The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-08-22
THE HEART
ON THE SLEEVE.
[Original.l


One July went to the old place for
rest, but met rather an Adventures
very important adventure to me-
| While walking on the beach l met two
] ladies, evidently mother and daughter.
| The daughter was pretty, but as she
| gave me a passing glance l noticed a
| strange antagonism on her young face.
! I noted on her sleeve just above the
cuff little gold heart studded with
ruhies
| The next morning we got a north
! easter, and the bulletin said Danger
! ous.' | sauntered down to the beach.
| But few were in the water, though /
! noticed one person far out among the
rollers and was not long in determin-
| ing that it was woman. had scarce
| ~ made the discovery when a faint
cry. Help came in above the wind.
The bathing master ran to the water.
| | threw off my coat and shoes, crying
| to him, go back and get your boat!'
| Then plunged in and after struggle
reached a woman who was being
| whirled away by q sea pousse or whirl-
! pool. caught her and kept her up till
! the bathing master reached us in a
| boat, without which she could not
| have been saved. When pulling her
! into the boat, I first noticed that she
! was the girl | had met on the beach,
! and there on the sleeve Of her bathing
dress was the red heart
! l soon learned that her name was
| Christobel Keith. / learned a great
many other things about her, but one
| thing l did not learn-her reason for
wearing the little red heart. The quo
tation. II will wear my heart upon
my sleeve for DAVIS to peck at" was
/ familiar to me, but whether it had any
! thing to do with the trinket In question
] did not know and was not so pre-
| Sumptuous as to ask. Miss Keith as
soon as she had recovered sent for
| me and thanked me for saving her
/ life but she seemed to speak the
| words under some cOnstraint Of the
nature of which 1 was ignorant. Her
every word with which she expressed
her gratitude. She was lovely old
lady, and it was plain that her daugh-
ter was all the world to her. We soon
found that we had visited the same
countries and had mutual friends. In
short. | became intimate with them.
Christobel Keith learned that she
had been so called from the poem of
| that name, and she partook of its
eirdness-seemed rather to regret
| that / had saved her life and was
never in my company without that
| constraint she had evinced while
| thanking me for doing so. Her moth
| er, on the contrary, was friendl1nesS
| itself. and | was not long in detecting
that she was giving me every oppor-
| tunity with her daughter. Nor was
backward in awaiting myself of 1t.
While Christobel Keith attracted me by
her personality. the mystery surround
ing her drew me with all the force of
| the sea pouSse from which had saved
| her. For awhile she seemed not to
| have made up her mind just how to
| treat me, whether to encourage or hold
me off; then suddenly she seemed to
warm to me with her whole soul. This,
| in turn, was followed by icy GOODNESS
| By this time | had got my bearings
and surroundings and laid my course
! was an old hand at the game the
| lady seemed disposed to play and went
| into the contest with all the GOODNESS
of one who had been often under fire.
Fortunately a party of my friends
! &c mr.
! them l deserted the girl who wore
! her heart upon her sleeve. An old
fame of mine was among the number,
and devoted myself to her. But new
| er for a moment were my thoughts
! diverted from Christobel Keith.
At first this change was parried by
Miss Keith when we met with that
look of defiance with which she had
| first greeted me. Then it was a trou-
bled look, and, lastly, one day when
passed her | noticed that the red heart
was missing. Then / learned that
mother and daughter had left the sea
/ shore. A note was left for me, adj
/ dressed in the mothers handwriting.
| On opening it I was thunderstruck at
| finding within a bit Of tissue paper, the
heart. Mrs. Keith bid me a friendly
goodby and added, II leave you, with
out my daughters knowledge, the
trinket she has been accustomed to
wear Keep it as a token of our graf
itude.'
Suddenly the meaning of the gift be-
| came plain to me. | had stanch
] friend in the mother, who had informed
me. by the token, that her daughters
heart was mine. The rest of the mys
terry was as much a mystery as ever.
Nevertheless my surrender was not
less complete than that of my loved
enemy.
The same evening l astonished my
friends by disappearing from the sea-
shore 1 went to the city and the next
! afternoon sent in my card to the
Keiths. Christobel came down to meet
me, and as she advanced, biting her lip
to retain her composure, I threw open
my coat and showed her jeweled heart
| Dinnnd aOainSt mine of flesh and blood