The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1908-11-05

A Discovery
lOriginal.l

with party of young people, my init
mate friends. Among them was vfr-
gina McGregor, for whom I had long
had fancy. 1 did not consider my
self good enough for Virginia, and
there was a fellow about her all the
while with whom she seemed espe-
cially pleased. At least whenever I
saw them together she looked at him
with her big eyes in a way she never
looked at any other man, certainly not.
at me-
One morning at the bathing house
we all went down to the beach for
bath. Virginia had on a pretty shade
Of brown mohair that suited exactly
the tint of her Titan hair She GER
tainly looked enhancing, and couldn't
keep my eyes off her. She didn't ap-
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 gold chain to which
hung tiny brass key. I wished to
know what the treasure was that it
locked but l don't consider curious
questions we'll bred
Virginia was good swimmer, I
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. l was talking to one of the
girls Of the party at the time and as
soon as l 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 a wave I saw that Virginia had
been caught in one of these whirl-
pools and was being carried out. At
the same time she gave shrek. The
bathing master heard it and plunged
| in. while two men standing on the
beach, seeing her danger, pulled the
lifeboat to the surf, launched it and
fastened to the rescue.
Meanwhile | swan for Virginia and
by 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. l grasped
it and held her up by it till a moment
before the simultaneous arrival of the
lifeboat and the bathing master, when
it broke. l 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, and l said
nothing about it. AS soon as we were
| safe ashore she thanked me for my eff
fort, but there was no warmth in her
gratitude She then left the beach,
and 1 saw no more of her till the even
ing l should have given her the
broken chain and the key still attached,
but did not. l thought l would wait
awhile. She did not mention them,
and finally / asked her if she had them
on. She said regretfully that she had
lost them in the ocean. | sympathiZed
with her in her loss. remarking that
she seemed to prize them. The only
reply received was blush.
| I kept the articles, thinking every
day that l would return them, but
somehow 1 couldn't make up my mind
to do So The truth is l coveted Vir
ginia, though l scarcely realized it.
When a fellow covets a girl he is apt
to hold on to anything of hers he can
get his hands on. l have known
lover to carry shoestring next his
heart. l couldn't give up the chain
that had clasped Virginia's neck nor
the key which l fancied might lock
some mans love letters.
That winter l was made much of by
the McGregor family, they considering
that they owed me Virginias life. One
evening" being at their house at So
cial gathering, the premises being
thrown open, I concluded to recOnnoi-
| ter with a. view to getting a sight OF
the mysterious Enclosure that contained
4 was curious to know what. Passing
a bedroom the door of which was open,
I saw a curious box of brass and mo-
sale on a dresser. l listened. and not
| hearing any one on the floor stepped
| in and, taking my key from my vest
pocket, put it to the keyhole of the box.
It slipped in as though it had been
made for the lock. I hesitated, blushed
at the dishonorable act I was tempted
to perform, remembered that all's fair
| in love and war and turned the key.
tiny click and 1 raised the lid. There
was a faded rose falling to pieces. In
| deed, it was but scattered stem and
petals. There was bit of folded pa
per- l opened it.
To say 1 was astonished expresses
nothing First recognized my own
| nduritinp Nayt 7 saw that it was