The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-07-30


shanty, where they remained in hid
ing, their dear hearts beating as if to
burst all bounds in excitement over
the adventure, so entirely unpremedi-
tated.
Jack, however, had no iden of in
truding on them, and consequently
did not follow the girls, or he would
certainly have been amused at the pre-
dicament OF one of them, and have
gladly availed himself of the opportu-
nifty to render her gallant service.
Returning to the rocks, he paused
to view the magnificent panorama of
shore, wood, water and field, embel-
llshed by browsing cattle, handsome
cottages and sailing craft, with now
and then resounding steamboat on
the Sound, when he was recalled from
his reverie by the stentorian voice of
Charley, shouting;
"Ship-ahoy! Come aboardl"
His glance lowered to the water
line, he discovered in shelf-like
crevice of the rocks pair of small,
neat russell pumps, which undoubted-
ly had been left by their fair owner in
her fight ON the approach of the
boat.
His first impulse was to capture as a
trophy this pair of pumps, and then
that he would mark them for the pur-
pose OF future identification. He
OWNED he would never discover the
fair owner by taking them to the hotel
and enacting Cinderella-like comedy
OF having them tried on by all the
girls until he found the right one, and
decided to mark them, and for this
purpose he took them to tho yacht,
where he interested his comrades by
telling the story.
1t CHANGED that the sailing master
was some what of chemist, Nor
wegian of good education, and Of the
several plans suggested for identifying
the shoes, his was adopted.
He suggested that daub Of phos-
phorus be made on the rear of each
heel, which would not attract atten-
ton in the daylight but which would
be luminous at night Shrewder than
the rest of us, he suggested that the
shoes be returned to the rocks, to be
found there by the fair owner, who
would undoubtedly return for them if
we went away on sail. We all agreed
she would never claim the shoes if we
loft them at the hotel desk to be re-
stored to the owner.
In few minutes the mainsail was
hoisted, and the jib flung out and the
Olga glided away like bird before
good breeze that put her starboard
bow IN the water.
took a station on the after deck,
glass in hand, and watched the shore,
and particularly the rocks Sure
enough, as soon as the Olga left the
scene and the coast was literally clear,
I espied bevy of girls emerge from
the cornfield and hasten along the
shore to the rocks to recover the miss
ing shoes. In the group I could not
discern which one appropriated them,
as they kept we'll together for mutual
protection, but could hear their
merry shouts Of success.
After spin on the Sound the Olga
was once again anchored off the rocks,
out of the channel, little bit calmed
it seemed to me, by her sailing, but
still restive as if anxious to be off
again. To me yacht often seems to
be imbued with the animation and
nature of bird, like living thing,
restless, ambitious. chatting under the
restraint of the chain, like a mettled
steed in his stall waiting to be out.
The day wore away all too slowly
for ms, pleasant as was the scene and
weather. as all shared my curiosity to
discover the owner of those. two
small shapely pumps. What if she
did not wear them ut the hop? Perish
the thought, for the summer girl
always wears her cosey comfortable
russets.
We went ashore after a delightful
little dinner on deck, that is, in the
cockpit under the awning. 1t seemed
that the shades of night would never
fall over the earth and envelop all
in the darkness necessary for the sue
cess of our discovery. The sun.