Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-10-17
THE WAY OF A MAID.

THE WAY OF A MAID.
Birds of a feather may flock together,
but they do not always fall in love with
each other. As rule, it takes birds NOT
of a feather to do that. At any rate.
this was the case with Miss Christobel
! Merlin and Peter funston: and yet, so
different were they that the whole affair
seemed altogether hopeless up TO the time
that Miss Merlin's catboat came between
them. 1t is strange that anything com
ing between two people who love each
other should bring them together. yet
this may happen if the wind be in the
| right direction.
At Sandheaps, where Miss Merlin's IA
Their had cottage. and where Miss Mer-
! lin, with her diminutive catboat, had
| learned to he one of the best sailors
among the summer contingent, there had
been q lack of visitors owing to the bad
weather. and the hotel. usually crowded,
looked lonesome MP to the lst of July.
when the guests all seemed to come al
cnce And among them came Peter, or.
as his class Familiarity called him,
Buster
they met at the Saturday evening hop.
! He was brought up and introduced by
| ChriStobels cousin Jack. He bowed awh-
| wardly.
May have this dancer he muttered.
| with pleasure" She replied.
In moment they were whirling
around the room, or, rather, they were
trying to whirl, for funston, with his 1SO
pounds, was not the best dancer in the
world.
| After a while they Sfou1od
| I'm not much of a dancer he Oh
| served, apologetically.
| His partner tried to smile.
Never mind" she said; I'VE will sit it
out"
They strolled on the piazza. where the
wind from the ocean, cool and refresh
| ing, famed their cheeks. The contrast
| between them was striking. funston,
heavy, clumsy, almost a giant, lowered
| above his slight. ethereal companion,
whose delicate, classical, sensitive face
could express every shade Of meaning.
She looked up at him half shyly, even
in the semi-darkness. His stature awed
her. She knew instinctively that he was
| everything she was not, and the thought
made her love him. AS for funston ne
could not have described his feelings il
he had tried Self-analysis with him was
an unknown quality. He only knew that
he felt uncomfortable.
I'm a beastly dancer" he half stam-
mered, as they sat down. Il never
| tackle it if can help it, but Jack said
| that"
Said" she repeated, that was dying
to dance, l suppose. Well. Jack doesn't
| know everything. How do you like it
! herei'
Bully beach Good surf-seems like
decent sort of place" said funston.
DO you sailY'
/ - I l. Ill 4
/ spring and fall, water polo in the winter,
and in the summer-well, these dinky
little boats don't appeal 10. me-
! She smiled
That's what I've gotta dinky little
boat"
He colored.
"Oh-beg your pardon. l didr't know
Don't apologize. It's all riglt. l can
| il hugely Papa got me my boat last
year, and | go out sailing in it every
| day
'Aione?"
"Oh, yes. That's the fun"
The propriety of a young man going
sailing with young girl alone in a small
boat, has often been discussed, and prob
ably will never be determined. 1t is all
| right, of course, to take a girl for q long
stroll up the beach when the elder people
are having their afternoon nap and where
there are plenty of shelterng rocks.
though the prudes sniff even at this But
| TO so out in a boat alone with young
man, at the mercy of the sea and wind
and tid0 is quite a different matter.
Miss Merlin's father might have object
| ed TO such proceeding. had he not such
confidence in his daughters iudgmen,
and her sailing powers. As for Miss
Merlin. she was more or less above sucl
things American to the core, she be.
heved in doing as She pleased-and gen.
orally she did it.
At the end of week she felt that She
had no more power over this great fellow
than when he had first come into her ken
She knew that she loved him. and In
some subtle way it was convened Ia her
that he must love her; yet all her arts
were in vain. They had walked the
beach, they had plunged into the surf to.
gether; they had sat on the piazza for
hours. And after each one OF these tete-
a-tetes funston found himself alone. dis.
comforted, uncertain.
Hang it, old chap" he had said +,
himself. Il wish could keep away from
that girl. I'm gone on her, sure. and the
worst of II is. she doesn't care a hang for
she'd guy the life out OF me-"
One morning after one of these inter.
views, when the wind blew fresh from
the southwest, Miss Merlin had ap
preached him on the bathing beach
Don't you want to so for n sail 2" she
said. THE boat is ut the end of IN,
wharf now"
funston submitted, In few moments
they were sitting in the boat.
. Make fast those halliardS." ordered
Miss Merlin. as she graSped the tiller
New cast on"
TIC breeze caught the sail and they
were away.
, 1t was strange sensation for Tuns.
ton. For the first time in his life he felt
thoroughly cowed. This frail cockleShell.
mat almost with movement of his body
he could overturn, was not to his ikin,s
81 wouldn't so too far out" he said.
7 No. I'm not" smiled Miss Merlin. as
she eaSed off the sheet I'm going ID
, run along the shore Sit more in the