Evening star., 1909-07-10

~ plates and cups 10
adjoining stumps and ledges of rock,
fell into frank silence. All eyes were
turned on tall, white-clad negro who
had Just emerged from the cookhouse to
clear a significant square yard on the
supply table. then retreated, like pro-
logue in ancient plays. The newest
camper, who had arrived only two hours
before, and -sho sat on stump with her
skirt wound tightly about her ankles, for
got the surrounding ants and spiders long
enough to whisper apprehensively:
What is il, Cousin Caroline? What
Vall happen now
Cousin Caroline was forty-seven. her
strong black hair was craving, her COM
nonsense boots and antique denim skirt
showed that she had outgrown the foibles
of youth. yet there was a thrill of genuine
excitement in her answer as she turned
to the girl and said:
1T may be waftles.''
"S'pose you think w'r' all turned into
swine. Miss Prentiss," drawled lazy
voice. Jus wait till you've been here
two weeks The speaker was the least
moved person there-a heavy-limbed
young man with big, calm eyes and an
air Of large contemplation that suggested
Ruddha to Miss Prentiss. The campers
called him the Lizard, or Lizzie for short.
Two weeks?" A daddy-lons-legs came
whiring up her skirt and she knocked
him off with a suppressed shudder. "Oh,
! am here only for a week." she declared
hastily.
.One week? Oh never. No one ever
stays lesS'n three.
His lazy cordiality was very pleasant
4 glance at the other young women in
the party in measure explained 1t; she
had already noted as a fact in natural
history that girls who went camping
were apt to be plain.
II was invited for two weeks"-she was
beginning obviously when a toad at her
feet gave sudden leap. Her heart per-
formed exactly the same action. But |
may not stay even one," she added. L
might as we'll confess to you-
She was interrupted " the temperance
of Prologue carrying an enormous White
enameled tray high before him. No one
stirred until he set it down on the CEN
trail supply table. then murmured ''Waf-
fest relaxed the general tension.
The Congregationalist minister and a
little girl of six got there first, retreating
with heaped plates and an air of bland
satisfaction that gave them momentary
resemblance to each other. The crush
that followed suggested a bargain counter.
Reduced to 9S cents, as advertised,
commented the Lizard, dragging himself
to his feet. ''Tll rush the center for you
this time. S against rules, but you're a
newcomer" He lounged away in the
wake of the rest, and, left alone, she
turned her back on the waffies to feast on
the still beauty of the lake just below
and the warm fragrance of the pines, lift
in. their black bars against the rose of
the sunset.
She had been miserably afraid to come;
the word camp filled her with appre-
tensions of perils by night and day; cf
strange animals and drownings and
snakes in long grass; of being lost on
desolate mountains: of having to pass
through herds of bulls and to drive be
hind half-broken horses. But she was
beginning now to be glad of Cousin Caro-
lines brisk insistence. Surely these sweet
smelling woods and the flushed mirror of
the lake could not have any very dire
peril in store for her. She could manage
to keep out of the excursions, and this
He had already been explained to her as
young lawyer of remarkable promise
the promise seemingly resting on the
fact that his father. the chief justice. had
the same sleepy manner and clipped ut
terance.
He brought her back what looked 10
her an appalling pile of waff1es.
They've got sort of unwritten code
hi
10 a seat beside her stump. "F'r instance.
no one'd ever dream of starting after
uafies till they were fairly down on
table-not even Theodore" And he indi-
Gated the little girl Of six who had got
there first and vino was even now digging
for remains of sirup on an otherwise
empty plate.
"Oh. by the way lie continued, you
spoke of confess something. What was
IT."
You would soon find out if ! did not.
IL is only"
4 wild shrek split the air just under
their feet then was quenched with an aw-
Jul suddenness. Theodore had been moved
to wash her sirupy hands in the lake.
and, heavy with waffies. had topplad
head first into the deep pool just be-
meath. All the terrors of earth seemed 10
he epitomized in the cry. and Miss Prem
tiss leaped up in Il blind effort at escape
But she was recklessly near the edge of
the overhanging bank There was a
crumbling of earth under her feet and in
another instant. voiceless with horror,
she had followed straight down into the
depths that were seethng with Theo-
dora.
Some remnant of sanity kept her
mouth closed against the Hood and drove
her to few wild swimming strokes as
her head emerged. The denim dress of
the small girl passed her fingers and she
cutched at IL madly, drowningly, man.
aging TO get fierce hold on little fight
ing arm just u voice cang out cheer
iLCly at her side:
''All right. Miss Prentiss, | got her. all
safe. Bully for YOU
Other voices echoed the Lizards Bully
for you as she was drawn out Hearty
hands were extended to shake hers, She
was even kissed. stranger though she WIS
as Cousin Caroline led her through the
excited crowd. Theodora's mother gath
cred the dripping rescuer into a fervent
embrace
'Of course. We would have saved her
anyway. but II was the way you fun.
yourself in, without an instant's hesita.