Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-09-13
thoroughly she replied, arguing
as woman do.

again. II YOU do, | shall be
tempted to do him some bodily
injury
Tue dear little woman LAID her
hand on my arm restrainingly and
smiled with such irresistible sweet
ness that | even forgot the wound
my own father had given me.
LET it 60 dear, she replled'
They have forgotten they were
young
The shadows were growing into
a deeper purple, and the waves
took on the mellOwer shades of the
evening sky. The night wind, just
rising, tossed LOIS golden hair
about her smooth white forehead,
and the pink of the sunset brought
a roster glow to her cheeks. !
brushed my hand across my eyes
and looked into her face.
DO you remember what l said a
few moments agof | asked, re-
turning tO the previous subject.
what did you sayf she replied,
trembling little, l thought, for
she surely could not have forgotten
so soon.
Il said, darllng-'it was The first
time | had ever called her that,
aud it almost frightened me Il
said that there was one thing 1 had
not learned in the last two years,
and that was to love you better
than l did when l first met you.
Do you think l should have
Iearnedp
Perhaps, jack she blushed, IF
you had, you would have gone
ahead of me in the class
| 'Oh, Lois,' began to say, and
then stammered 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. l had never spoken OF love
10 woman, and now my mex
perience was paidful TO me. |
knew that the brave man could
win a triumph now, but | was not
brave. On the contrary, | was a
coward, an arrant coward, and in
my tear l slipped down of the
rock where we had been sitting
and walked out upon the sand.
'Where are you going, JsCkP
she called to me. Il don't like to
be left here all alone. I'm sure
Charlie Verder wouldn't treat me
like that
That was enough 70 set me Wild.
Verdcr was the one fellow l dread
ed, and he hadn't known her six
months either. l went back to the
rock and stood at the foot OF it,
Just near enough to touchemh the
of her gown-such a sweet, white
gown, with bit of blue showing
through it as tbeIblue sky peeps in
and out from the heecy white
clouds.
DO you like himP l asked
sullenly.
'Not any more, guess, than you
like Matte Swami she retorted,
with a perk of her nose aud shake
of her fluffy hair.
Then you like him pretty we'll.
1 said IN worse humOr than ever
and quire insistent upon nagginG
her all l could.
"Perhaps / do,'' she snapped
land, if l do, Pm sure he is a very
nice fellow
Not any nicer fellow than Mat
tie, Swami is girl | put in al
mean as | knew how.
We'll, 1 don't care she said al
she slipped of the rock and touch
l cd the sand as lightly as a thistle
down. Tm going home, and wheI
You get me to come away of dOwr
here in this lonesome place agail
] at this time of day, of any othe
] time, think you'll know it,
Then she started off along th'
beach toward the row of cottages
= 1t was mile or more, and Though
d | would keep within call, so lie
her get sOmedistance ahead of me
= | p0ked along behind, gazing on
t to sea and wondering where all th'
l beauty of the purple shadows ha'
n gone, and why 1t was the wave
Il looked 80 cold and cruel AM
J, clammy. They were the SAM
It shadows, and the same waves, an'
e and there was, and-but wher
II was Lois? Fifty yards up the shor
and hurryiDg along as il she wer
, afraid Of twilight ghosts or othe
l. strange Inhabitants of the crepu'
cular air. looked over my shsulde
# neryously, and all around, ant
, shivered. What it was | don
/ know, but on the instant l calle'