New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-14
TWO WOMEN, A BOY
AND SOME HORSES.
AMAREL AS A REFORMER.
BY MARIA LOUISE POOL.

doors and looked at us; and they smiled "A per-
son who has not been out in a shower. ana Is per-
fecty dry can afford to smile at the spectacle we
presented $3.50
Albert was now walking by his wheel, which
was. so to speak feathered all over with wet
dust
Amabel remarked that she had never known
n.rora what II was 10 be cammy. But she made
an effort to be cheerful, and even went so far as
IN saw that she was not sorry she came. In
fact" with increasing bravado, I'm glad AL
bert glanced scornfully at her. as he said that SO
was a hen. Then he glanced at man In MS
shirt sleeves. who was smoking In an open door,
. way and asked If this was Monument The man
regarded US with immense satisfaction. he
.auntered out into the yard and took his pipe
from his mouth grinned, and inquired II we had
been far.
..Middeboro," said Amabel hurredly. fearing.
as she afterward told me, that her brother would
make his reference to the hen
Got caught. didn't YEP" asked the man.
Caught"
Yes in the shower"
Yes we did get caught. Is this Monument"
ITS Monument Beach" with a great emphasis
on the word Beach. "Mebby you own one OF
them cottages down there"
No. We don't"
Amabels teeth began to chatter Mine had be-
gun a few moments earlier.
What town is this, anyway inquired Albert
Its Bourne"
isn't there any Monument?'
"Tbis ia Monument Mebby you're after Po-
easset. or Cataumet or Wenaumet. or some OF
them
mo. no~ despairingly from Amabel I'VE were
after Monument, but we don't care now. all we
want is to get 70 a hotel
"Oh you want a hotel? Mebby you've got
cranberry boys down here?"
mo Where is the hotel?"
"Wall the hotels round here mostly are shet
What. shut up?' more despairingly.
"Ain't been opened yet much. You see It's
rather early-though they be open. some Amt
M rush vet They open earlier n they used to-
Amabel disengaged wet sticky foot from the
wet sticky slipper Of her strrup; then she dis
mounted. did the same.
1--WE will walk. and lead our horses, she SAID
albert you find out where there's hotel that Is
oren inst enough for US to get into It, We don't
want it open any more than that And 1t seems
10 me we ought never to have come down here 10
Bourne or Wenaumet, or Cataumet or any OF
these places. We ought to have gone on TO
Sandwich"
Here Amabel looked at me IL were re-
eponsible for this mistake in route. She
leading mine. 1t was great RELIEF TO walk
and we went faster and faster, while Albert
remained behind to wiring some information
from that man, II II We're possible.
The sun was shining holly. We began
to steam In it's rays. We had eschewe1 skirts
long enough to interfere with walking. so that
we got on very well. splashing through the
puddles reckessly.
soft southwest wind came from Buzzard 8
Bay. bringing the delightful salt odor. How the
whole world glttered. How the birds sang!
All at once the road curved, and we saw the
bay shining before us. heavins with the pulse
of the ocean. We stopped to look.
HAS it ever occurred to you. Amabel," be-
gan tmidly, that perhaps Just possibly. you
know. we might better have come down here in
the steamcars. or by boatT'
Never" said Amabel promptly.
"I know 1t is romantic to ride through the
country on horseback" went on. "and II only
one were waterDroof"-
"Pshaww she interrupted IF one were never
soaked one would never know the JOY OF being
dried by sun like this.
And said no more. I had often seen wei
clothes spread on a horse before kitchen nre
and noted the steam arising from them but
had never before known how clothes felt under
such circumstances.
IT WISH" said /, by way Of beguiling time
until Albert should rejoin us, II wish could
make some poetry. If could find rhyme tc
humid I might get on finely"
There's tumid," suggested Amabel.
But I knew that would never do; and all al
once I was seized with doubt as to whether
there was such a word tumid. Were you
ever afflicted in that way? Did you ever have
some word suddenly seem utterly preposterous
and as il 1t had never existed-some every
day little collection of few individuals of the
alphabet-and you say IT over and over to your
self until you begin to fear there is something
the matter with the brain Don't fear. however
there is nothing wrong; you are simply suffering
in common with the other great minds Of thu
world.
Did not even DR.. johnson. sir. retrace his steI
to touch with his cane post that he had missed
touching? That small deed of the great maj
was always Of much comfort TO me. because
sometimes l. with my inferior equipment. have
gone back so that / might put my right foo
first in mounting a flight Of stairs. and there
a wooden button on the cellar door In the OLE
house at home that was often impeed to plac
nv finger on as / went by it-impelled by
nebulous kind OF conviction TAT things in gen
eraI would go better If did so. wonder wha
kind of tracks are made In the brain gray mat
ter by the forming Of such habits.
All this, however, has nothing 10 do with TIT
melancholy fact that we two drenched womer
were leading our horses along the wet road o
this hamlet on the shore of Buzzard's Bay.
But we were fast becoming less wet Ou
horses were already dry; their brides wer'
changing from unsatisfactory pulpy sub
stance TO an equally unsatisfactory stiff sub
stance.
The Thane greatly interested In the view
Of the bay He reared his head and dilated hi
nostrils: for a moment he presented the ap
pearance Of a charger. and was proud OF him
md he wafe NJ ba vIx