Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-08-06

to myself; quite as great as you are to
me. l fancied myself very superior TO
what / am. | hope You may not be dis
appointed in that girl in Sark."
Her hand was lying on her lap, and L
stopped down and kissed it, seeing on 1t
still the ring had given her when we
were first engaged. She did not look at
me or bid me goodbye, and | went out
of the house, my veins tingling with
shame and gladness | met Captain Carey
coming up the street, with a basket of
fine grapes in his hand. He appeared
very much amazed.
why, Martini he exclaimed, ''can
you have been to see Julia?'
Yes" l answered.
"Reconciled?' he said, arching his eye
brows, which were still dark and bushy,
though his hair was grizzled.
Not exactly" l replied, with a stiff
smile exceedingly difficult TO force; moth
ing of the sort indeed. Captain, when
viii you take me across to Sark?
"Come, comet none of that, Martin"
he said; you're on honor, you know.
You are pledged to poor Julia not to visit
Sark again"
''She has just set me free" / answered;
and out of the fullness of my heart l told
him all that had just passed between US.
His eyes glistened, though a film came
across them which he had to wipe away.
"She is a noble GIRL" he calculated; "a
| fine, generous, noble girl. really thought
she'd break her heart over you at first.
but she will come rou2d again now. We
will have run over 70 Sark tomorrow"
| felt myself lifted into a third heaven
of delight all that evening. My mother
and | talked OF no one but Olivia. The
present rapture SO completely eclipsed the
coming sorrow that l forgot how soon it
would be upon me. | remember now that
my mother neither by word nor sign suf-
fered me to be reminded of her illness.
She listened to my rhapsodies, smiling
with her divine. pathetic smile. There
is no love, no love at all, like that of
mother!
Swiftly we ran across the next day,
with a soft wind drifting over the sea
and playing upon our faces, and long
furrow lying in the wake of our boat.
1t was almost low tide when we reached
the island. l found Tardif's house com
pletely deserted. The only sign of life
was a family of hens clucking about the
fold.
The door was not fastened, and l en-
tered, but there was nobody there. l
| stood in the middle of the kitchen and
called, but there was no answer. Olivia's
| door was aiar, and | pushed it a little
more open. There lay books l had lent
her on the table, and her velvet slippers
were ON the floor, as if they had only
| just been taken off. Very worn and brown
were the little slippers, but they reas-
| sured me she had been wearing them a
| short time ago.
returned through the fold. All the
! place seemed left to itself. Tardlf S
sheep were browsing along the cliffs, and
| his cows were tethered here and there.
| At last / caught sight of 4 head rising
| from behind a crag, the rough shock
| head of a boy, and l shouted to him,
making a trumpet with my hands.
"Where is neighbor Tardiff" | called.
Down below there" he shouted back
| again, pointing downwards to the Havre
| Gosselin. l did not wait for any further
| information, but darted off down the long,
steep gulley to the little strand, where
| the pebbles were being Tapped lazily by
| the ripple of the lowering tide. Tardif's
| boat was within stones throw, and l
saw Olivia sitting in the stern of it. L
! shouted again with vehemence which
made them both start.
Come back, Tardif," 1 cried, land
| take me with yOul"
The boat was too far off for me to see
how my sudden appearance affected
! Olivia. Did she turn white or red at the
| sound of my voice? By the time it neared
the shore and l plunged in knee-deep to
meet it. her face was bright with smiles.
and her hands were stretched out to help
me over the boats side.
If Tardif had not been there l should
have kissed them both. AS it was, l
tucked up my wet feet out of reach of her
dress and took an oar, unable TO utter 4
word of the gladness l felt.
Where are you going to-" l asked, adj
dressing neither of them in particular.
''Tardif was going to row me past the
entrance to the Gouliot Caves" answered
! Olivia, but we will put it off now. We
will return to the shore and hear all your
| adventures, DIR. Martin. You come upon
us like a phantom and take an oar in
ghostly silence. Are you really, truly
| there?"
CTo be continued)