Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-01-07

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make friends with the children, aud
promised them boat-ride if they
would come to the beach on the fol-
lowing day.
81 will bring some sketches made
in Rome by an acquaintance of mine, -
he said, as he babe Stephie good-by.
"They may interest you"
Stephie thanked him, and went
home'with smiling eyes.
How pleasant he wasl How pleasant
the afternoon had been! How nice it
would be TO have an elder brother to
talk to like that
She was glad to have met him. He
was spending few weeks at the lower
village, he had told her. He had q
yacht there. His name was David
Preston.
"Did he know the painter, Charles
Preston, whom Roland had raved so
about, and whose paintings COM
manded such prices?"
''Yes, he had heard OF him-was
related Ito him. Was inclined to
think, though, that people rated him
higher than he deserved"
They had a spirited argument over
this point, and he seemed greatly
amused at her earnest defense Of
Roland's paragon.
The next day, the children having
informed their mother that nice
man had promised them n boat ride,
she declared that she should be glad.
to get rid of them, only Stephie must
go to see that none of them tumble
overheard.
So away they trooped, Stephie in
the midst, and found their new friend
awaiting them with beautiful little
yacht. And Stephie passed another
delightful afternoon.
This was but the beginning. The
long summer days drifted away one
by one. Stephie worked eagerly at
her household duties in order that she
might spend half-hour with David
Preston on the beach.
A new life had come to her. It was
delightful to have 80 congenial COM
panion. Even Roland had never
talked with her and sympathized with
her az David Preston did.
Roland could talk of nothing but
his art The children made him cross,
and he frowned at poor Stephie's faded
gowns and toil.stained fingers.
But, then, Roland was n genius. The
commonplaces of everyday life Jared
and fretted against his finer tastes.
David Preston was altogether differ.
ent, but Stephie was happier than she
had ever been that summer.
Her new friend would talk with her
and amuse the children at the same |
time. He was careful to select COM
Portable seat for her on the beach. He |
brought cluster Of flowers at one |
time, basket of fruit at another, a |
book at another. He treated her with
tender Difference, with kind and |
respectful familiarity that the poor
girl had never known before in all her
poor, cramped existence; and so
naturally was this done, that she
hardly noticed il at first, until one day
she was looking back over her past
life, and it came to her all of a sudden
that this summer had been brighter
to her because of David Preston.
Even then she did not see the whole
truth.
For long while she had heard
nothing from Roland, and before that
long silence his letters had been brief
and unsatisfactory.
This did not cause her the pain and
uneasiness that it would once have
caused her. Roland had been absent
a whole year, and, unconsciously to
herself, Stephie had been growing
away from him.
One day, she was sitting in her
favorite niche Of the rocks upon the
beach, looking over newspaper,
which she had taken from the post
office on her way thither.
The twins were building miniature
of the white sand, while
she glanced-woman fashion-through
the list of deaths and Marriages.
Among the latter she caught sight
Of name which brought her heart to
her mouth.
'In Rome, Italy, on the Eth instant,
Ro!audG. Harvey, OF Seaport, Maine,
to Ella ID. Revere, of New York city,"
This was the notice that Stephie
read, and then she looked up, with
luivering lips and flushing face, to see
David Preston gravely observing her.
She tried 10 speak. but could not,
md hot, indignant tears rushed to her
ayes; yet, through her pain and morti-
ication she felt strange sensation of
'elief.
"Are you in trouble. my little
'riend?" Preston queried, kindly.
Then Stephie's voice returned to