The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-07-16
CHAPTER w.

up the beach, l caught sight of woman
walking near the water. l picked up my
binoculars and focused them on her. 1t
nroyed to be Miss Graham, dressed in a
riding-habit and with a broad felt hat
on her head. She was walking IN
somewhat aimless fashion, sklrtlng the
waves as though she were playing with
them. l saw her glance once at the Ship
and once in the direction of my house.
I put down the glasses and laid my
papers aside When l went downstairs
routed Charles out of a sound sleep in
the kitchen.
"Do you remember how to make tea
good tea?' l asked him.
'Yes. Mr. Felix Aren't you feeling
WELL STRIP
"Quite we'll. Please make some tea
that shall be ready to serve in about an
hour, and get out box of those salty
biscuits. Set the small table in the din
ing-room out in front Of the door, with
two chairs. and be ready to serve lady
and myself
eyes, Mr.. Felix" Charles showed no
surprise, though he had never received
such an order since we had been at Alas
tair.
l picked up a cap. and left the house.
AS l did SO l noticed that Miss Graham
had stopped walking and was gathering
shells. Half way to her. and she was
still absorbed in the shells, which are
quite unusually beautiful here; three
quarters of the way, and she was still
playing with them. l had almost reached
her, and was raising my cap to speak,
before she turned and saw me. A flush
of surprise rose to her cheeks.
Good afternoon"
Good afternoon, Mr.. Hermit. Am I
poaching on your preserves?'
mot in the least make you free
Of the city"
There was a light in her blue eyes
which l discovered that 1 remembered,
but found her riding-habit new and
wonderfully prepossessing l was taking
stock of it when she interrupted me.
Il left my horse tied back in the
woods. Haven't you ever seen a riding
habit before?"
Eyes. beg your pardon, but it's so
very becoming
Again the quick flush, and an instant's
look at the sand. Then she laughed and
shook her riding-crop playfully at me.
Beware. Mr.. Hermit. Any man might
say thing like that. but l expect other
things from you. That's one Of the pen
alties of your position: you must be diff
ferent. l look for the flavor Of romance
and adventure at Alastair." She laughed
at my puzzled face "Shall l 20 back
home again?"
mo. I will try to remember. Did you
come to see the sunset from the cliff"
Yes. My aunt has headache and
has stayed in bed all day. bribed our
waiter to save me a little supper and
send 1t up to my room at 8 o'clock, so,
you see. I'm free of the club and din
ner." She spoke impulsively, as I i'm
agined she might do many things, and
glanced at me whimsically to see Of what
l was thinking. She had some of the
artiessness of child playing truant
from school. Il do hate stupid conven-
tons. such as chaperons," she added, "es-
pecially in summer"
We walked past my cottage, which
Miss Graham looked at with much Curl
osity, asking me a hundred questions
about it-how l had discovered it, why
l had bought it, how it was fashioned in
side. and how did my marketing. I
told her had the same butcher they had
at the club
"Oh!" she said. II half hoped YOU
lived by hunting and fishing, but sup
pose you'd rather indulge in OCCASIONAL
beefsteaks."
I'D rather live that way" said I, ''but
Charles, my man, wouldn't like that. He
has very cultivated palate"
When we came to the top of the cliff
felt like another Balboa discovering the
Pacific In front of US lay the entrance
to the river. the sloping away of the
dunes to the low. level fields of meadow
grass, and the distant background of the
pines. Here and there the fields were
dotted with beach marshmalow, windfalls
dellcately pink; along the sedey banks
grew clumps of cat-tails, their brown pen
mons stiff like so much bronze At a lit
tie landlng-stage. where the river had
followed out harbor in the bank, rode
my cat-boat, the sail tightly furled, the
mast rocking gently with the tide AS
we looked flock of sand-snpe rose from
the tall rank grasses beyond the river and
spread themselves like a sail against the
western sky. Nature never looked so ab-
solutely peaceful.
Look" l said: heron. red-legged.
white-bodied. rose from the sedges and
tapped his way up the stream. He called
to his mate, low, plaintive cry.
1T is beautiful" said the girl. 81
don't wonder that you love it."
Look" l said: the suns Kaleidoscope
was changing, the pale yellows deepen
ing, the pinks turning to reds, to oranges.
to brilliant, blazing colds. Again it
shifted and softened; red and yellow
we're saffron, orange the color of coral.
Yet again, and the whole west was gold
Ell with purple border, and then as the
purple gained and the gold sank we could
see the army of pines silhoutted against
the dropping fire.
They come, the armies come ~ I cried.
See the spears, see the crested horse
men. see the banners in the rear!''
! turned and her eyes were shining.
exulting in the beauty Of the scene. Then
we were silent for time, until the blaze
had softened and the battle dropped to