Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1907-02-23

that overlooked the sea. A maid was
also walking on the high cliff and
there the youth first met the maid.
They became acquainted and talked
ard laughed together The youth did
not know that he loved the maid.
Therefore his love did not exist. 1t
was latent.
The youth liked to row and fish and
roam about the woods and read. The
maid loved all these things, and they
enjoyed their pleasures in company
which was much more pleasant than
being alone.
It'swas not until the fourth day of
this newly-formed friendship that this
narrative begins. The first few days
were days of evolution. The embryo
man and woman were in the process
of formation and were all uncon-
sciously undergoing slight but contin-
ual changes. To be sure there were
outward signs of change. The collar
of the youth disappeared; his face and
arms grew brown and strong The
hat of the maid disappeared and also
her sunshade.
On the fifth day the woman dropped
it to her with more than ordinary
pleasure, all unconscious Of change
as yet And the next day when he
stepped into his canoe she gave him
his paddle. This was subtle sign
OF change. And for many days to come
they served each other in little ways.
And later she bound his bruised finger
with her own handkerchief, and he
disentangled her hair when it was
wound about a twig. It was wonderful
that they experienced no change. Con-
ventional lines were rapidly disappear
ing. But they were blind.
Later they sat for hours in a drift
ing canoe motionless and silent, or
they lay quietly upon the river bank
or near the sea, and they took long
strolls together in the moonlight sum-
mer evenings. When she was from
his sight his heart was distressed by
the sudden swapping of twig and she
became breathless if fish splashed
suddenly in the quiet water. They un-
consciously sought each other.
When they opened their lunch
basket in the quiet woods the things
that, she cooked were always best,
andy she wondered why, unshaven and
cdllarless he looked better than the
groomed effects Of culture and civiliza-
ton whom she had left in town. I'm
consciously each was glad that there
were no others TO share their COM
partnership. He was glad when her
hair became unpinned so that he
might fasten it back again and she
was glad when evening came because
ne never forgot to unroll her sleeves
which he rolled lightly about her ell
bows in the morning. There were
dimples on her cheeks, but he has
never noticed that even to this day,
which fact proves that truth is stran-
ger than fiction.
One bright day, in the very heart of
summer, they had padded to a place
far up the river where the trees
formed dark low hanging archway
asd, wild grape vines hung almost to
the surface of the water. On that par
ticular day they were laxative. They
had discussed death, then life, then
the soul, and then the train of thought
drifted to friendship and last of all to
love. Both admitted that they had
never been in love. that is, since they
were children and thought they were
in love ard went about greeting their
affinities with the pleasant name of
"Smarty." Each felt relieved by the
confession of the other.
Everything came about so uncon-
sciously. He would lean forward to
pick leaf or twig from her hair or
a piece of river grass from her fingers
and her hand would be resting in his
or she would be resting on his shout
de-. And cHuetimes she would lean
forward to pluck lily from the water
and vice versa. He was as dear to her
as a brother and he had no sisters of
his own. Day by day the conventional
arrangement of things disappeared,
Once he found himself carrying her
across a stream, but he did not quite
awaken. And the dimples on her ell
bow rested against his neck.
They always ate their lunch to.
gether now. They were sad when
apart and happy when together. The
summer was waning. 1t was she who
first awakened. and this is how it hap
pened. She found him with his head
lying in her lap and she was wiping a
stain from his forehead where a dusty
vine had struck him and moistening
the handkerchief with her lips. Upon
awakening her first act was to gasp
for breath. Then with her free hand
she gently stroked his hair from his
foIAHead. She loved him. He be-
longed to her. No one could take him
from her. But he should not know,
at least not yet
All that day she seemed preoccupied
and Indifferent, her voice was distant,
her eyes evasive. But she was think