The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-09-22
AGAINST The TIDE.
by MAJOR ALFRED n. CALHOUN

fort during my holidays, said Alex
Freeman to his friend, Casper Burns,
with whom he was discussing the
place where they should spend the two
weeks vacation allowed them by the
bank in which they were both clerks,
and of which their respective fathers
were directors.
eve had good time at Saratoga
last year." said Casper Burns, adding,
with sly laugh, "but you are afraid
of meeting Miss Julia Fletcher there
again well, | don't blame you she
is rs rich and pretty and heartlcss as
You find them"
"No, confound il, Casper, Miss
Fletcher is all right it is who was
the fool, aud presumptuous one at
that, for thinking she looked more
favorably on me than she did on the
score of fellows who danced about her
like midges in the sun. hate fashion.
Why, only the strongest constitution
can stand the dressing, the driving,
the dining and dancing of those fash
ionable watering places. We want
rest, or, rather, change. Now what
do you say to Whites Inlet?"
"White's Inlet? Never heard of
such place" replied Casper.
"Tben I'll enlighten yoh," said
Alick Freeman, stopping in the midst
of packing his trunk and turning to
his friend. "Whites Inlet is near
Barnegat-"
'''Down on the Jersey coastp"
Al. A i. 4. II.
shooting tip-top, and there is no such
place for boating aud bathing. And
then ii is pretty well ont Of the world,
and the chances are we'll be the only
visitors within miles"
"And we can wear out our old
Clothes" interrupted Casper Burns.
"Of course no one would think of
wearing anything but old clothes down
at Whites Inlet. Oh, we'll have n
splen lid time, free as the winds, and
almost like being in state of
nature"
81 know, Alick, but people in a
state Of nature eat aud sleep; how are
we to obtain these necessary com
fortsP"
/ Is Wtll
Alick, slamming down the lid of his
trunk and facing his friend. "Right
near the mouth of the inlet there lives
O fisherman named White"
"The inlet takes its name from
him?'
"Just 80; and he has all accommoda-
tions necessary. sent him word
| af1 A. hAf
pecting u.s."
SCOT any pretty daughters2"
"No; that's the beauty of it; has
no one but his wife, and the only
neighbor is a mile and a half away
across the inlet. Oh, we'll have peace
and no end of agood time, "said Alick
Freeman, rubbing his hands in antici-
patton of the pleasure in store for
them.
The result of this interview was
that the young men found themselves
at Whites Inlet within week After
leaving the cars they had to go in n
wagon some twenty miles over sandy
road that ran through forest of fune-
real pines and distorted scrub oaks, on
which the sun beat with tropical inten-
sity and along which the mosquitoes
prowled in fierce, bloodthirsty bands.
The fisherman's house was perched
on o verdureless bluff of white sand,
with swamp in the background and
glorious expanse of blue ocean in
front If the structure did not
promise comfort it was certainly pic
turesque, and told of wrecks and
dangers along that treacherous coast.
One end of the cabin was the stern
section of a wrecked schooner, with
the name "Eliza Jane" still visible
the chimney of rusty iron had once
done duty on tugboat, and the
Gothic doorway was the under jaw of
whale which Sam White had killed
on the bar, about mile from his
cabin.
'It doesn't look promising, must
confess" said Alick Freeman, as they
got out of the wagon which they had
hired at rOnnd price to fetch them
over, "but it looks as if we might
have all the quiet here that heart
could wish for" This was Alick 3
first visit to the place, which had been
recommended to him by bachelor
friend, and though he pretended to
like it, he felt in his heart that it was
ne all he desired.
'It must be splendid place for
fish, said Casper, with grim smile.
"Oh, it is! Why, there's no end of
fish out there" said Alick, waving his
hands at the water.
eff it isn't good place for fish, "
continued Alick, "then it's about the
most worthless place ever set eyes
on"
Sam White, a weather beaten man
of fifty, came out of the cabin to well
come his guests aud help them in with
their "traps, as he called the goodly
array OF baggage they had brought
with them.
Mrs. White looked enough like her
husband to be twin, but she was a
clean, wholesome, hearty woman, MS
unconventional as the most ardent