Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-10-09
Continued.

cousin the duke would say if he knew
how far too well, he, Yorke, knew
Finetta; wondering whether he hadn't
better cut town and marry Eleanor
Dallas and have fifty thousand
pounds; wondering
"Oh, dash it! What is the use OF
bothering, on such morning, too"
Then he stopped suddenly, for he
saw a young girl sitting on the single
with her back to the break-water. 1t
was Leslie, sitting as Ralph Duncombe
had left her. She had the ring in hen
hand, her bosom was still heaving,
her heart troubled, her eyes fixed on
vacancy. There was tear trembling
on the long black lashes and a faint
culver On the parted lips, and Yorke
Auchester as, unseen by her, he stood
and looked at her, saw this. Now,
one of this young mans foibles was
the desire, when he saw people in
distress or trouble, to help them out
of it, or, falling IN his capacity to do
that, to at any rate try to cheer them
up and console them.
That's the pretty girl from over the
way" he unused. Pretty! It's a
lovely face perfectly lovely! Now
She can't be up to her neck in debt,
and-and the rest OF it. Got into a
scrape, 1 expect, and somebody-papa
Or mamma, I suppose-has been bully
ing her. I should think, whoever
they are, they must find it difficult to
worry such an angel as that. She's
been crying or going to cry. Now
we're to go down and ask her what
was the matter and try to cheer
her up and tell her there wasn't any
thing in the world worth crying for,
she'd jump up like young wild cat,
feel herself insulted, and shrek for
her brother or her father, and there'd
be row. And yet, where would be
the harm? l know this, that it l were
sitting there, down on my luck, |
should like her to come and console
me; but that's different, I suppose.
Well, as the man said when his
brother-in-law tumbled out of the
seconi-story window, it's no business
of mine.'
But though he made this wise refiec,
ton, he still stood and looked at her
wistfully, until, afraid that she might
turn her head and see him, he went
down the beach and sat on the other
side of the break-water.
Leslie did not hear him, was quite
unconscious of his proximity, did not
even notice the perfume from the
choice Havana What was troubling
her was the memory of Ralph Dun
combe's passionate words and melo>
dramatic promises, and the question,
what would she do with the ring?
She would have died rather than put
it on her finger; she didn't like
though she was tempted-to pitch it
in the sea. So she still held it in her
soft, hot, little palm. Happy ring!
So these two sat. Presently the
peculiar desire which assails every
body who sits on the beach at the
it should be impossible to refrain from
finging stones into the sea, it is i'm
possible to say. The clever people
have found out most things, or say
they have, but this still beats them.
Yorke, like everybody else, found
the desire irresistible. Half un-
consciously he took UP stone, AMI
SHE'D it at the end pile of the break
water. He missed it, mechanically
took another aim, and hit it; then he
absently found piece of wood-the
fragment of some wreck which had
gone down outside in the bay, per-
haps-and threw that as far as he
could into the swollen, angry waves
which rolled, growing and showing
their teeth, along the sand.
A minute, perhaps two, afterward
he heard cry of distress behind him,
and looking round, saw Leslie stand
ing and gazing seward with a
troubled, anxious look in her gray
eyes.
Yorke was astonished. What on
earth had happened? Had she caught
sight of vessel going down, boat
upset, or what?
She began to run down the beach,
her small feet touching the big
powders with the 1ightness and con-
fidence of familiarity; and once more
she cried out distressfully.
Whats the matter?" shouted
Yorke.
-l"Dick-it's DickH' she said.
"Dick? -which-where?"
Its a little dog-there: A little
black-and-tan; don't you see him?
All, he is so SMALL"
'T see him!' said Yorke. Whats
he doing out there?-and can't he
swim?"
Eyes, oh, yes; but the tide is going
out and he has got too far, and the
current is dreadfully strong. Oh,
paor y1Oor. niclyf IJn went ont after a