Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-06-24
THE LADY OF THE LAKE
A Story of Loeb Katrine.

eyes, ] will go to the loch with you.
never break a word"
"Will you never break il? y | asked
solemnIy. She rose from her seat beside
me and gazed with dreamy eyes toward
Loeb Achray.
Il am afraid not" she said with a
alf-smile on her lips. Then she turned
round to me.
Just think how lovely it will be on
the loch with the dear wee moon shin
ing down on the water, and everything
so quiet. You'll take your banjo, won't
you?"
IF you wish it, | answered. 81 think
it will be the first time banjo has ever
been twanged on Loeb Katrine.';
She laughed. Eyes; if any shepherd
hears it he'll think that the old minstrel
| is back again on Ellen's Isle with his
harp. I'll run up for my cloak now and
we'll get off at once. Mamma may
change her mind at any moment and tell
me that I'm not to CO."
| looked at her laughingly "She
knows that you are in good hands,"
said
She glanced merrily over her shoulder
and ran indoors.
/ wheeled our bicycles down to the
road and waited for her. Old friends,
we were both staying at the Trosachs
hotel, and ON this evening | was going
to take her for a long arranged moon
| light row on Loeb Katrine. l didn't ex
pect that / would have much of the
moonlight, for had promised her mother
to bring her daughter back in a couple
of hours at most. | meant to keep my
promise, but l also meant to make the
most of my time. 1 would ask her once
again to be my wife. If she refused me
second time, as | felt she would, well,
I'd remain a bachelor. l was bordering
thus when she joined me. well" said
| |, are you ready?"
Eyes, quite. Mamma was very good,
and only told me not to stay long ON the
water for fear of catching a chill"
We started off then and cycled along
the winding road to the loch foot. The
sun was sinking and the woods around
us were very quiet. Now and then we
| heard the peculiar cry of a wood pigeon
and once roe started from the cover of
some bushes and dashed off in the direc-
| ton of the wood.
The girl at my side looked after it, her
eyes full of delighted surprise. "Oh,
Jack, wasn't that lovely deer? It's the
| first one I've seen this summer"
YES" | answered. 1T is delightful to
be in this wild place and know that there
are only the natural inmates of the woods
near us But for our bicycles we might
imagine ourselves back in the days of
fierce Rhoderick Dhu-everything round
about is so lonely and so wild"
In a few minutes we came to the bot
tom of the loch, and, dismounting.
chained our bicycles to a wire fence. We
walked down the little causeway, and |
unclaimed the boat which l had hired.
We stepped into her and were Just push.
ing off when l heard a man shouting
from the farther side of the eauseway.
He walked up to us, and recognized the
captain of the little steamboat
IF you are going out" said he, "ye'd
letter mind to keep away from the isles.
The loch's risen bit since yesterday
and some of them are half covered. Keep
away from the north side of Ellen's Isle.
The rock there is almost under water.
and if We struck ye'd as likely as not
have to swim for it," thanked him and
lie walked away.
10 you lhnk IL Is dangerous, Jack %
asked my companion.
got out the oars and smiled at her.
Safe as the bank" | said. You don't
want to 90 back, do you, Dora!'
"Oh, no." she answered, and law back
, iii the stern of the boat ; rowed IN the
loch for so'an distance and she sat look.
: ing at the big blue mountai.;s, her hands
trailing thrC ugh the water. The moon
in the dem blue sky grew palmer and
palmer 1n'l everything Is peaceful
When had rowed for some time laid
IN my oars ami took up the banjo.
don't think s>,twahee River" had eve,
been played amid such surroundings be.
fore. Dora began to sing in her soft
sweet voice, and as ! sat there idlv pluck.
ing ut the strings and with her voice N
my ears | was almost happy. / would
have been perfectly happy if-if-tbe
thought brought me TO my self, and I laid
down the banjo
Dora" said l, looking at her. Cant
you, don't You think you could break
your word this once? | want YOU s.
very badly, dear"
! She flushed slightly and raised her eve.
, to mine with a strange smile on her face