knew how.
"Well, I don't care,' she said as she
slipped off the rock and touched the sand
as lightly as thistledown. I'm going
home, and when you get me to come
away off down here i'll this lonesome
place again at this time of day, or any
other time, I think you'll kn~ W it..
Then she started off along the beach
toward the row of cottages. 1t was Il
mile or more, and I thought I would
keep within call, so I let her get some
distance ahead of me- poked along be-
hind, gazing out to sea and wondering
where all the beauty of the purple
shadows had gone, and why it was the
waves looked so cold and cruel and
clammy. They were the same shadows,
and the same waves, and there l was,
and-but where was Lois? Fifty yards
up the shore and hurrying along as if
she were afraid of twilight ghosts or
other strange inhabitants of the crepus-
cular air. I looked over my shoulder
nervously, and all around, and shivered.
What it was don't know, but on the
instant I called to her and went after
my call as fast as 1 ever ran after a
football
"Lois, Lois !" I kept on calling, but
she gave no heed. Her face was set
away from me and she was going with
it rapidly. But not so fast that could
not catch her in the next so yards or So
"Oh, Mr. Belden," she said in tone
of pretty surprise as came up painting
by her side, chow you frightened me! 1
had no idea you We're on the beach this
evening""
Think of that, and still her father
having the tcmerity to talk about puppy
love! If that wasn't full grown mastiff
sarcasm, I'd like to know what it was.
But 1 was not to be thwarted by wo-
mans whim now, any more than I was
in the beginning
"Oh, Lois, Lois" 1 pleaded, though
1 puffed as l did so. Don't talk like
that. We are not children to let triae
come between us and our love. You
know love you, and know I love you.
1t was because love you so that grew
wild with jealousy when you spoke of
Verder. 1 don't care rap of my finger
for Matte Swami, even if you do like
Charlie Verder'' -
'Mr. Belden, she began very stiffly-
"Call me Jack" cried, with all my
feeling come again. Call me Jack, as
you have always called me.
Perhaps I'd better" she said coldly.
"You have acted so childishly that Mr..
seems scarcely an appropriate title"
"You shan't talk that way to me, Lois
Tanner" exclaimed as stepped in
front of her and blocked her path. II
have done wrong, and apologize hum
bly, for it. Now, as lady, you cannot
do otherwise than accept it. "
II accept the apology, and pray let
that end the matter" "
"No; it shall not. insist upon your
accepting the apology and the apologizer
as we'll l want you, Lois, and that 8
what started to tell You down there on
the rocks. Answer me now, with only
the sea, and the sky, and the sweet twi-
light as witnesses.
I was about to take her hand and more
tenderly urge my claim to an answer,
when she gave slight scream and
sprang to one side as If she had stepped
ON mouse in the sand
Look there, "she whispered, pointing
to couple seated on an old spar half i'll
the sand, and who until then were not
visible I looked and saw Verder and
Miss Swami, very close together and
talking earnestly.
"Let them be witnesses also if they
will, darling" said bravely, and this
time l took her hand i'll mine.
But is was too dark for them to see,
and when Lois and walked by them in
the duskier shadows of the later evening
she had promised to be my wife, and
though the great sun of the heavens had
set over the world and the earth was
full of shadows the greater sun of love
had risen in our hearts, and they were