Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1904-12-29
BIZ FREEZES
BLOWN
BY Kate N. Clearly
Copyright, 1901, by Kate NJ. Cleary

lined sun hat was very white. Her
lips ouivered little. The hands that
held the vagrant sheet trembled.
1T isn't that care" she told her
self. II hadn't begun to care-in that
way. was only becoming-attracted
But the shock--the disillusion'-
When she had started out an hour
ago for her usual brisk morning walk
along the crisp. shelving sands, she
had been one Of the most Indifferent.
light hearted of girls. She was done
with college, and the two years Of for
eign travel had succeeded school as a
sort of polishing process. She had per-
feet health and misty dreams of all
the yelled future held in its keeping.
She had aesthetic tastes, and her Skill
In athletic sports was the admiration
of her less vigorous girl friends. She
had been having a beautiful time down
at this gay, unconventional resort on
the Michigan coast. And now-well,
temporarily it seemed that her pleas
ure was spoiled.
And in her heart she knew that she
must have been beginning to think too
much of the man whose attentions to
her had been so marked or else this
discovery would not SO affect her. SIT
ting to rest and watch the white crest
ed waves come curling up to break on
the border of the lake like threads OF
rarest lace, her attention had been
caught by small. white, whirllng OBJ
feet that at first sight she had taken
for bird 1t had whisked lower and
nearer. Then ii tloated so close she
could put out her hand and grasp ii,
and she found il was Il sheet of note
paper covered with diminutive chirog-
raphy. 1t was written on the station
cry of the fashionable hotel looming
up on the dunes behind her. At first
she had been about to crumple it up
and cast it aside. but in the very act
of doing so name.-her own name
met her eye.
Even then she hesitated. But the
three words We're so significant she
must know their writer's full mean
ing The page was the continuation
of a letter, and the first three words
at the top of the page were love
Ivy Lyle"' lmpulsively, giving her
self no chance to weigh the niceties of
honor in the balance, she scanned the
page AS she read it slowly again the
fresh. soft color went tidng out of
her cheek.
"Love Ivy Lyle. I've fought against
It, for / can't afford to marry her, as
you know. But she has rather swept
me off my feet, old chap. At first l
was taken with her innocent beauty.
There was no one at this big hostelry
to compare with her for looks. SO I
let myself drift. / thought she was
just a dear little country girl and that
1t would be easy to say a sentimental
farewell when the summer was over.
You know what these warm weather
hirtations amount to. SO I've been GO
ing to see her steadily and taking her
everywhere We've gone dancing and
swimming and boating and all the rest
of it, and, by Jove, for all she's
mighty quiet, I've come to find out
she's not the typical little country girl
at ALL She's well read and Travelled,
though she seemed rather aghast when
she let that fact out. And she looks at
a fellow in Il cool, apprising sort of
way that makes him feel pretty cheap
if his spoken thoughts are not quite up
to her white standard. But she's not
really in the social swim She's Il ma
tive, | take it. It's been hard to pin
her down to any confidence about her
self. She lives with a very dragon of
an aunt at farmhouse on the edge of
town. She wears her cotton dresses
and shade hats in way that takes
the shine out of the women up at the
hotel. but I've never seen her sport
any of the swell clothes they wear TO
the hops here. Oh, confound it, what's
the use of my incoming away to you
at this rate? I've got to 20 away and
try to forget her before it's too late.
"Damaris Chase and her father are
to be here this week, they tell me.
And she's the girl the heads of both
our houses expect me to marry. she
may have the good taste to refuse me,
and | almost hope She will She's a
great heiress, and the consolidation of
the business interests would be a cap
ital thing; but, oh, hang me if / thought
1t would be So hard To get that little
girls sweet face out of my heart. l
must do the sensible thing and go in
for the $4,000 a year Lord, but I'm
sorry for those poor devils Of kings
who have to wed for reasons of state
| feel dsgustingly like one Of them.
I'm sleepy. Good night. I'll finish
this In the morning Ten 10 one l
/ dream of IVY Lyier'
1t needed no signature. The writer
was easily recognized. She crumpled
the paper tightly in her hand and
thrust it into the blouse Of her gown
as a rapid, heavy step came erunchlng
down the beach. That step had be
come too pleasantly familiar Could
he nave known the sheet had been
whisked out Of his room? Had he
seen it blown down TO the beach,
Good morning, Miss Lyle" He
flung himself down beside her His
handsome boyish face looked strained
mud In BaH