Saint Mary's beacon., 1899-10-05

h1tsIuVOu tossing upon tuo 00sOm
Of old Father Neptune. Thither,
however. Job had never dared fol-
low her. He knew his Limitations
and respected them. Like q hen
with duck chicken, he was oblig-
ed to content himself with restless
~ pacing the shore. while the gold
en- head Of his divinity bobbed up
and down among the waves.
But when . ifth man came to
the Seafoam Pavilion-a young
man, . man who could swim and
row as well as dance and fiirt and
when this young man began to join
the widow in her daily visits to the
the beach, and disport himself with
her among the waves, the spirit of
Job could endure it's jealous pangs
no longer. The soul Of bis Viking
ancestors sprang mp within him,
one day, and, in response to the
merry, bantering invitation of bis
goddess, he plunged into q bathing
suit and followed her into the surf.
Seizing his hand, the beautiful
woman led him forward into the
deep. Although the icy water
pinched his limbs, and his breath
came in convulsive gasps, the clasp
Of those firm white fingers thrilled
him to the Utmost soul, and be felt
as il. thus hand in hand with his
goddess, he could brave the CON-
bined elements Of the universe
Higher and higher crept the tide
upon bis palpitating breast. till its
freezing pressure seemed to dampen
even the fires of that ardent heart
within. He shivered and hesitated; !;
but still his radiant, rosy compani-
on drew him on. Suddenly there
came roller, green and heaving,
and unobstructed since it left the
coast of Spain. 1t caught them
both upon its combing crest-the
woman, tossing like a cork, her
bright head sprinkled with the
foam the man, weighted by his
iron wig. head downward in the
depths, gIoveling in sand and sea
weed. The roller passed; the wom-
an lighted upon her feet, laughing
and triumphant; but still the man
did not emerge from the Yeasty
tide. Only his pasty feet moved
to aud fro in the emerald water.
The woman gazed ct his reversed
and swaying body in amazement.
Never before had she seen a phe-
nomenon like this-a man with
head heavier than his heels q liy-
ing man, in five feet of water, mp
side down.
With q scream of terror, she
aoundered to the beach; while Jobs
rival. plunging past her, seized the
waving feet Of the drowning man
and towed him ashore. As Jobs
head dragged along the sand, the
clasps Of the iron wig were loosed,
and the body that came forth upon
the beach was that OF a bloodless,
hairless, wrinkled old man I! The
beautiful widow gave one glance at
it, and then fed in terror. Was it
the Old Man of the Sea, who had
substituted himself for her suitor
Of the ambrosial curls? Whst a
frightful appsrition ! She will
scarcely get over tho effects of it in
q month
Job Teeter came to, after dis
charging some quarts of brine. and
going through such physical tor
lures as might well be reserved for
the incorrigible in Tartarus. He
expressed his gratitude to his res
cuer, and those who had toiled with
him upon the sand, and suffered
himself to be carried to his room
at the hotel. That was the last
that was ever seen Of him at the
Seafoam Prvilion; and with him
vanished the mystery Of q man who
could stand on his head in the
water! The ever-shifting sand has
long since buried the iron.wig; and
job Teeter has never replaced it,
for another presentiment haunts
him that he was born to be drown
sd