The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-09-28
ESSlE.


blew in from the sea and lifted her
hair, already damp from the heavy
spray, but it only touched her fever
ed brow seemingly to fercer fever
Poor Essie Grant,
Far of, round the dim, distant
point, a white sail glimmsred and
too plainly told her what way the
swift yacht Tycho was following
with its happy burden. The sound
of music and laughter had Gene
back to her above the roar of the
surf, and she could not sleep in her
little room down in her fathers cot
tage while the lights were flashing
so merrily from the myriad windows
of the Grand Hotel.
She ground her feet hard into the
sand and said, in low voice, talking
to the winds and waves:
Il was happy enough before they
came-happy in my quiet, ignorant
life; and now 1 am unhappy because
L am like child crying for the
moon. Their life is not my life; they
are away above me aud out of reach
And yet-and yet he follows me; he
talks with me; he steals away from
the ballroom and the billiard saloon
and lies under the shadowy cliff for
hours and hours telling me stories,
singing sometimes, 10 such a grand.
sweet voice. 1t only makes our fisher
folk seem rude and coarser when ]
must go back to them :"
Gu. into the broad strip of moon
light, along the yellow beach, two
young men strolled together, and
one said:
"Y II are growing to be a perfect
night owl, Hugh, see you wander
ing cat here alone, when there is
plenty of fun going on at the house
"O0. there is woman at the
bottom OF it," laughed the other;
two women, in fact-one that [
wanted to get away from aud one
that | wanted to get near to-"
But is not that your yacht Harp
around by Harpie's Point? Are you
not expected to BIZ aboard of herr"
''Yes. but begged off at the last
mipute. l wanted one more happy
hour before mother and the girls
come to spoil it all.
Essie had sbrunk back in the
shadow, and little scornful smile
curved her lips, to think that her
hero should be afraid of his mother
and sisters.
''But do you think it is treating |
the fisher girl just right, now,
Hugh" ask tse other, earnestly. |
you know we were brought up to
think that every woman is some
body's sister or mother, and that,
anyhow, they are not made for toye,
Or worse, as you are making this
little girl"
II will tell you the truth now,
Frank" said Hugh Abbott, decided
y. "Essie is sweet girl, as bright
and fair as the sea-shells that travel
Ill the way from far Fl tropic chimes
20 be tossed by some stray wave a,
our feet; but she is young yet, and
What am not quite sure about IL
hat it would be right for one to talk
% her about being married at her
lge. But what I am quite sure
Ibout is that when the summer is
over and my mother and sisters have
gone with the other pleasure seekers
back to their homes; when the BIZ
hotel is closed and all the cottages
re empty of summer boardere, then
am going down to the isherman's
home 10 get acquainted with my
1ssie. She is good straightfor
ward Yankee girl, and I'll be hanged
{ want any bunch of fashion and
kings for my wife. I want-well
he fact is, I want Elsie
The girl in the shadow heard it
III, ara, falling on her knees on the
vet sand, with her face against tn
,liff, she clssped her little hands and
prayed as earnestly and fervently as
/ child-prayed that the Father in
Ion-nn z.a;nkt r,aE- L. LI.--LE--L l.