Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-07-30

tIldI was HUI cAdCIiJ pa hoAhChtoi I.
Meantime the occupant of the. ca
noe, quite unconscious of the prox-
INIT, of her would be lover, dawdled
slowly on.
However, on this particular day
as she alternately padded and drift
ed in wholly spasmodic and ir-
responsible style, her thoughts were
not with him, but very far afeld
indeed. A randan had gone in be-
fore her, and the lockman was al
ready swinging the gates to, but,
seeing her quicken her stroke, paus-
ed a moment, leaving space for her
canoe to enter. Then he waddled
placidly to the upper gate and be-
gan to work his sluices, while Mar
gerry held absentmindedly on to the
chain that hung down the Shiny,
weed covered wall. At the first
swirl of the incoming water she lift
ed her eyes, and very material fact
obtruded itself on her dreams. He
was there, in straw hat and f1annels,
standing on the opposite side and
beaming at her with the utmost af-
liability. She bowed coldly. Some
how she vaguely resented his being
so high above her head.
All the sluices were open now,
the water from above pouring with
thunderous sound into the hollow
space and making a turmoil in the
lock like the fixing of an extremely
muddy brand of soda water. For a
moment Margery's canoe danced
like straw, then-what was he
shouting at her for like that? She
glanced at him, half offended, half
puzzled, saw his face turn frighten-
ed, his hand point wildly, then turn
ed to swiftly realize her danger, for
the prov of her canoe was damned
beneath a projecting beam halfway
up the lock side. Already the stern
was fitting up at a dangerous angle,
and, even as, with a little gasp, she
thrust her paddle against the wall,
she knew it was too late. She heard
the lock keeper shouting as he ran
down from the gate, then another
heave of the water took the canoe
and whirled it over like feather.
Margery felt herself swept help
lessly down by the rush of it, and
then followed what seemed an in
terminable time, in which the water
swayed and buffeted and tossed her
as it would, till suddenly there was
strong arm around her, and her
head rose above the waters again
without effort of her own. He was
there holding her up and swimming
with the other hand. Certainly he
was putting little. He was feeling
for something, the chain she had let
20 of, and in another moment he
had grasped it. The lock keeper was
there by now, and, the water being
up to the top, they stood moment
afterward dripping on the bank.
"Feel all right?" he inquired la
conically.
ooh, quite, thank YOU" she adj
mitted, with unaccustomed meek
ness.
"Umph. You're nice young
woman to go about protecting your
SELF" His tone was distinctly ma
licious. "What do YOU think now"
81 think" she said, and the de-
mureness of her voice was helicd by
the miscellaneous sparkle in her eyes,
81 think its just as we'll this time
that You didn't happen to be your
father-and siXty-hvc.
Even to the dullcSt and most I'M
verSed in the feminine mind kind of
man intuitions occasionally come.
And one came to Frank Beresford
then, with the result that he bent
and kissed her with a calm air of
proprietorship that took her breath
away quite as effectively as the wa
ter had done a minute before.
The lockm&n stared, then grinned
alphabetically.
"it's all right" Bcresford assured
him cheerfully. "The lady is-my
wife"
ooh, how dare you?" she gasped,
endeavoring to move away and fail
ing ANONYMOUSLY. GLOW dare you
tell such lie"
cts not a lie," he rejoined cool
ly; cts merely an anticipation"
'But," she protested, Il never
said," with a sudden access of dig
NIFTY haven't made up my mind.
mo, my dear child'-he was still
MISUNDERSTANDING, you're such d