Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1898-05-03
A AWAUWINET WOOING.


Miss Leila Hamilton was the chief
stenographer in the banking office of
Harrison Bros, State street, Boston.
She directed the feeding of six other
typewriting machines, and she kept her
subordinates busy from morning until
afternoon.
Miss Hamilton was not only invalua-
bio to her employers. She was also of
great use to her sex, in whose emanci-
patton she was most vitally concerned.
Miss Hamilton was, in fact, fair
specimen of the new woman. Her
great ambition was to see woman, in
the full possession of the ballot, rising
on great pillows of reform until all the
sins of wicked man were swept away
in one great tidal wave of feminine
votes.
But Miss Hamilton was very at
tractiye young woman. She possessed
large and lustrous blue eyes, which
looked steadily and straight into the
eyes of others and gave birth to new
sensations in the hearts of the wicked
men.
In short, Miss Hamilton had all the
appearance of being pretty, happy,
guileless chorus girl while she was at
heart a combination of Miss Susan B.
Anthony and DR.. Mary Walker.
''This year, when my summer vaca-
tion comes, she told one of her col
leagues, 81 am going somewhere where
] can rest and where 1 won't be trou-
bled by men. 1 have discovered an ideal
place at Wauwinet, on Nantucket. It's
a little neck of land, and on one side is
the surf and on the other the still wa
ter. 1t is out of the terrible rush, and
there are a great many women there,
and as far as / know not one single
man. If that is not paradise, do not
know what is. /"
Thus it happened that Miss Hamilton
landed at Wauwinet, where she peace
fully established herself for three weeks
of uninterrupted rest. Miss Hamilton
was greeted by little bevy of women
who wore spectacles, had little red oases
at the ends of their noses and We're
plain in their dress and in general
strict in their appearance.
eve are SO glad you have come, :"
they exclaimed in chorus, land it is
SO nice to have one so young and girlish
looking interested in the great causep'
Miss Hamilton had made only one
mistake in her catalogue of the advan-
tages of Wauwinet. AS it happened
there was fine old mansion, which had
been recently purchased by party of
bachelors from New York city. Here
they had established themselves for
their first season. Thus it happened that
there were really 90 single men instead
Of none at all when Miss Hamilton made
her first appearance.
Miss Hamilton rose early after fine
nights rest. She enjoyed with equal
zest her breakfast. Then she started out
for ramble along the beach. She look
ed down toward 'Sconset, saw the soar
ing tower of Sankaty light and trudged
toward it as magnet draws its iron.
This brought her past the clubhouse,
where, all unknown, she became an OBJ
ject of great interest.
"Gad, Charlie, just look there"
called Billy Hills from the reading
room, "and don't go too near the win
dow or you will scare herI But, Jove,
isn't she rare bird for Wauwinet2 She
is the first good looking girl have seen
since we arrived. {"
Guess I'll take little stroll, +" qui-
city observed Davy Holmes. "Think
I need little exercise. y
''No, you don'tl' half dozen voices
objected. "You are too well known.
You may disgrace yourself in New
York as much as you like, but here we
want to be respectable. So "Davy"
subsidized aud bided his time.
hnTU1iYNcp Oh s,k,o ia
out the neck of land on which Wauwi-
net stands in two pieces. This breach
occurred at the spot which had always
been called the ''Haulover, " because it
was the narrowest spot where the fish
ermen hauled their boats over to the
other side. II was now called the
Opening" and was growing wider and
wider.
Miss Hamilton began at once to hard
en- her muscles by rowing and had rent
ed small skiff for the season. She
came to this opening and, little realiz-
ing the danger when the tide was run
ming, she boldly rowed up to it and
suddenly found herself carried along
toward the open sea by power as un-
manageable as it was imperceptible.
This was ON the evening of her first
day. Charlie Harris had seen her set
out and was slyIy following, unseen,
behind the hedge of bayberry which
grew along the footpaths of the neck.
He thought at first that Miss Ha1niI-
ton handled the cars in manner which
would be oreditable to an amazon. He
was quite as ignorant as Miss Hamilton
herself Of the great danger in which she
roWed.
But as Miss Hamilton approached the
broad opening which leads to the great
ocean she became alarmed She saw
Harris and for a moment forgot her
by calling for help.
1t took less than minute for Harris,
somewhat lighter by the clothing he
had hastily taken from his back, to
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