Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1908-12-10
CHAPTER ".


trate beyond it, and in the light of
after events was very glad. indeed,
[ was not responsible. 1t happened
this way.
She had washed her hair and gone
out in the sun to dry it, taking book
and a box of chocolates to help pass
away the time, and, after wandering
about little, had established herself
at the top of the fight of steps leading
down to the boathouse, as the most Sc
cluded as well as the sunniest place
she could find.
Just what really happened don't
know; / believe she got to dreaming
out there in the sunshine, but this is
what she said:
Il was sitting quietly reading when
/ heard little thump, and there was
that miserable comb balancing on the
bottom step. OF course / went after
1t, and of course before / sot there 1t
toppled over and went through a
crack of the slip into the water"
THAT slip is hoodooed," interrupted
Elizabeth why don't you do as
do, and keep away from it?"
TT was low tide" continued Gabri-
ellie, "and / could look through the
crack and see it lying on the sand be-
meath the water, so / took stick and
tried to poke 1t out. ! got along very
well by progressing from crack to
crack, but at the critical moment /
got excited and poked too hard, and
1t shot out Just beyond my reach. That
made me wild, for / knew l couldn't
face Elizabeth without it, so l simply
lay down and grappled with my stick. T"
"Well?" I inquired, as she paused
with reminiscent chuckle.
"Well, as / was lying there with
my face the color of boiled lobster,
fishing away for all / was worth,
heard voice say: ALLOW me-, and
there he was in a sailboat, the picture
of GOODNESS and comfort. He rolled up
his sleeve, though, and went to work,
and finally got 1t, then calmly landed
and introduced himself, saying some.
thing about having been unfortunate
in his visits"
Then was your opportunity to be
dignified and squelching," / inter.
rupted. "You should have frozen him
with glance"
81 tried to-" she returned, 'but all
at once l remembered my hair, and
who could be dignified them"
so you brought him home with
you as a reward Of merit" laughed
Elizabeth. Il shall never forget how
you looked as you came up the yer.
anda steps,"
"Yes," said Gabrielle; land you two
sat and stared as though we had es.
capped from the zoo. Take your comb,
Elizabeth; ! never borrowed one be.
fore, and never will again"
Il suppose" remarked Elizabeth, re-
fiectively examining her recovered
property, I'VE may be said to have
dropped into his life; first your bag,
then Elise's sidecomb, and now this of
mine. It's fate-we've got to know
him, but it wasn't so bad, after all,
was it?"
Indeed, we had all enjoyed the aft
ernoon. Even Gabrielle returned to
the veranda, with her hair as high up
on her head as she could get it and
with her most impressive manner, but
we none of us referred to our trip up
on the steamer, and our visitor de-
parted without once mentioning our
property in his possession, although
my sidecombs were obviously not
mates, which made me very uncom-
Portable.
Elizabeth asked him to come again,
and when reproached for her cordial
ty said she did it only to please us,
and quite expected to be bored to
death herself; from which we knew
she was very faorably impressed.
A sudden storm came up that after
noon, and when Mr.. Bennett rose to go
the sky was very black and lowering,
and the ocean roared ominousiy, so he
left his Loaf tied to our slip and went
up into the village to do some err
rands and wait until 1t should be
over. Instead of short squall, how
ever, 1t settled down into heavy rain,
with bowling easterly wind and
tossing, turbulent sea. so he was
obliged to spend the night in the vii
lage, as, of course, he could not cross
to his island in his small boat.
1t was our first real storm in the
cottage, and as we heard the boom of
the waves and listened to the wind
sweep about our little home until 1t
sometimes trembled upon its founda-
tions, must admit we were slightly
nervous and could not settle to any
OCCUPATION. So we gathered around
our stone fireplace. lighted the drift
wood Mary Anne had placed ready,
and watched the wonderful green, Law
ender, scarlet and blue of the
cracking flames in silence.
Elizabeth sat on the rug and leaned
her head against Gabrielle's knee. and
their faces gradually assumed the
dreamy, far-away expression which
means they have withdrawn into their
own inner world. where outsiders may