Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-08-20

- Nv ~ = Yin wv "a otIOhk, tGhQCIt
fncipient mother-love, that rose above ali
self-consideration In her true womanly
nature, for the helpless babe dependent on
her.
"Winifredi Winifred, / sayr''
She fastened back from her wearisoms
parade, with the baby in her arms, to the
upper window and its screamed mandates
a second time.
Take the baby down on the rocks with
the rest. You shouldn't leave those child.
rem down there so long by themselves
And mind you don't let them wet their
feet"
Yes. mamma"
"Has Sarah Matilda got her brown jacket
onf"
Eyes, mamma"
"Well. mind You don't let Tom 60 near
the water-his throat's as sore as possible.
And, Observation-Disclosures, Isayl-wait un-
til l have done speaking, will you! l never
saw ouch n Needless maidv'
Il wasn't going, mamma"
mind You don't let Caroline touch that
nasty sca-weed, or those shell-flsh she's
always e~ating-tell her she shall have
Gregory's powder il she does, and III en-
gage she'll let EN- be fast enough"
Yes, mamma"
Winifred hurried as she spoke, and,
though she heard a renewed scream of
Observation-Disclosures, | sayr' when she
wss halfway down the cliff path, she only
descended the faster, until she reached
the pebbfy shore, painting, flushed, and
nervous.
81 could not go back them she said In
excuse to herself for her slight disobedi.
ence, If such it were. at was better to
come down and leave baby safely here. ]
couldn't turn just then-mamma knows
that; but / can't go up now. Oh, l can't
Il can'tl He heard her-I am sure he did
l saw his hat just as she was shouting
about Tomf o, l wish she hadn't! What
matter though-what matterl How stupid
am! He has only como to sec father.
He said he would yesterday m~orning-and
l have my old frock on--it's not very bad
though-and this shabby old shawll But
what am l talking off He's not come to
see niche won't see me-he shaa't see me
-there" and Winnie laid her face down
on the baby's blue hood, in u momentary
culver of disappointment, with a long
sigh, and "Oh, dear, dearl'' wrung from
the keenness of some hidden pang of hope,
or grief, or longing.
n next moment the ejaculation was
repeated aloud, prompted by startled sur.
prise, fear and pleasure combined. The
hat" she had seen on the terrace above,
and fled from, was within "a yard of her,
having followed in her footsteps down the
cliff path.
II never knew q mermaid could run
down steep rocky paths-carrying a baby
too-so fast before"
"Oh, Captain T%redennick, you frightened
me sou she said, her heart beating tumult.
uously, although the slight shock Of his
unexpected presence had lasted but a mo.
ment. MY father is up on the cliffs near
the lookout, | think" she continued, con.
fusedly; perhaps you thought he was
down here2"
"Oh, no." | did not" answered Stephen
Tredennick, smiling; II came down after
you. don't know your father, but
know you; you must introduce me when
we go up, If you please"
He seated himself on a stone beside her,
half amused AT and half admiring the shy
flush on Winnie's demure little face, the
evident iuttered girlish embarrassment
poor Winnie was expecting the Interrupt.
ton OF Sarah Matilda and Caroline, with
their pinafores full Of wet sea-weed and
live crabs, every Notwithstanding with
a certain gentle, old-fashioned, sweet little
womanliness thai seemed habitual TO her,
as she carefully spread hec old shawl and
placed thereon the babN that was so
alarmingly quiet. gravely STOPPING to
give her a soothing pat, or supply her
with plSythings In the shape of colored
nnhhIaa and ShaiIa Will. aha
with Captain T~redenneck, d~elighting him
with her girlish simplicity Of intelligence,
without n fear or an drrtercpensee that
might have disturbed the communications
of a worldly-wise woman.
Gravely and unaffectedly, in her ignor.
nee Of the sneered-at existence of blue
stockingism, she gave him certain learned
statements and statistics-quite correctly
t~oo-concerning some # the things which
surrounded her daily life-the depth Of
water in the ofing, the height of the cliffs
and their gigantic formation, the force
and prevalence of the winds, and the
whereabouts of sunken reefs and rocks
and dangerous bars.
II hear my father and the men talking,
You know" she explained; and then !
remember things very we'll"
Earnestly, in her glowing enthusiasm
and pleasure at having found one whose
thoughts were responsive to her own, and
in her innocence of false s~entimentality,
the little girl in the SHABBY blue bingham
dress talked to Captain Tredennick, with
her dark-gray eyes sparkling, the color
deepening on her thin, pale cheek, and her
nervous slender fingers clasping and I'M
clasping in eager impulsiveness.
She spoke as she felt, and Stephen Tired
ennick listened with pleased surprise and
deepening nterest-more for the speaker
than her words-whilst Winnie Caerlyon
talked to him of the beauty of the sea, CT
the glorics Of silvery moon-risings across
the dark ripping ocean-breast, of the more
solemn glories of the sleeping dawn, lying
in the rosy flush of the Frightening east; Of
summer days, when the waters lay spread
out to the purple horizon in a FURNISHED,
binding, dazzling mirror Of pellucid blue,
darkened here and there into great shad-
owed patches of olive-green from some
fish-shoal gliding beneath the unruffled
surface; of dark winter days, when the
sea was a dreary leaden-huod expanse, all
iecked with foam-crests and steamers Of
froth, rs the wild waves rushed on like
shrieking steeds> to battle, and crashed
with all their artillery of force and sound
against the jagged black rocks of Tregar-
then Reef, and the great dark precipitous
lace of Tregarthen Head, scarcely O mile
beyond them, and rearing itself in profile
against the blue sky.
Nothing had escaped the artistic percep-
ton OF those glowing, passionate dark-gray
eyes beneath the faded black straw-hat,
with such a pitiable scrap of velvet trim
ming around its rusty crown. Amber
sunshine gieamingthroug the translucent
green of the great appraised pillows,
changeful opal lights on the shimmering
waves, glitterinp nhOaphorascapt trails