The Van Buren press., 1895-01-05

rlBuL LON Ret dlbrueus
srhere's some one In a boat there
hailing you." said Dolly, pale with ex-
sitelnent, and pointing to light
cockleshell of dingey, with lug
sail, which was approaching them on
the lee bow. Richard listened.
you'll be ashore II you don't mind, y
came thin, farof shout.
"There, there, told you'll Mrs.
Markheim almost sobbed.
Richard called back some unintel-
ligible reply.
Help! Ilelp" shouted his aunt,
with more sense The little boat rap
idly approached TIL EN-, dancing lightly
over the waves like an animated cork.
Its occupant proved to be girl. She
was dressed in blue serge with a Tam
o'Shanter hat. Skillfully steering her
dingey alongside the Kestrel, she low
cred the sail with run. threw Rich
ard line. and was on board in a
twinkling. Richard raised his hat.
feeling cxquisitely foolish, and stam-
mered that the yacht would persist in
hanging In the wind. They were not
seventy yards from the rocks now.
"Oh. do something" gasped Mrs.
Markheim. "You seem to know-er-
about these things. "
The girl put up the helm and sharp
ly told Richard to keep 1t there. He
said to himself that he would sooner
have ''gone down with all on board"
than be rescued in this way by girl.
And on his own yacht, too! Now she
took the helm from him, and Richard
saw that in some miraculous way the
Kestrel was moving again, the sails all
drawing, and the dingey towing
astern. They were saved.
This is story Of two meetings, and
that was the first.
To say the least it was ignominious
for Richard, and very informal all
round. Mrs. Markheim, overhowing
with gratitude. renewed again and
again the thanksgiving Of herself and
her daughter and begged to have their
savior's name. "Fenella Marston,'
came the shy answer, and Richard,
full Of discontinue and speechless-
admire in secret such q pref
ty name as Fenella. Itappeared that
Fenella lived with her father in lone
house among the hills between Port
Erin and Peel, and, "she must
go ut once" she said, when the poor,
futtering Kestrcl had once more
reached the shelter Of the quay wall.
A year passed, and Richard was
again yachting at Port Erin, this time
alone. Mrs. Marlheim had graciously
asked him to join herself and Dolly at
Fecamp, but for some inexplicable
reason he had declined the invitation,
much to every ones surprise, for
every one, including Dolly, imagined
that he was In love with Dolly For
his own part, he was not quite certain
on that point, and he determined to
spend week or two in solitude at
Port Erin, with his darling Kestrel,
which. by the way, he could now han
die with some skill, in order that he
might commune with himself and ex-
plore the deep recesses Of his feelings
toward the adorable Dolly. Adora BILE
she certainly was-that he admitted
Beautiful, just sufficiently retiring,
boolxishly clever and full of sympathy
for his literary ambitions, she seemed
just the woman to make him happy
though married. But - but-but-
well, it is impossible to conceal the
fact that Fenella was continually in
the background of Richards thoughts
Although the memory of her was con-
nected with the one miserable Incl
dent of brilliant career, he liked to
cali up the picture, us she moved rap
idly about his yacht, engaged in saw
ing it and him and Dolly and Dolly's
mamma from watery grave.
One day he had sailed the Kestrel to
Peel. Tide and wind initiated against
him getting her back before nightfall,
and he determined to walk home to
Port Erin, ten miles over the noun
tains, and return for the yacht on the
morrow. The route from Peel, pro-
vided one avoids the carriage roads, is
as wild and weird as u person could
Wioh, AltCl iSuNihS viz 4uaiHe OAu
town and the quaint old towns new,
vast hotel, one begins to climb almost
Immediately, and all the way the
cloud-wrapped top Of South Barrule
appears and disappears like revolv-
| ing light. 1t was late in the after
noon when Richard started, and he
found the hill paths, at no time con-
gested with the traffic, now quite de-
serted Four miles from Peel one of
those drifting, binding inists, for
which the Isle of Man is famous, sud
denly obliterated the landscape, and
when it happily cleared away, after
about quarter of an hour, Richard
bowlder to study small pocket map,
but to no purpose. Then he jumped
up for he heard man whistlng.
Presently the whistler appeared in
sight. but she was woman, woman
in serge frock and Tam OShanter
hat, and carrying bag. She was
walking rapidly, and when she caught
sight Of Richard she suddenly ceased
making music and involuntarily slack
ened her steps. Richard emitted an
ejaculation of surprise, which it is un-
necessary to repeat here.
Now, the experienced reader will
have guessed that this woman in the
blue serge and Tam O'Shanter hat
was just Fenella herself. Everything
points to it, and such was indeed the
fact.
Richard greeted her, blushing fur
iously. Fortunately he was spared
the necessity of confessing that for
the second time she found him in fix.