The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-05-29

mo, but l might have killed you,
protested Maisie, the corners of hel
mouth dropping. "What should have
| done then"
"GOne home and told Mrs. Jennett.'
Dick grinned at the thought; then
| softening: "Please don't worry about
| it. Besides, we are wasting time. We've
| got to get back to tea. I'll take the re-
! volver bit"
Maisie would have wept on the least
encouragement but Dicks Indifference
albeit his hand was shaking as be
| picked up the pistol, restrained her
She lay painting on the beach while
Dick methodically bombarded the
breakwater. Got it at lastr' he ex,
claimed as lock Of weed flew from
the wood.
"Let me try" said Maisie imperious
ly. "I'm all right now" They fired i'll
turns till the rickety little revolver
nearly shook itself to pieces, and Am
omma the outcast-becauSe he might
blow up at any moment-browsed in
the background and wondered why
stones were thrown at him. Then they
found a balk of timber floating in a
pool which was commanded by the sea-
| ward slope of Fort Keeling, and they
sat down together before this new tar
get.
"Next holidays" said Dick as the
now thoroughly fouled revolver kicked
wildly in his hand well get another
pistol, central fire, that will carry
farther"
"There won't be any next holidays
for me- said Maisie. ''Tm going
away"
"Where to-"
81 don't know. My lawyers have writ,
ten to Mrs. Jennett, and I've got to be
educated somewhere-in France, per-
haps-I don't know where, but l shall
be glad to go away"
81 shan't like it bit. l suppose
shall be left. Look here, Maisie, is it
really true you're going? Then these
holidays will be the last l shall see
anything of you; and l go back to
school next week. l wish
The young blood turned his cheeks
scarlet Maisie was picking grass tufts
and throwing them down the slope at
q yellow sea poppy nodding all by it
self to the illimitable levels of the mud
fats and the milk white sea beyond.
| 81 wish," she said after a pause,
"that could see you again some time.
You wish that too?"
"Yes, but it would have been better
if-if-you had-shot straight over
there-down by the breakwater."
Maisie looked with large eyes for
q moment. And this was the boy who
only ten days before had decorated
Amomma's horns with cut paper ham
frills and turned him out a bearded
derision among the public ways! Then
she dropped her eyes. This was not
the boy.
'Don't be stupid" she said reprov-
ingly, and with swift instinct attacked
the side issue. "How selfish you are.
Just think what 1 should have felt if
that horrid thing had killed you! I'm
quite miserable enough already"
"Why? Because you're going away
from Mrs. JennettY
mo"
''From me then?"
No answer for a long time. Dick
dared not look at her. He felt, though
he did not know, all that the past four
years had been to him, and this the
more acutely since he had no knowl-
edge to put his feelings in words.
81 don't know" she said. 81 sup
pose it is
''Maisie, you must know. I'm not
supposing."
"Lets go home" said Maisie weakly.
But Dick was not minded to retreat.
81 can't say things" he pleaded, ''and
I'm awfully sorry for teasing you
about Amomma the other day. It's
all different now, Maisie, can't you
see? And you might have told me
that you were going instead of leaving
me to find OUT
"You didn't l did tell. Oh, Dick,
what's the use of worrying?"
"There isn't any. But we've been to.
gether years and years, and didn't
know how much | cared,
81 don't believe you ever did care"
mo, didn't, but 1 do. l care awful.
ly now. Maisie," he gulped. "Maisie
darling, say you care, too, please"
II do. Indeed l do, but it won't be
any use."
"Why?"
Because 1 am going away"
'Yes, but if you promise before you
go. Only say-will you" A second
darling" came to his lips more easily
than the first There were few endear.
ments in Dicks home or school life
He had to find them by instinct. Dick
took the little hand, blackened witt
the escaped gas Of the revolver.
81 PROMISE" she said solemnly, ''bu
If l care there is no need for promis
ing"
"And do you carer For the frs
time in the past few minutes their eye
met and spoke for them who had N
skill in speech.
ooh, Dick, don't--please don't!
was all right when we said good morn
ing, but now it's all different" ANON
ma looked on from afar. He had seer
his property quarrel frequently, bu
he had never seen kisses exchanged
before. The yellow sea poppy wa
wiser and nodded it's head approving
ly. Considered as kiss, that was ;
failure; but since it was the first, othe
than those demanded by duty, in al
the world that either had ever given o
taken, it opened to them new worlds
and every one of them glorious, so tina
they were lifted above the considera