Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-24
DAILY SHORT STORY
A YACHTING ROMANCE.
toriginaI.l


land l saw a man standing on the
shore He was in dingy trousers and
shirt. topped by a twenty-five cent
straw hat, and was putting on pipe.
Say, you therer l called. How
about landing?"
Come right in here"
l did so. and he pulled my boats
nose up on to the shelving shore. /
stepped out OF the boat and, looking az
the man. whom l had supposed to be a
cOuntryman. saw something familiar
In his face.
Haven't / met you somewhereT' 1
asked.
"Are you Tracy. the man that played
right tackle on the Harvard team in
49,
yes. And yOu?"
I'm Heydon. ] played against you
In the Yale team"
"And made the big run that gave
your college the game"
II made a run in that game" he re-
piled mOdestly.
what in the world are you doing
hereT'
"Oh. l was always an odd fish. l
don't like crowd. 1 live here in that
little stone hut up there"
you're the hermit they We're talk
ing about ON the yacht last night.
He took me to his hut and showed
me how he lived. He had built a bunk
in one corner, there were a fireplace
under the chimney where he cooked
his own food. a pine table. a couple OF
ramshackle chairs and a cracker box
full Of tableware. He had screened
his door and window with mosquito
netting.
"YOu are an odd fish, sure enough"
said. "How long have you lived
hereT'
"A year this summer"
Like lt?"
BETTER than jostling people who
| don't care for me except what they can
get out OF me.
invited him to go aboard the yacht
with me. but he declined. and left
him feeling sure that some unpleasant
experience must have soured him.
Having completed our fishing he re-
turned to Bayhead and ! to Seabright,
where | was staying with friend in
his summer cottage. We had at dinner
on the night of my arrival Miss Gan
nett from New York. fabulously rich
She had come In her own yacht and
was on her way down the coast TO
Old Point Comfort At dinner 1 told
Of my meeting with Heydon, and Miss
Gannett, who was interested In curlOs-
tiles, remarked that she had heard of
such people, but did not believe they
existed.
The next day Miss Gannett invited
me to make one of the party on her
yacht. l was much surprised at the
invitation and particularly delighted.
Who could tell but that l might make
match for myself on the trip. Miss
Gannett WIS q very pretty girl or
woman she was twentysix years old
and there are few bachelors who
would not he pleased to marry an
attractive woman with a large fortune.
| accepted at once, and we started on
the voyage.
as the fishing really very good in
Barnegat bay?' she asked me as we
were nearing its mouth.
Not very; the mosquitoes are bor
rible"
Il dote on fishing. ] think we'd bet
ter put in there and see II we can get
few bluetish.''
Eve might visit the hermit" 1 sug
gested.
'Oh. we won't have time for that"
Rounding the point. we sailed up the
bay and anchored not far from where
we had fshed a week before 1t was
sunset when the anchor fell. and by 8
o'clock Miss Gannett was in her berth
with Il headache. The hostess having
! withdrawn the other ladies followed.
and the men, not wishing to keep them
awake. turned ia also.
All the next day we sailed up and
down the bay or lay at anchor fishing.
and despite my report on Barnegat
bay as fishing ground we were sim
ply loaded with fish. supposed that
after getting enough to supply our
harder for a few days we would proceed
south. but Miss Gannett, despite the
heat and the insects. persisted In re-
manning where we were. For two
days we fished. roasted and fought the
little pests, but on the morning of the
! third on looking out the portfolio in
my cabin I saw that we were out at
sea. l dressed and went on deck
Our hostess was already up and out
quaffing the invigorating ocean air
Beside her stood n stalwart figure In a
new spick and span yachting costume,
blue pea jacket and cap. with white
flannel trousers His back was toward
me. but he turned presently and gave
me the surprise OF my life. He was
the hermit.
Miss Gsnnett called to me- II wish
to Introduce you to my f1ance, Mr.. Hey
DON" she said, smiling. II believe you
have met before"
when did he come aboardT" were
the first words succeeded in getting
out
Last night"
Years afterward Heydon told me the
story. They had been lovers. but Miss
Gannett's money had made trouble be
fuoorz than ua-Io,,