The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-07-21
Eate and the
= ...Seashen.
By INA WRIGHT HANSON
Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated
Literary Press
By INA WRIGHT HANSON.

{ copyrighted, 1908, by Associated
| Literary Press.
| E>~~~~>>1~>>>~
Just before the lunch hour there had
been great excitement around the ca
sine at Santa Cruz. Jeanette Wash
burn had been last of the bathers to
leave the surf and In her usual reck-
less manner had started to swim 10
the raft after she was tired enough to
leave the water She made the raft all
right, but halfway back she went I'M
| der.
Patricia, on the pleasure pier, had
given the alarm, and two men put out
in a boat Before they bore their drip
ping burden up the pier steps crowd
had gathered from all directions. The
beach policeman had come running to
press them back and allow the men to
hurry through with the half drowned
girl.
Then the crowd dispersed, except
Patricia, who had given the alarm.
When one walks always with a crutch
1t is better not to walk in a crowd. SO
she waited till the pier was deserted
and she had found that Jeanette
would recover. Then she went home.
Usually Patricia's slow steps were
not wearisome to her, for the beauty
of the hills kept her company, the
flowers along the way were her friends,
and the voice Of the ocean said to her
many things, but today she saw neither
hills nor flowers, and she heard moth
ing but her own hearts cry, Ernest
Wentworth loves Jeannettep'
She had heard 1t yesterday, and
glimpse of his white face In the crowd
today confirmed the rumor that he
was going to marry Jeanette Wash
burn She had said 1t over and over in
the night watches, waging war with
her own eager heart and telling 1t to
be ashamed for giving its love I'M
asked
When she saw Jeanette near to
drowning she was wild to plunge in
and swim out to her and save her, and
not for Jeannette's own sake.
Even In her impulse she recognized
her motive-not for Jeannette's sake,
but for his. She would make the SUI
premest sacrifice of her unrequited
love, and she would do a heroic deed
because Of it. But even this was de-
MED her.
Everything is denied a cripple" she
thought with unwonted bitterness as
she reached her fathers gate IF
were like other girls he might have
chosen mel"
Late in the afternoon, In the brief
hours between dinner and the gay life
of the evening, when she knew the ca
sino would be almost deserted, she
went back to sit on the steps and look
silently seward.
Away to the horizon were fishing
boats and a pleasure yacht, its white
sails cleaning silver In the sun. Near
er the shore showed the dark hulk of
the buoy, and nearer still the sea birds
diving and dipping.
All this was on the sea- On the sand
was lone figure, woman in faded
green dress, its skirts held ungraceful-
ly up from the kelp as she walked the
damp sands gathering seashells.
Patricia, watching her drearily, saw
her pick up one, look at it carefully,
then put it in her jacket pocket The
next she threw away, perhaps because
of flaw or break or lack of luster
"Dreaming?" said voice very pleas
ant to Patricia's ears. and Wentworth
sat down beside her.
1t only made 1t the harder to have
him kind to her. Did a crunb ever do
a particle of good when one was starv-
ing for the whole loaf? Poor Patricia
Still, as he was there, and as he was
not saying anything more, she must
make talk Any kind of talk was bet
ter than silence, SO she spoke Of what
she had been thinking.
"Yonder is fate" She pointed to the
shell gatherer Choosing, rejecting;
blessing, cursing Oh, poor little thrown
away shellsp'
She had tried to make her words
sound light, but the man heard the note
Of pain. He bent toward her, and his
voice was very kind.
Il have known you year." he said,
"and l never saw you morbid before.
But you are morbid now You are
tired The excitement this morning
was too much for you"
Eyes," she acknowledged. II was on
the pleasure pier when Jeanette went
down. l had wild desire to plunge in
and save her and have my picture In
the paper afterward. wanted to be
the star Of the matinee, you see, and
this creation Of board and pad would
not let me-"
She smiled whimsically down at the
crutch and up at him. She was glad
he could not read her thoughts. She
would be very gay-if he did not stay
too long.
Perhaps Wentworth could not read
her thoughts, but he could see that her
eyes were tired, and he looked at them
and at the sweet, sensitive mouth In
the way that lover looks.
patricia, know Of golden coun-
try in which lives a golden lady-not
golden haired, for her hair is dark as
yours, but having heart Of gold and
spirit of tried gold. Her eyes are dark.
too-let me see how dark, Patricia"
The caress in his tones made her
tremble He meant only to be kind-if
he could have known the anguish-but
she raised her eyes Obediently to his
for an instant and smiled at him. She
was a very brave Patricia this Grip
rled girl.
Gust as dark and beautiful as yours,
Patricia Well this golden lady would
have gone out into the great world to
do lots of great things, but circum-
stances faced her to stay in her own
domains. So, instead of being discon-
ISOLATE because she could not do what
she would do, she sang little song OF
contentment, and one, heart sore and
weary with much suffering Of mind
and body, heard it and sought out the
way of peace. Know the little old bed
ridden woman down by the river, Pa
tricia p
Wentworth smiled at the girls flush
ing cheeks and went on:
"Then knew of boy In this golden
country whose body was crippled and
whose mind was growing into very
unlovely state because Of thwarted
ambitions To him the little lady
showed the way into land Of high
ideals and earnest endeavors. Ehe boy
Is a good boy now and will make
great man some day.
"Then there are the children. Gen
orally they are very much In the way
when a fellow wants to talk to the
/ golden lady. They bring her FURNISHED
peoples and treasures Of seaweed.
Why7 Oh, nothing, only she mends
dolls. binds up bruises on soft little