The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-08-20

we'll. MIND you don't let Tom go near
the water-hts throat's as sore as possible.
And, Winifred-Winifred Isayi-wait UNI
til I have done speaking, will youi / never
saw such a needless maid!
II wasn't going, mamma"
Mind you don't let Caroline touch that
nasty sea-weed, or those shell-tish she's
always eatinR-tell her she shall have
sGregory's powder If she does, and I'll en-
gage she'll let 'en be fast enough"
Yes, mamma"
Winifred hurried rs she spoke, and,
though she heard q renewed scream Of
Observation-Disclosures, / sayl' when she
was halfway down the %clif-path, she only
descended the faster, until she reached.
the pebbly shore, painting, flushed, and
nervous.
Il could not go back then" she said In
excuse to herself for her slight disobedi.
ence, II such it We're. ut was better te.
come down and leave baby safely here. ]
couldn't turn Just then-mamma knows
that: but I can't go up now. Oh, l can't
II can'ti He heard her--I am sure he did
4 saw his hat Just as she was shouting
about Tomf O., / wish she hadn't! What
matter though-what matter. How stupid
1 am! He has only come to see father.
He said he would yesterday morning-and
l have my old frock on-it's not very bad
though-and this shabby old shawl! But
what am I talking Off He's not come to
see niche won't see me-he shan't see me
-there!" and Winnie laid her face down.
on the baby's blue hood, in a momentary
culver Of disappointment, with q long
sigh, aud "Oh, dear, dear!D wrung from
the kQanNoSs re cnyna ht11nn v,nr,e IF 1,c,>n
or grief, or longing.
repeated aloud, prompted by startled sur
prise, fear and pleasure combined. The
"hat" she had seen on the terrace above,
aud fed from, was within u yard ct her,
having followed in her footsteps down the
cliff path.
II never knew a mermaid could run
down steep rocky paths-carrying a baby
too-so fast before"
oh, Captain Tredennick ,you.frightened
me sol" 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, I think she continued, con.
~fusedly; perhaps you thought he was
down heres"
oh, nv Ao4u NV, uuSHcTeu oLepnen
~Tredennick, smiling; II came down after
you. ! don't know your father, but /
know you; you must introduce me when
we go up, il you please"
He seated himself OF n stone beside her,
half amused at and half admiring the shy
flush on Winnie's demure little face, the,
evident huttered girlish embarrassment
poor Winnie was expecting the Interrupt,
finn ~ Soroh Matilda ,-J TCn.alf,. ..iSl.
their pinafores fun Of wet sea-weed and
live crabs, every mountaineering with
a certain gentle, old-fashioned, sweet little
~womanliness that seemed habitual to her,
as she carefully spread her old shawl and
placed thereon the baby that was SO
alarmingly quiet, grnvely STOPPING to
give her a soothing pat, or supply her
with playthings in the shape Of colorcd
pebbles and shells. while she conversed
with Captain Tredenneck, delighting him
with her girlish simplicity of intelligence,
without a fear or an arrierepcnsec that
might have disturbed the communications
of a w~orldly-wise woman.
Grayely and unaffectedly, in her ignor.
ance of the sneered-at existence of blue
stockingism, she gave him certain learned
statements and statistics-quite correctly
too-concerning some VI the things which
surrounded her daily life-thc 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.
81 hear my father and the men talking,
you know" she explained; land then l
remember things very WELL"
Earnestly, in her glowing enthusiasm
and pleasure Mt having found one whose
thoughts were responsive to her own, and
in her innocence OF false sentimentalitv,
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 aud I'M
clasping in eager impulsiveness.
She spoke as she felt, and Stephen Tired.
ennick listened with pleased surprise and
deepening interest-more for the speaker
than her words-whilst Winnie Caerlyon
talked to him Of the beauty OF the sea, CT
the glories 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
fsh-shoal gliding beneath the unrutfled
surface; of dark winter days, when the
sea was a dreary leaden-huei expanse, all
tiecked with foam-crests and streamers Of
frothr as the wild waves rushed on like
shrieking stceds 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 a mile
beyond them, aud 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 cleaning through the translucent
green of the great appraised pillows,
changeful opal lights on the shimmering
waves, glittering phosphorescent trails
and sparkles in dark sultry summer mid
nights, white aud crimson aud purple
lengths of trailing seaweeds, and snowy
shells tangled in emerald ~tresses of ocean
grass-she knew them all.
You ought TO have been a mermaid,
Miss Caerlyon," Stephen T%redcnnick said,
with a smile In his eyes; you would have
loved your ocean home SO dearly. Per-
haps you are a mermaid-I am half doubt
full about it. Perhaps you will begin q
siren-song presently, and l shall be obliged
to follow, under the spell of your voice,
until I sink down in the deep green water
out there, and never be seen any more Of
men!''
But all at once, MS he spoke, the earnest
little enthusiast with the artist eyes and
the poetic words changed into a shy timid
little girl IN a shabby frock. Winnie re-
membered the thinness and provinces Of
hor impulsive nervous hands, and folded
them closely to try to hide them from
Captain ~Tredennick's keen blue-gray smil-
ing eyes.
There would be no fear of that" she
said, rather coldly and constrainedly-
z.t.fat - laHrHaa-. .a.HT1