Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-08-09
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Copyright. 1906, by P. C. Eastment

n Copyright, 1906, by +. Z. Eastment
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The water, laughing and tapping, in
vited. The day was giddy May, and
the invited young Lorena, moreover,
owned all the folly normal TO nineteen.
So altogether it would have been mir
acle if things had gone exactly as they
should. A proper young woman of
course would have reckoned chances
before barring her feet and dancing
joyously in midstream, where the peb-
bles lay smoothly bedded in fine sand
and cleaning jeweI-wise wherever
sun ray struck through the ripples.
Lorena did not let herself remember
that the ford was but fifty yards higher
up or that this special shallow reach of
the creek lay between the two lakes
that gave the finest fishing. They were
not true lakes, of course-only water
mirrors, still and deep, impounded by
dams of the winter floods building.
Lorena did not love them. They were
so placid they reminded her somehow
of Johnny-and whatever did that put
her out of temper.
She loved glitter, motion, excitement.
1t was ecstasy to her to dance all day
long and half the night after, footing
it as lightly, as featly, as wind blown
thistle seed If only she could dance
alone. But since that was out of the
question she naturally preferred part
ners who kept step and were nlmble.
Johnny was neither, yet all the time
she had been engaged to him he had
felt it his right to say, if she did not
dance with him, she must dance with
hardly anybody else.
And not at all with Granville Gore,
the very prince of partners, who was
handsome and slender and light heart
ed, with money in both pockets and
trick of spending 1t with both hands.
Johnny hated him, without reason so
far as Lorena could see-at least he
gave her no reason-only said, IF you
are goln' ever to belong to me, Lolie,
you must be barely civil to that fell
low"
Somehow the emphasis on the last
word always made Lorena shiver when
she recalled It. How could she help
it, when Johnny was toward other folk
the soul of kindly justice? Still she had
felt that he was unfair. If he really
knew anything he might let her know
It likewise
If Johnny could have brought himself
to tell her the break might not have
come. But he was too proud and mas
terful for that His wife must believe
in him enough to understand that he
had reasons for any and everything.
Besides he was afraid of seeming en-
vious and Jealous of a man so much
richer and better looking. Moreover,
he did not really know much that
could be told categorically-it was
Cores general air and manner, con-
joined to words dropped here and there,
that made Johnny certain he had no
real reverence for anything feminine.
A girl, any girl, was fair game to him.
If she hadn't sense enough to look out
for herself he was not bound to look
out for her. Yet Gore was not distinct
ly vicious - rather, inordinately vain.
He did not mean worse by womankind
and grlkind than TO make love to them,
the finest girl alive!
If Lorena had known that. Un-
knowing it, she had thought a great
many times and great many things
of the fascinating Granville in the
three months since the break He had
been away for two of them, and since
he came home she had seon him only
in crowds. But he mad used his eyes so
eloquently as to set her heart wildly
fluttering. But, oddly enough, it had
futtered even more whom by chance
she had encountered Johnny, in his
working clothes. driving his wagon TO
mill
They had barely nodded TO each 9TH
er, and she had ridden fast afterward
but not fast enough to get away from
sense that Johnny. old Johnny, al
though his face was impassive, had
turned to look after hor as long as she
was in sight
To-day she was not thinking Of him
hardly even of Granville. Wading was
such pure JOY. The water came above
her ankles. She lifted her skirts light
ly in both hands and balanced to her
shadow upon the ripping stream. Such
funny shadow-danclng grotesquely
even when she stood still.
Rapt in contemplation of 1t, she did
not hear footsteps or anything until
throaty, chuckllng voice cried "Oh,
no! A mermaid, Gore, If the variety
is indigenous, understand, shall settle
in your neighborhood Just as soon as
can buy place"
Lorena flushed scarlet. She let fall
her skirts needless of water-heedless,
indeed, of anything but escape There
were men on either bank, also one in
wading approaching her midstream.
Gore was the farthest of them-a Gore
she had never seen. He looked her
over as though she were part, curt,
Gus part, of the landscape with which
he had no sort of acquaintance.
1t was the man in wadinG who had
spoken. He was striding on toward
her, his rod over his shoulder, broad
grin upon his fiat. red face. Her sun
bonnet her faded print frock, above
all her present case, had nearly made
him believe her some hoidenish milk
maid rather than mermaid
Didn't l tell you fellows the finest
fish were here in the shallows?" he bel
lowed at the men on the bank. Never
yet made such n CATCH" he added,
making to fling an arm about Lorena's
waist.
She evaded him, sprlnglng to one
side and trying to gain the bank, but
the sportsmen there set up laughing
shout which warned her not to trust
them. Desperately she fed upstream,
cutting her feet on sharp stones, but
never faltering Ii was not easy to
run against the current-the rock bot
tom was slippery in places and her
wet skirt hampered her terribly.
Still she kept out of reach until she
was twenty yards off the ford. The
fat faced man, laughing and painting
after her, caught her there and said as
he gave her resounding kiss; "'Pon
my soul, Undine, it was worth it. L
haven't had such lark since l was
boy"
Lorena broke from him, crying wild
ly: Granville! Mr.. Gore! Kill this
creaturer'
At that the men laughed louder than
ever. Granville had discreetly disap-