Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1908-12-12
a Discovery

with party of young people. my init
mate friends. Among them was Nir
gina McGregor, for whom | lad long
had fancy. | did not consider my
self good enough for Virginia, and
there was n fellow about her all the
while with whom she seemed cspe-
cially pleased. At least whenever |
saw them together she looked ut him
with her big eyes in a way she never
looked at any other nan. certainly not
at me.
One morning at the bathing house
we all went down to the beach for a
bath. Virginia had on a pretty shade
of brown mohair that suited exactly
the tint of her Titan hair She GER
t&inly looked enhancing, and couldn t
keep my eyes off her. She didn't APP
pear to notice my admiration. and |
fancied that. being absorbed in thought
with the other fellow, she was not
likely to notice any admiration but his.
There was one thing about her that at
tracted my especial attention. About
her neck was a gold chain to which
hung a tiny brass key. wished to
know what the treasure was that it
locked. but | don't consider curious
questions we'll bred.
Virginia was good swimmer, | a
fair one. She stepped lightly into the
surf, jumped over the first two waves
and took a header under the third.
When she came up she swan like a
mermaid straight out beyond the roped
Enclosure. | was talking to one of the
girls of the party at the time and as
soon as could get away went in after
Virginia.
The wind was blowing up the coast
from the south, crossing the waves
rolling in from the east, a condition
productive of sea pOusse. From the
top of wave | saw that Virginia had
been caught in one of these Whirl-
pools and was being carried out At
the same time she gave a Shrek. The
bathing master heard it and plunged
in, while two men standing on the
beach, seeing her danger pulled the
lifcboat to the surf, launched it and
FASTENED to the rescue.
Meanwhile | swan for Virginia and
by a vigorous effort succeeded in reach
ing her She had become paralyZed by
fright and could do nothing whatever
for herself. While trying to get my
hand on something by which to sup
port her my fingers got caught in the
gold chain about her neck. | grasped
it and held her up by it till moment
before the simultaneous arrival of the
lifcboat and the bathing master, when
it broke | held on to it while we were
both being pulled into the boat.
Virginia was too exhausted and eX-
cited to notice her loss then, ard | said
nothing about it. AS soon as we We're
safe ashore she thanked me for my eff
fort, but there was no warmth in her
gratitude. She then left the beach,
and saw no more of her till the even
ing. | should have given her the
broken chain and the key still attached,
but | did not | thought | would wait
awhile. She did not mention them,
and finally | asked her if she had them
on. She said regretfully that she had
lOSt lllcll Ill lllt OCEAN. 1 SN
with her in her loss, remarking that
she seemed to prize them. The only
reply | received was a blush
| kept the articles, thinking every
day that | would return them, but
somehow | couldn't make up my mind
to do So The truth is | coveted Nir-
ginia, though | scarcely realized it.
,,;,, bO i,
to hold on TO anything of hers he can
get his hands on. | have known
lover to carry a ShOcString next his
heart. | couldn't give up the chain
that had clasped Nirgnias neck nor
the key which | fancied might lock
some mans love letters.
That winter | was made much of by
the McGregor family, they considering
that they owed me Nirginia's life. One
evening, being at their house at SO
cial gathering, the premises being
thrown open, | concluded to reconnoi-
ter with a view to getting a sight of
the mysterious Enclosure that contained
I was curious to know what Passing
a bedroom the door of which was open,
| saw a curious box of brass and mo-
sale on a dresser. | listened. and not
hearing any one on the floor stepped
In and, taking my key from my vest
pocket, put 1t to the kcyhole of the box.
1t slipped in as though it had been
made for the lock. | hesitated, bluShcd
at the dishOnOrable act | was tempted
to perform, remembered that all's fair
In love and war and turned the key. \
tiny click and | raised the lid. There
was faded rose falling to pieces. In
deed, it was but scattered stem and
petals. There was a bit of folded pa
per. l opened 1t.
To say l was astOnished expresses
nothing. First l recognized my own
handwriting. Next | saw that it was a
message | had passed to Virginia long
before when lot of us boys and girls
were amusing ourselves together with
bits of nonsense. The only other thing
in the box was photograph face down.
| turned it, and, behold, it was my own
honest face when | was half a dozen
years younger. l had just time to put
the articles back in the box, lock it and
get out when l heard Virginia's voice
at the foot of the stairway. | met her
halfway down.
didn't propose to Virginia right
off. oh, no. | played with her as a
cat would tease a mouse. Why should
the girls have all the fun? l made love