The Princeton union., 1905-06-01

islanders, Thomas Gilbert found
himself before he was fifty years
old stltfening with rheumatism.
He had been brought up to gardening
and still assisted in the care Of the rec
tors simple grounds, but most of the
time he fished. Among the boats which
drew up at the Hamilton wharf each
night filled with rockfish, red and gray
snappers, mullet, Dream, sennet ham,
let, hoghsh, club, amber fish or divine
II colored angelfsh none had used to
be finer than Thomas Gilberts. Now
his boat was not so we'll filed, and the
long sail back to his home in Somerset
tired him. His son Digby, lad Of
sixteen, had preferred a place in
store to fishing with his father, though
the store was as yet far less profitable
to him. The finances of the Gilbert
} family felt the old mans disabilities,
but Brenda looked upon Martin Mears
with no more favor on this account.
Mrs. Gilbert had been taken from
some charitable institution in London
and brought to Bermuda in her child
hood by the rector's wife At that
time Thomas Gilbert took care of the
rector's horse and his gardens. The
young people fell in love early, but
they had been so happy in the rectory
service that they had not married un-
til they were past thirty.
There was an air of gentility about
the small cottage of the Gilberts. 1t
savored Of the fneness of the rectory
Brenda Gilbert felt it. She had been
named by the rector's wife and edu-
Gated largely with her children She
was therefore better bred than most Of
those with whom she associated. More
than that, there was not so beautiful
girl in all Bermuda as she. Brenda
was blond. That means as much in
Bermuda as in Africa. Among the
monotonously dark eyes and olive skins
and jet black locks of her mates her
faxen tresses and brilliant blue eyes
and dazzling complexion made her
seem like veritable seraph
Martin Mears was a pilot. good
enough fellow, and, for a young Ber-
mudian, he was rich. Brenda knew
that he was perishing for love Of her
and was ready to marry her tomorrow,
but he lacked the refinement to which
she was accustomed. Then he was
short and thickset and red faced, and
in her soul, in spite Of the many consid-
erations which her father and mother
urged upon her in his favor, Brenda
haed him.
It is computed that there are only
about twenty square miles Of territory
in all Bermuda. 1t is not strange,
therefore, that there are some men who
know the faces of all the white inhab-
itants. The others, though nearly twice
as many, count little to Bermudian.
Thomas Gilberts beautiful daughter
was naturally somewhat famous
throughout the islands, Her mother
would not allow her to go with the SOL
diers, and caste, which is powerful there
and takes on pettiness of detail CON-
mensurate with it's geographical scope,
forbade the young men Of the local
gentry to associate on terms of equality
with fisherman's daughter. Yet there
was one Of them who fell in love with
her, and he cared nothing for waggins
tongues nor for the comments Of his
proud mother and sisters.
To do John Masters justice he loved
the girls fine lack Of coquetry and her
goodness and gentleness as much as
her beauty. Mrs. Gilbert knew that
he had taken Brenda to some Of the
plcnics and that he had walked home
with her from church, but she knew,
fhof no N,o Il
was the second son in a good family.
His mother was an English officers
widow and an English gentleman's
daughter and lived in pleasant man
sion in Warwick But their income
was small for the expenses which they
were obliged to meet and the young
man could not hope to marry for years
to come, while here was Martin Mears,
ready to wed the girl at once and put
her and the rest of them beyond the
reach Of want. 1t was true that John
Masters was handsome and polished
and had all those high bred ways which
count for so much with girls like Bren-
da, who had nice little hauteur of her
own, but Mrs. Gilbert revolted against
the distaste which she knew the Mas
ters family would feel for the match,
and why wouldn't Brenda take Martin
Mears!
One day the mother came upon her
daughter crying among the lemon trees
in the garden. "What is it," she ask
ed, sitting down beside the girl and
taking her head in her motherly lap.
"He-he- going awayw sobbed
the heartbroken beauty.
"Who-Mart1n?"
'No. John Masters.''
"Oh, that's nothing. He is Of no ac-
count to you. suppose he is going off
to seek his fortune. He had better.
They say he hasn't got cent. Her
money all goes to take care of them
four boys and four girls make big
family. He's good looking and all that,
but you mustn't care about him, Bren-
da, and I've said so before. They
wouldn't like it, and could see that