The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1907-03-02

liz OiB AODSbOlo al w
gan to crawl off shore in June.
Rock cod have never been so scarce
since | can remember. The mack
erel have raced away towards the
Banks. The herring are likely to be
as fdgety as the year when the Ma
tilda Jane drove on the Cedar
Lodges. | only got five barrels that
fall. And here We are off by Trun-
dy's Reef fishing as hard as we can
and only two cod in the dory.
And the cunners keep nibblin' the
bait like SIM"
The Skipper suddenly dropped his
cod line. He lifted his battered spy
glass to scan a white object on the
shore Of the island where he had
lived so long.
Eyes, there she is-lollingw He
turned and snarled upon his son Hi.
It was as if the young man had been
guilty of all the mischief which had
been wrought on land and sea that
summer, and he had caught him in a
strong trap at last.
yes" the Skipper stormed on"
Dora Johnson is the only girl on this
coast who would lay on the shore
and dream when we've got to face
the blacklist winter we fishermen
have ever known"
Dora likes to write. One cannot
do that work well without looking
things through and through. The
lady from New York who boards at
Uncle Ben's has spoken well of her
verses"
Hi Gracey looked his father
%squarely in the face. But there was
no defiance in his eyes or heart as
he spoke Of the girl he loved as his
life. His tones had no ding of apol-
ogy. He stated the case of Dora
johnson fairly as he and others saw
it. The proof from the New York
authoress was not added as some
thing which had made a revelation
TO Hi. But since such things had
been spoken with such honest al
miration it was well enough to re-
mind his father of it.
"She got you all tangled up in her
net the very first piece you heard
her read at spelling school-and you
only a shaver of H." the skipper
Snarled. 81 thought at first you'd
dive like a seal and get out Of the
mashe8. But if ever l gazed on any
bulk of a fish rolled in rs yards Of
mackerel net I'm looking at one
now. I've talked and talked to YOU
that it's in her breed to dream and
loll. But you seem to think more
of Dora johnson every year. Her
grandfather before her used to be
tinkering at a flying machine. Her
father has started many a fool
scheme for making money. There is
one of them piled up on the shore at
the bottom of the bank where she is
lolling."
The Shippers laugh rang ont
SO loudly hat some gulls Auttered
up from the water.
Hi knew well all about the heap
Of net which lay on the beach to-
wards which his father shook his
fist. Dora's father had thought that
it might be Of great use some day.
He spoke Of it with a dreamy look
as if he saw far away into the flu
ture. And Dora had set to work
to knit it for him the first winter
when he had mentioned it. In more
than one snowy day Hi had deftly
filled the wooden needles with twina
for the girl. More than one yard Of
the net he had helped her knit. And
now, for many a week, the result Of
that strong work mutual love had
lain idly on the gray beach. Long
ago it had been named "'Biiah's
Folly" Many a man had kicked it
scornfully with his thick fishing
boots as he passed by it.
"She had written some good
verses about the net" said Eli in the
same even tones in which be had
spoken before.
"Guess they won't help much at
pulling out the fangs Of a summer
like this"
Hi looked shoreward with I'M
shaken faith in the girl. Without
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