Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-10
UV TELL, he is back. because
w jenkins young man an, ,,l,, ,0lu

ing an argument and looked defiantly
at her sister.
.'Pooh!" said Ellean, who was in her
teens Servants gossip"
IT'S really of no consequence if he
is back" said Lady Molly languidly,
as she lay back upon the bank, her hat
beside her, and cooled her slim body
In the long grasses that sultry August
afternoon.
isn't he good looking, Molly?" in
quired Eilean.
"How on earth do 1 know? And
what does it matter?" responded her
sister laZily.
How old did you say the duke was?"
asked Marjorie, whose inquisitive little
mind had been busy. "Twenty-seVen'
or was 1t seventy-two?"
"Twenty-seven, you idiot" said Ell
lean.
"All old families die out" remarked
Marjorie, complacently
"we1l die out; 1 know we shall" said
Marjorie. cheerfully insistent. Oh
Molly. what's that? It's boat"
Molly, at the suggestion of a new ar
rival. sat up and Strengthened her
self. She took her hat on her knee
and stared.
'It's an empty boat" she said.
shs arose and went to the waters
edge. The boat, Canadian canoe with
paddles obvious in the stern, drifted IN
a leisurely way upon the stream ana
was clearly pointing for the place
where they were sitting.
"oh. Molly, let's, ride in it, said
Eilean between entreaty, enthusiasm
and timidity.
you'll upset it; you can't keep still
q moment" said her sister, cycling the
cnaoe and the paddle doabtfully.
"Oh. Molly, no one could sit in that;
+bevd fall out. 1t rocks like see
saw" said Marjorie.
That decided it. With the utmost ex-
hibition of assurance and sangfroid
Molly stepped into the canoe and sa:
down.
"Bosh! OF course it's different for
children she observed. Its easy
enough" and she reached around Tor
q paddle. That action set the crazy
canoe wabbling and Molly clutched
the sides. "Oh, Ely. hold it," she
gasped.
But the alarm proved false, and sfe
recovered her eighteen-year-old dig
nifty.
"You must have showed il" she said
'I didn't shove it," said Eilean in
dignantly IT'S you. You don't know
how to manage a canoe"
"Indeed!" said her sister, loftily, I
waving paddle in the air. We'll
you'll see."
She dipped it in a gingerly fashion
an the water and the craft rolled over.
"Oh!" she gasped. Hold it, Ely"
and then, when it righted, You're
pushing the nose down, stupid"
Eilean let it go. "Oh, very well"
she said, Grossly. Then perhaps you'd
better manage for yourself"
Molly looked aghast for a moment, !
as the canoe started on its independent
career, but nothing happened, save
that the nose turned on the current
and pointed outward; so she recovered
herself.
where are you going, Molly?"
screamed Eilean.
"Oh, do be careful, Molly!" shrieked
Marjorie in an ecstasy of excitement.
To the latter exhortation Molly |
deigned no reply; to the former she
threw into the air, without looking
round:
ITO the island!"
The island indeed was fast approach
ing. She was more than half way
across the not very considerable strait
of water, and her heart beat with ex-
hilaration. To be sure there was the
return, but as she had succeeded so
we'll so far there was no reason why
her luck should pot hold. Should she
land? And how did you land? Land
ing from a boat was no easy matter
unless some man held it for you; and |
landing from this crazy craft must be
ticklish business. On the whole she de-
cided that she would not land; she had
surely done enough for glory. But on
the other hand 1t would be the coping
stone of her performance-to step
lightly ashore and wave triumphant
signal to the amazed children. She
wondered-should she-should she not?
She would-she wouldn't-she-
1T was so kind of you to bring my
canoe back. I've been wondering for
the last fifteen minutes how I was to
get hold of It,"
The voice out of nowhere startled |
Molly. Her paddle dipped overdeep
and the canoe spun round half dozen |
feet from the island. 1t struck pro-
jecting bough, which alarmed her. She |
uttered a little cry and threw herself |
to one side instinctively to avoid a
blow. The skiff reeled under the dis
location of the balance; with agitation
she flung her weight the other way
and the canoe toppled over in that
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