The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-02-24

| ""si w n'sstN nun, ana thert
was n swift summer storm stealing
blackly up from the horizon. and the
sea moaned as Il broke In sohs along
the shore. They do that kind OF thing
all right. ! used TO think that went
with the summer man. but II doesn't.
MacGregor Clarence Blair said he
hadn't showed up since breakfast, and
he'd seen him making a bee line Cor the
glen, and he'd said. Whats yer hurry r.
and the professor had said he hoped
he could have one morning In peace to
study without that laundering crowd
Of old maids hiking after him.
We didn't believe MacGregor. He
looks like a pale, new sand fiy, and his
father and mother own all OF No Mans
Land. The professor never In all this
world used such words as hiking and
laundering, but MacGregor did. There
FORE l may say, In the same common
parlance, that the whole laundering
crowd Of old maids pitched In and lam
basted MacGregor unth his pretty
white linen suit was not fair to see and
his twining curls were full Of sand
burs. Then he howled and retracted.
and we all went up the glen after the
professor.
The glen deepens and darkens as you
so In, and the sides are rocky and pre-.
cipitous, with much shrubbery and un-
dergrowth and scraggly pine trees list.
ed to windward. And Just as the first
streak OF lightning Qulvered In the sky
we heard faint shout for help.
1t was the professor He hung sus-
pended In air on the bare limb OF
dead pine that jutted out from the rock
halfway up the blum, like Genius on
Pegasus, the widow said-on a petrlfied
Pegasus.
Then Geneyleve Perley, our college
product, said Pegasus couldn't be pet.
rifed. He would have to be ossifed.
And the widow began to cry and sat
down on log and said she didn't care
bit either way, ossified or petrined, |
and Professor vogel was such lovely |
man and always paid his board like a
gentleman, and she hated to- see him |
killed before her eyes, and she never
felt so much like falnting before in all |
her life.
Genevieve said fainting was counted
out He was fine target for light
ming up there, and, while 10 was none of
her business and she had no interest In
the professor as lovely man or In the
continuance of his regular board pay
ing, still she thought rope might be a
good thing.
"In mountainous. countries" began
the artist who has been Eu.
roplzed, y believe they tie rope
around the waist of one person
ITS the shoulders" said Genevieve:
kind of slipknot."
The professor shouted for help again,
this time fainter still.
mo; the waist" said Agatha firmly.
"And lower that person over the noun
tain side until he rescues the other
party"
Lets lower MacGregor," murmured
but the widow cried and
said her feet were getting wet and she
1idn't think 1t was right to joke In the
lace Of death. That braced us up, be-
,ause the professor did look like II, so
while the tieetlng moments sped Gene
'ieve and | sped feeter and found
Iome clothesllnes and couple Of husky
ads In sweaters from the peanut stand
md the boathouse, and we sped back to
he glen.
Then the husky lads climbed the
)luff on the sandy side and did the
Alpine act with the clotheslines, assist
d by several ropes from the boathouse,
md before our eyes the professor was
'ulled back to life and liberty.
He Is resting now 1t is dark and
till at the villa. No hops or mando-
ins tonight The shock will bring him
o, | think, from the botanical dream
nd cause him to concentrate his Joy
N some loving, sympathetic heart, and
t may be your PERDITA.