The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-02-27

AN 1SAV = gAV-G V41AAC0t III az "a ~ ONEA i
and they had to elbow their way along;
again, it would get 50 deep that polling
was of no use, and they had to paddle
woods, then salty pastures where they
caught black villsinous crabs and turtles
with red frontlets. Soon the grass grew
then-they saw the great blue Sound
and heard the pleasant swish of pebbles
on the shore. ~. 7 >
"Aurrah!" cried Tonic. RE gave one
tremendous plunge with his pole. tt
stuck fast. At the same time Bob, at
her end. urged their leviathan with all
her might. A gentle splash was heard.
ooh, Bob!" cried Belle in anguish,
'Tonie's gone!"
Just then his head appeared above the
water. He clambered up the banS--a
dreadful spectacle. The green scum OF
| tho creek adhered to him in patches, and
the water oozed down from his clothes.
"What shall we do with MIN" cried
Belle, really moved.
"Tut! Let him wash off in the Sound"
said Bob. "We're not far from the bath
house; come along" .
Away they bounded till the bathhol,sc
came in view: Once there, they scram-
bled into bathing suits, and then-they
spoke no word until the waters had
washed all traces of their ~brigandage
away-washed off the slime and mud
and butter, the grass stains and the
wheat. Sleek and brown. they crawled
| out on the sands.
It was a place OF peace. No human
being was in sight. The usual morning
swim was good, but not to be compared
to such an isolated bliss as this. No
elders to give tedious precautions or to
tut short time. All the afternoon they
caracolad like PROPOSES, OF raced as
silently as sharks, or basked like happy
turtles in the sun. There was no need
for games. Imagination is for the wan
derer who would perfect the land i'll
which he roams. but here was home. The
endless sea, the whistling winds, the
tapping gulls and our three centaurs, all
were one. The sun began to make the
sands look golden, but they did not notice
it. Sometimes they ran with all their
might over the wet red sand, sometimes
they clutched the water for the unseen
jellyfish, sometimes they flung them
selves face down upon the waves, as on
a bed. and lay there till their breath gave
out. Why think of ever leaving?
Holding hanus, they backed up to the
dune to take a running jump. They
held their breath, each raised a foot,
when from behind a large hand closed
upon Tonie's ear. He turned and beheld
his father, arrived, how unexpectedly,
lust that hour from the city.
II thought" he said in tones of sar-
casm, that I might find you here. Ro-
bina, MI. Wadsworth's man, has just re-
turned me this" and he held out Bob's
discriminating hat.
A silence fell on them-not OF remorse
for what was past, or terror for what
was at once to come-simply a sadness
that the day was ended. Reluctantly
they hurried on their clothes, and soon
Belle and Tonic were stepping inland,
manacled by a firm fathers hand. Your
mother will be waiting for you," he re-
marked as they left Robina.
Robina knew that. Still, she stood a
little while when they had gone. The
sun had set and it was getting cold. The
tide began to rise with means, and the
wind blew Robina's long straight, tawny
hair across her face. She looked about
her, and her eyes glowed with a lame
less feeling. A wave came up and slipped
around her feet. With a start, she
c]apped her hat on and sped along tile
sand toward home.-Clare NJ. Howard III
Columbia Literary Monthly.