Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-02-26


come to town tomorrow? It's merely
matter of figures and signatures now
if you say so. 1t is entirely up to yon.'
Bot Selwyn only laughed. He looked
Mt Austin
u suppose" said Edgerton Lawn
good naturally, that you intend to
make MS sit up and beg, or do you
mean to absorb us?"
But Selwyn said: II want more time
on this thing. ! want to know what it
does to the interior of loaded shells and
in fixed ammunition when it is stored
tor year want to know whether
| il is necessary to use a solvent after
firing it in big guns. AS bursting
| charge I'm practically satisfied with
it, but time is required TO know how
II acts on steel in storage or on the
bores of guns when exploded as pro.
| pelling charge Meanwhile" turning
to Lawn, Pm tremendously obliged to
you for coming-and for your offer.
| You see how it is, don't you? l
| couldn't risk taking money for thing
which might at the end prove dear at
any price"
II cheerfully accept that risk" in
sisted young Lawn. 81 am quite ready
to do all the worrying, Captain Sell
wynn"
Bul Selwyn merely shook his head,
repeating, "You see how it is. don't
your"
The matter OF business arrangements
apparently ended then and there.
Lawns company sent severa. men to
Sewyn and wrote him great many
letterS-unlike the government. which
| had not replied to his briefly tentative
suggestion that chaosite be condition
ally examined, tested and considered.
SO the matter remained in allowance,
| and Selwyn employed two extra men
| and continued storage tests and ex'
perimented with riaed and smoOthbore
tubes, watchfully uncertain yet as to
the necessity of inventing a solvent to
neutraiize possible corrosion after a
| propel.ing charge had been exploded
Everybody in the vicinity had heard
about his experiments. Everybody pre-
| tended interest, but few were sincere.
and OF The sincere few were unselfsh-
y interested-his sister, Eileen, Drina
and Lansing and maybe one or two
others.
However, the younger set. now pre-
dominant from Wyossett to Wonder
| head, made up parties to visit Sell
vyn's cottage, which had become
| known IS the Chrysalis, and Selwyn
good ratu:edly exploded a pinch or
| two of the stuff for their amusement
and never betrayed the slightest an
noyance or boredom. In fact, he be-
haved so amiably during gratuitous in
terruptions that he won the hearts of
the younger set, who presently came
TO the unanimous conclusion that there
was romance in the air. And they
shifted it with delicate poses uptilted
and liked the aroma.
One man, often the least suitable, is
Younger sort where, in the discOncert-
ing summer time, the youthful congre-
gate in garrulous segregation.
Thei:. choice they expressed frankly
and innocently. They admitted cheer
fully that Selwyn was their idol But
that gentleman remained totally IN
conscious that he had been set up by
them upon the shores of the summer
sec.
On the sunlit sands dozens of young
people were hurting tennis balls at
each Other. Above the beach. under
the long pavilions, sat mothers and
chaperons. Motors, beach carts and
victorias were still arriving to dis
charge gayly dressed fashiOnables, for
the hour was early, and up and down
the inclined wooden walk leading from
tho bathing pavilion to the sands
constant procession Of bathers passed
with nod and gesture of laughing salu-
tatioa, some already retiring to the
shouers after q brief ocean plunge, the
majority running down to the shore,
eager for the first frosty and aromatic
embrace Of the surf rolling in under
clouGless sky of blue.
As Eileen Enroll emerged from the
surf and came wadiDg shoreward
through the seething shadows she
caught sight of Selwyn sauntering
across the sands toward the water and
halted, knee deep, smilingly expectant'
certain that he had seen her.
Gladys Orchil, passing her, saw Sci
wyn ct the same moment, and her clear
ringing salute and slender arm aloft
arrested his attention, and the next
moment they were off together. swim
ming toward the sponsor canoe which
Gerald had just launched with the as
sistance of Sandon Craig and Scott
Innis.
For q moment Eileen stood there
motiorless. Knee high the fiat ebb
boiled and Kissed, dragging at her
stockinged feet as though to draw her
seaward with the others. Yesterday
she would have gone without thought
to join the others, but yesterday is
yesterday. 1t seemed to her as she
stood there that something disquieting
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