The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-20
FAIRY BOATS.
By Agnes Grosier Herbertson.


 By Agnes Grozier Herbertson. Copyright, 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles !,
 The sun was beating hotly down up- on the wide stretch of yellow sand. Ladies in bright costumes reclined un- der gay parasols and talked intermit- tently, not of the beauties of the sea. but of the glories of the towns they had left behind them.
 In one of the shady places under the rocks man reclined languidly. He was not sleeping or reading or watch ing the gay crowd before him. His eyes. set in a haggard face, were gag ing out towards the sea with a list less expression.
 there, and the crowd on the sands be- gan to thin.
 Just upon the rim of the shadow within which the man rested lay a rounded, gray-white stone. Towards this small child. whose feet and legs were still shining and wet with the warm sea water, made her way with a shout of happy glee; and the man sighed.
 He glanced at the small intruder | with some annoyance visible upon his face, but she was not noticing She had seated herself upon the stone, and all her attention was given to the task of disentangling a pair of long black stockings which were twisted about her neck. He looked again and 1 became once more lost in his own thoughts. Then came a small, grumb- ling voice with the suspicion of a tremor in it.
 If you weren't Edreffu1 unpolite yo1 would help little girl" 1t ran. "Only drefful unpolite people don't hep little girls"
 It was some few seconds before the man realized that she was talking to | him. Then he turned his head and caught a vision of a pair of reproach- full blue eyes on the point of tears He muttered an exclamation/ and, half rising, set about the task 6f disentane- element. When he had finished he be- gan to cough, and the cough shook him through and through. He leant back panting against the rocks The owner of the blue eyes paused in the act of pulling on a black stocking to look at him doubtfully.
 You coughs very hard. Haven't you any candy?" she asked. He smiled. NO, I'm afraid Il haven't
 .'I haven't, either now eated all mine, or I'd give you half to make you better" She put on her shoe and tied the laces in a one-sided knot. Well, you can easily get some, can't you. in the StOreS!
 Quite easily"
 Can't | make nice bows2" She tied the faces of her second shoe with hot and somewhat dirty fingers, and eyed the result with a fond pride.
 Very nice" said the man absently He was not looking at them, but she did not notice. She did not resent the absent tone. either, being too absorbed in the contemplation of her footgear
 hit fA fla h0vs not since I've growed so much. Il growed all this much since Christmas" She indicated on a sturdy black stock inged leg a space of about three inches. Her tone held a subtle expec tation of his astonishment.
 The man was coughing again. When he could find his voice. he said, Real | ly!" with quite the requisite note of awe In his voice, and she rlppled into gleeful laugh.
 Just you wait till I've growed all I've got in mel Then you'll be s'prised. She laughed again at the thought of it. I'm going to be 'mense big. You can. if you're good, you know.
 T shouldn't wonder" said he.
 You're very bigr she drew Q long breath. T s'pose you're drefful good | What makes you all like-bony? l Cause you growed too fast?'
 He laughed a little bitterly. T sup pose that must have been 1t.
 The child looked at him earnestly. ] She wondered vaguely what he was looking at and why he seemed so sad. | The answers to the questions were be- yond her. She supposed he did not like being so very bony; but she felt there was something else the matter She put tiny hand out and touched him.
 I'm Bess. and I'm six" she said wistfully.
 Indeed" said he. somewhat amused. He pressed a hand to his side to stifie fade from his lips I'm Langham' and I'm very much older than six, Bess." he said. after a. pause.
 Bess clasped her hands in front of When I broke my doll I was horrid sorry" she said, T s'pose you haven't got no doll?"
 No"
 When I eated all my candy, too. I cried hard-once. P'raps-p'r' aps- you've eated all your candy?"
 You've hit 1t, Bess this time. That's just it. I've eated all my candy"
 There's more--in the shops"
 You're right-so there is" shad- ow came into the mans eyes That was just the bitter part of ,it there were more sweets in the shops, but not for him--not for him.
 Bess went back to her seat Al steamer was passing over the water to the pier. and her attention was caught by it. Do steaming-boats go to bed at night?" she Inquired abrupt ly. they do. or course they do not"
 Tt would be a drefful big bed Ii s'pose the shops hadn't any big enough, so they couldn't have none" said Bess