The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-06-16
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
A wet, wet day by the sea; nothing
but rain, pouring down in great, splash
ing drops onto the soaking streets,
driving here and there the loose gravel
and sand.
A cold wind blew from off the sea
and seemed to penetrate every crack
in the doors and windows OF the drafty,
deserted hotel reading-room, and to
Nevill Dandy, its only occupant it
looked as if the flood would never
stop, as though it had set in for
weeks.
The fire, unlit for several months was
smoking hard in a steady spiral
against the mirror on the mantel shelf.
Nevill rang the bell furiously.
No response.
Again he tugged at it with all his
might, and waiter appeared. Some
how even he looked damp and de-
pressed, with his oily black hair and
mouldy old dress suit
ayes sir" he inquired patiently.
Look at that" said NeYill tragi-
cally, as the draft of the swinging door
sent perfect whirlwind of smoke out
into the room.
'Yes sir!' said the man apologetically.
It's always like that sir" with
menacing glance at the guilty fire.
place, when we gets the wind in this
quarter, SIR"
Nevill strobe out into the hall and
went up to the office. ANY letters?"
he inquired, despairing for the tenth
time that morning.
The man hunted through the almost
empty pigeon-holes.
Gone, sir, he said at last, handing an
obvious bill across the counter.
Nevill's face which had frightened.
grew visibly longer. Where's the
drawing-room? he said abruptly. 1--WE
been driven out of the reading-room by
that beastly fire, which does nothing
but smoke
The man apologized profusely. You
see, sir" he began, when the wind is
in
ooh, yes, l know" said Nevill, hur-
riedly cutting him short
He turned over the visitors book i'd
ly. Am l the only visitor in this no.
tel?" he asked presently.
We'll, just at present. Not being
the season, sir, we're not overfull,'
the cashier responded with great can
dor, but I've just got wire from
town to reserve a first floor suit for a
lady and her maid."
Nevill gave sigh of relief. The de-
serted table d'hote, with the one soli-
tary old lady of the night before, had
nearly driven him back to town when
he thought of the coy dining-room at
home, the attentive Shaw and, above
all, the pretty, piquant face he was ac-
customed to see smiling at him through
a mass Of flowers from the other end
Of the table.
Have you any books in the hotel?"
he asked.
ooh, yes, sir" was the reply; plenty
in the reading-room, sir" and Nevill
shuddered as he recalled his expert
ences of the night before hunting
through the titles in the creaking re-
volving bookcase for something read
able.
He strolled into the drawing-room
By the window sat the solitary old
lady, with large, uncomfortable piece
of crochet in her lap. The worsted ball
had fallen and rolled across the rug,
so he CALAMITY picked it up and handed
it to her, but she only bent her head
grimly and croaked, Thank you"
"a wet day." he suggested feebly.
She paid not the slightest attention.
Evidently deaf, he thought, and raised
his voice. "A wet day." he repeated
tentatively "and horribly cold"
She put her crochet down and took
her spectacles off the top of her thin
aquiline nose. Young man." she said,
solemnly, I'VE should not grumbe.
The Lord will give us the blessed sun
shine in His own good time" And
then she wiped her spectacles and put
them on with jerk which sent the
ball of wool bouncing across the floor.
This time he rose, but made no effort
to pick it up. "He can give you your
own wool, too," he remarked irrever-
emily under his breath, as he retreated
before the enemy.
In despair he put on his cap and
went out. He had no overcoat with
him and in half an hour he was soaked
through and through.
Not soul in the streets; it might
have been deserted city. Not a rift
in the leaden sky-one dull, gray scene.
Nevill's teeth chartered and he cursed
his folly in leaving town as he thought
how cozy and comfortable his wife
must be at home.
A solitary citizen was pacing up and
down the beach.
ANY likelihood Of its clearing?" Ne
will asked in his despair. The citizen
shook his head. Not much, SIR" he
said, cheerfully; It'll last all day, and
l shouldn't be a bit surprised if it
didn't rain all tomorrow. You see.
SIR" he continued, impressively, when
we get the wind in this Qusrter"-But
Nevill had fed.