Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-05-18


noon Dolly had letter from Janet
something about a second man-and
saying she was disappointed not to
have had Alison there, that she had
promised them a two-weeks' visit!
What do you make of that? And that
isn't the worst. Allie herself wasn't
in the room, but there were eight
other women, and because Dolly had
put belladonna in her eyes the night
before to see how she would look, and
as a result couldn't see anything near
er than across the room, some one
read the letter aloud to her, and the
whole story is out. One of the cats
told Granger and the boy proposed to
Allie to-day, to show her he didn't
care a tinkers dam where she had
been"
Good boy!" 1 said, with enthusi-
asm. l liked the Granger fellow
since he was out of the running. But
Sam was looking at me with sus-
picion.
Blake" he said, eff 1 didn't know
you for what you are, I'd say you were
interested there yourself"
Being so near her, under the same
roof, with even the tie of a dubious
secret between us, was making me
heady. 1 pushed Forbes toward the
door.
'T Interested" 1 retorted, holding
him by the shoulders. There isn't
word In your vocabulary to fit my
condition. l am an island in a sunl1t
sea of emotion, Sam, Am empty
place surrounded by longing-a-"
can empty place surrounded by
longing!" he retorted. "You want
your dinner, that's what's the matter
with you"
I shut the door on him then. He
seemed suddenly sordid Dinner,
thought! Although, as matter OF
fact, / made a very fair meal when,
Changers suitcase not having gone,
in his coat and some other mans trou-
sers, 1 was finally fit for the amen
tiles. Alison did not come down to
dinner, so it was clear she would not
go over to the clubhouse dance.
pied my injured arm, and fictitious,
vaguely located sprain from the
wreck, as an excuse for remaining at
home. Sam RECALLED the table with
accounts of my distrust OF women,
my one love affair-With Dorothy; to
which / responded, as was expected,
that only my failure there had kept
me single all these years, and that II
Sam should be mysteriously missing
during the bathing hour tomorrow,
and so on.
And when the endless meal was
over, and yards of white wells had
been tied over pounds OF hair-or Is
1t, too, bought by the yard?-and
some eight ensembles with their aD-
3ect compliments had been packed
into three automobiles and trap,
drew a long breath and faced about.
/ had just then only one object IN lie
to find Alison, to assure her OF my
absolute faith and confidence in her.
and to offer my help and my poor
self, If she would let me, IN her
service.
She was not easy to find. l searched
the lower floor, the veranda and the
grounds, circumspectly. Then | ran
into a little English girl who turned
out to be her maid, and who also was
She was concerned De 4
cause her mistress had no dinner, and
because the tray of food she carried
would soon be cold. 1 took the tray
from her, on the glimpse of something
white on the shore, and that was now
! met the girl again.
She was sitting on an overturned
boat, her chin in her hands, staring
out to sea. The soft tide Of the bay
Tapped almost at her feet, and the
of her white gown melted
hazily into the sands. She looked like
a wrath, a respondent phantom OF
the sea. although the adjective is re-