Newport daily independent., 1903-11-06

sailin' up an down the sound, an out to sea sometimes.
 Pretty soon there got to be talk O one gal in particular what Jean was settin' to, an how there was to be gran weddin' at the New York house, an bigger party afterward in this here house down here, an the weddin'- tower after that, a-sailin' to foreign parts in that yacht you see them Scan- dinavian sailors a-climbin' all over an back ag'in. The talk ran high, an it seemed for all the world as if things was to come out as they said they would. But you never kin tell; no, you never kin tell Man proposes, as the sayin is, an the good Lord disposes; an the good Lord had made up his mind, it seemed, that this was to be sort O diff'rent-like from what they supposed it would be.
 "Leastways, along about the last O May there come a spell O weather terrible foggy weather. There want night O that month that the fog horns didn't blow themselves hoarse- blow an blow an blow till we was most deaf with the sound O them.
 Well, one fine day, when the sun come out to take peep at things to see how they was goin' on, the girls in white, with their little white shoes shinin, brought out their red an val lar sofa-pillers, an set sail in that yacht, with flags a-fiyin' an music go- in an them Scandinavian sailors-im- rorted cage the old man had more money than he knew how to spend, an was bent on doin' something extra expensive an no earthly use-cIimbin' the riggin' hand over hand, like blue coated cats.
 And" I encouraged, as he put in a silent and useless moment surveying the moveless line with melancholy eye.
 "The sun didn't stay out long," he commenced again. ''It went back sud den-like, an the storm that come up we hadn't had sech a storm as that on the sound in many year! The fog horns blowin like mad from light house to lighthouse, a-callin' to peo- pie as if they'd been human creatures in distress, to keep in their houses an stay off the rocks.
 Its a good yacht, that yacht, an the sailors they done what they could. Eut they was Scandinavian sailors, an they want proof agin the gale that blowed an howlc= an whistled as if a pack O demons had been let loose. bent on destroyin' people. She struck on the rocks"
 What then?" I cried breathlessly, regardless of the fish.
 Why, then out come this here com mon herd O people about here, Si Slocum at their head-people old man Smythe's servants had had orders to keep offen his grass-an' they fit the elements tooth an nail, same's they've been used to fightin' 'em from the time they was children on up. They saved the lives O every millionaire in that yacht Not a soul was lost; not even a sailor"
 He raised his head with jerk, and for period of time studied the cat boats.
 That night" he continued, then, was the night when Beth Slocum's trainin' come in handy. An who knows but it was what she'd been train in for all her life unbeknownst? Who knows?"
 Yes" I urged.
 Well, that was the gal what swum out to the yacht, an saved the life O cid man Smythe's son, Jean. That very same gal. Him college athlete, wh at had had fortune spent on him, saved by a gal O the wind an the rain an the cold, stormy weather, what hadn't had nothing spent on her to speak of to make her a fine, strong gal-nothing more'n is spent on the birds O the air an the beasts O the field an the grass an the flowers, sun shine an soft winds an evenin' mists an rain"
 And then?"
 You see that yacht out wonder, with the sailors climbin' over it?"
 I did; and a radiant thing it was by TOW, the sails in the slant of the set ting sun turned to cloth of gold.
 well, they Ie IlBSln lhdI yaCAC Out for the weddin'-tower to foreign parts. But there's to be a different bride"
 "Who?" I asked, breathless again.
 "Tain't no white-shoed bride this time, with lace trimmins or nothing O that sort, not to say but she'll have all the fixin's in her own good time. It's Beth that's to be the bride. Si Slocum's gal, Beth. Huh?'
 This time had opened my mouth to ask a question. Fish or no fish, it had to be asked.
 Andrews" I queried, what became of the other girl?"
 Andrews. deliberately drawing his line out of the water, rolled it around the pole.
 'Th ere ain't no use tryin' to fish, he grumbled, with wimen round. l oughter knowed that What become O the other gal? Well, it seems she want never in love with Jean Smythe.