The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-02-21
PEN AND INK.

PEN AND Ink.
'sI said it once, and say it again"
snapped old Uriah Tempest, irately.
s'These seq dips will be the death of me
yet--the death of me, I tell you, Zoe!'
'Yes, Uncle Rare" murmured his
lovely niece. in the sweetest of voices.
"What do you mean by that, minx?'
he demanded, with a frown which
would have put the blackest thunder
cloud to shame.
Zoe's mischievous brown eyes were
dancing with mirth under the long,
curling Iashes, but she looked the pic
ture of innocence, standing there on
the white beach of Useppa Island, in
her dainty blue bathing suit.
Her uncle was also in bathing cos
tune, made of flaming red flannel
instead of the fashionable white. He
did not look exactly like Greek god.
He bore a remarkably close resem-
blance to boiled lobster.
Glancing along the wet sand to the
eft, Zoe perceived a well-known figure
approaching swiftly. She drew Uncle
Rare's arm through hers before the
startled old gentleman could protest.
In a trice they had met huge wave
midway, and with a gasp ne realized
that the first dreaded dip was over.
$50 you think this bathing is sure
to kill me, eh?' growled Uncle Rare,
when he could get his breath.
'sWhy, you said it yourself!' Zoe
protested, flashing a dazzling smile at
Leigh Kingsford and his sister, Nita,
who had entered the surf some yards
below.
Her uncle caught the glance, and
just as they met the third wave, man
aged to mutter in her ear:
s'Insufferable puppy! What does he
mean by following US here?"
The island is free to alI!' said Zoe,
Indignantly, flushing to the roots Of
her bonny brown hair.
:sHe is fortune-hunter, the terri
old man declared, raising his voice
to pitch that brought the words dis
tinctly to Leigh Kingsford's ears. 81
shall stay in no longer if I am to witness
my own niece's disgraceful Irritation
with person like that. Where's Mar
tin Smith?' raising his voice an octave
higher and wading hastily ashore.
The KingsfordS hurriedly left the
water as Martin Smith, skipper of the
yacht Sea Gem, after receiving the ord
ers of Uncle Rare, prepared to lift an
chor for the home trip.
There were six bathers besides Mr..
Tempest and his niece, and the glances
they cast in his direction, after being
thus disturbed in the midst Of their
'dips," were the reverse of compli-
mentary.
But the Sea Gem wss his property,
built for the purpose of carrying bath
ers to and from the surf-washed beach
of Useppa, the favorite bathing-place
in the vicinage of Charlotte Harbor.
On the horne-stretch Uncle Rare
made himself as agreeable as possible
after his own peculiar method.
He kept Zoe at his side and read her
a lecture on the subject Of fortune hun
tiers and their characteristics, to her
intense but smothered resentment, aud
the very evident amusement of Leigh
Kingsford, who lounged within ear
shot.
eff imagined for moment" OBJ
served the old gentleman, irascibly,
s'that you-Zoe Tenpest-would ever
wed rascally fortune hunter, should
make my will at this moment and cut
you off with a dollar-that is. If there
happens to be pen and ink on board. "
"Whlch there DOESN'T" growled
Skipper Smith, smoking his pipe at the
tiller.
'Blue lightning" calculated Uncle
Rare, highly enraged. "No pen and
ink on board this yacht, did you say?
Suppose I wanted to disinherit my
niece, how am I to do it, eh? Again I
demand how am I to do it?'
And he fairly danced backward to
the guard, trans6xing the imperturb-
able skipper with a glance equal to a
wbefe handful of the strongest red cay
>~enne pepper.
sAvast!" shouted the skipper, in
,udden alarm, as the boom swung
around and sent the old gentleman,
head foremost into the briny deep.
4 yell of agonized terror bubbled up
from the blue depths; and Leigh Kings
ford, poised on the deck-rail for a
spring, as the yacht swung broadside
to the wind and came to halt, saw a
plumber of writhing arms flung about
the portly form of Zoe's uncle.
"a seuid, a squid!" cried the skip
Der.
And in breath Leigh's fair head
sanished beneath the water, and arose
close to the scene of danger.
It was indeed giant calamary, or
eouid-one of the head-footed moilusc
family. Its two longer arms were
wound about Uncle Rare, while the
remaining eight waved wildly about,
and the huge, flmy eyes glared fierce
ly at Leigh.
Calamaries do not usually attack hu-
man beings; but this one evidently
m1stook Uncle Rare for a remarkable
species of fish.
Leigh drew keen knife, and strik-
ing at the squirming arms, severed
three.
The squid sent q column of water
n,t through its funnel, and worked its
Unlike expansions vigorously.