Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-11-13
The Girl of the ] Orchard x:..,o.,,
BY...
 HOwQrd FfeI eIdin@


 gesture despite the screen of foliage, but she pretended not to hear and hur- ried into the house.
 It cut my heart to know that the poor child suffered thus, and I felt ashamed to have intruded upon her grief. She bore 1t so we'll when under observation that it seemed doubly re- grettable to have surprised her in the moment of her confession to the caress- ing night. The girl ought to go away. It would be much better for her to go than for Trask. I wondered, walking down toward the lake, whether 1t would be possible to speak to Mrs. Witherspoon upon the subject with sufficient delicacy. Somehow she did not figure in my mind as one who would be easy to approach upon such a matter, and my own years scarcely fitted me for the role that I should have to play in the scene. It might be possible for my father to suggest a better way. He would surely pity her. the more because it was Sibyl who had won the love that poor little Lucy Anns heart starved for. ...@
 1t was incredible that Miss Jones" should not have seen the pitifu1 TO- nance so near her, so closely involved with her own, but she was doubtless busy with her own trouble, the dread, full peril that she might have to marry me in order to pay the lifelong debt of gratitude that she owed my father. The thought made me laugh, .espe- cially because I was on my way to hear her sing, to play at love with a voice and pretend I did not know whose it was. And that view of the matter brought me the recollection of my talk with Derringer and his asser- ton that was wholly in error. I prayed to the moon that Derringer might be right as I loosed the boat from her moorings and foated out into the lake
 When I came into the range of the fire, I saw it dinner than usual, yet that might be no more than the effect of the moonlight. At the proper dis tance 1 halted and then sang the first bar of the Swiss song. There was no response. l tried Hearts Delight" with the same result, and meanwhile the fire surely waned.
 I looked at my watch and was sur prised to find that it was nearly 10 o'clock. The girl had given me up and returned to the apple tree lodge. Given me up? This was taking for granted that she prized these evenings as I did, and I had not the right to do 1t. Miss Jones" could have no interest in sing ing with me. It would be hardly fair to Trask. Yet beyond a doubt it was the girl who sang, and Trask had sent lilies to her. If she were not Miss Jones'" why, that again was hardly fair, and if the girl were not Sibyl there could be no explanation of any thing.
 At this point in my mental confusion the boats bow whirled round with little gust and grated upon the ledge as once before. I glanced quickly at the fire. It continued to glow. There could be no one on the rocks.
 Instantly 1 conceived a deed of dar- ing sweeter than all the petty larcenies and depredations of my youth in the little village where we used to spend our summers - the stealing of apples from Dyars red tree to which the bull dog was chained, the midnight alarm rung by Deacon Hobart's horse tied by his tail to the bell rope of the church, the assortment of gravgstones from th marble yard set up in grewsome and suggestive row on Dr. Westcott's lawn. The joy of all these feaf8 and the senti ment of May baskets fastened by trem- bling hands upon the doorknob of my sweetheart's house-a different door knob every year, thanks to the blessed inconsistency of boyhood-these were re- vived in my heart when decided to go ashore. It was taboo but I would dare it.
 I made the landing with great care and stepped out upon rock with as much caution as if it had been thin ice. At the waters edge the rocks were piled as irregularly as if they had been poured out of giants basket, but back of them there Ia za4Ma fiat topped