The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-11-28

I folded and sealed my letter to Aunt
Martha, telling her TO expect US by the
afternoon train.
"The old lady has her cranks and
crotchets," L explained, las we opened the
gate and walked up a garden path be-
tween trim box borders and flower beds
and skirted n well-kept lawn, but she is
true blue all through"
I; Aunt Martha greeted us with less
frigidity than 1 had anticipated. and
the frosts of years. in silvering her hair,
had obviously mellowed some of her
asperities of temper.
We had a dainty, well-served supper.
and it was only when Fred and l sat out
on the pier-head enjoying u cigars
over the tapping water of the bay that
l remembered the existence of my poor,
fragile little cousin Adele.
Great Scott" 1 said, jumping up;
aunt Martha will never forgive me-"
: hurried back to make inquiries and
apologies, and as l was leaving the
wharf which uns out over 100 feet in
the shallow water of the bay, reaching
nearly to the channel. | saw a fairy
vision approaching.
y young wcman came toward me,
walking with slow. tranquil grace,
while holding her soft. pale blue gown
aloof from the dust of the shell road.
She was bareheaded, and the waning
afternoon light seemed to pause, ali
e~ntangled in the ripples of her golden
brown hair. Never had | seen anything
quite so lovely as this maiden. whose
brown eyes shone with a subdued
mirth, while her smile of recognition
and welcome was beyond all descrip-
ton.
why, Cousin Allen, you don't seem
to recognize your poor little playmate
of years ago. Del is very glad to see
you again, nevertheless"
In common parlance, you could have
knocked me down with a feather, as |
instantly told Del, while insisting that
long lost cousin was entitled to some
thing more demonstratiye than a hand
shake.
But Del laughingly objected until a
renewed acquaintance, she said, would
verify tie existence of the trough,
~good-natured fellow she liked so
much"
We stfolIed out CT the narrow plank
ing of the wharf, side by side, to where
Fred still sat, enjoying the cool breezes
of the gulf, his cigar, the broad view of
paling waters and sky tints, and the
faint song of some fisher folks waited
to us by the light evening winds as a
coasting lugger beat her way slowly
down the channel.
Fred's back was toward us. and he
only turned, aware of our presence,
when | called to him to present him to
my rebound cousin, Miss Del.
That WIS my great mistake.
No one knew better than L did that
Dalton is a particularly pleasing fellow.
Everybody likes him.
He is clearly ono of natures favor
ties, for besides an uncommonly bright
mind. much practical sense, as evil
denced by his success in life, Fred has
n gracious and a bright, unaffected wit
which makes him a much sought after
man by all. and everywhere, at all times
and all places.
So it was to be expected that a child
like Del, brought up austerely, aloof
from the world, mostly in the grand
solitudes of Aunt Niartha's seashorc re-
treat. would lie quickly charmed by so
pleasant a fellow.
Juna p,erUnd into JuIv which in turn |
slipped by with swift, unconscious
flight, the pleasant days following each
other all too quickly, as we would run
into town each morning, look at our
mail, step in at the club, then catch
the nine o'clock train and speed back
to Seaview to lounge through the cool,
sweet evenings and nights.
August came and went all TO swiftly. |
each day adding to the long account of
fears. desires. anticipations, de-
termincd resolves and possible bitter
a~ntagonisms which we would hourly
balance, Fred and l, when the fall
would come and the summer cease.
From a close friendship and in
built on long years of liking,
and daily intercourse, Fred
and I fell into a polite frigidity and an
aloofness from each other, which was
to each of US, but which neither
could break through or overcome.
Between us stood Dei's sweet witch
cries. ripping laughter, bright words
md wondrous graces, piled noun
tain high in an impenetrable bar
rier, which cut in two the ties
If boyisii years and the friend
of manhood, leaving us a Stern
lntagonism and an ~implacable deter
nination to each seek without stay or
stinct what the other most coveted on
his green, smiling earth.
Aunt Martha led her busy life with
aim regularity, and Del each day gave
IS a joyous greeting from her pony
when we alighted from the
rain: chatted with Fred and coaXed
to a better humor, or sat with me
n the moonlit porch and sang some
weet ditty, hen chatted in French
With Fred, adding each day to the list
# our long reckoning, which in the
lfter years would make or mar two
You both leave tomorrow for good {
nd ALI" said Del that last evening, S
lasping her little hands in mock de-