Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-26
which is more than we can be thankful

for here"
Then recalled the girl with the white
sunbonnet. / had made two efforts to
learn her identity. / had asked Horsford.
He looked puzzled and shook his head
thoughtfully. finally answering that he
knew OF no such person. Gaspard was
equally ignorant. but he assured me vol
ubly that he would proceed at once to
learn for me the fair ones name. / left
him, therefore. to gather facts in his own
way: for, being French. 1 knew him to be
polite, and being forty, believed him to
be discreet.
AS yet he had impaired no news. and
as / strolled backward / was consider
ing how l could hasten his investigations.
when / was startled by an unexpected
MARBLE. clear and sweet. in the branches
above me, or so it seemed.
What bird had notes like that!
craned my neck in the hope Of catching
a glimpse OF the little fellow. But l saw
only the cooked bright eye of a robin
peering down into mine. and there was a
long pause before the MARBLE was re-
peated.
Then it came from clump OF trees
ahead Of me. Forward / fastened. only
to find that the bird was still in advance
back. my eyes fixed on the interlacing
boughs, my mind too absorbed in things
overhead to think Of the pitfalls into
which my feet might stray.
Suddenly I was brought to earth. liter
ally, for my ankle turned on a treacher-
Gus small stone in the path and l was
thrown upon my knees in an attitude Of
supplication before a sapling maple.
Instantly a quickly suppressed feminine
laugh greeted my surprised ears. fol-
lowed by the swish OF dress skirts and
the swift patter of feet.
l was upright again in a trice and rum
ming headlong I'm the direction Of the
footsteps. my mind again on the girl with
the white sunbonnet But l caught not
even glimpse of feminine robes: and at
the turn in the path, where the walk
from the lawn descended, l lost all sound
Of everything save the crunching Of
gravel beneath my own feet.
1 was within fifty feet of the Overlook
boathouse by that time, and after a mo-
ment's indecision l turned toward il. A
glance at the pier which had been the
scene of my heroic rescue showed me
that the boathouse upon Ii was closed
about
AS / loosened the green and red boat
from it's moorings and dropped laZily in
to ct the echo of a laugh, musical. tan
talizing and feminine. fioated down to me
from the embankment. l started con-
sciously and looked sharply before me;
but the only living thing that / could see
were a chipmunk on a worm-eaten log
and a gulls wings outlined against the
blue of the sky.
upon my back in the drifting boat and
watched the feecy clouds from the edge
of my hat brim. / was awakened from a
daydream by the sound OF birds MARBLE
rising. 1t seemed, from the water near
me- Cautiously sat up and looked
sharply about me. a new idea as to the
bird Illuminating my brain.
l had drifted down toward the light
house. and no craft was near me nor any
bird in the air above me. But a quarter
OF 81
of Winton neck. q small rowboat moved
slowly. 1t was brilliantly white and
against the blue cushions in the higl
back of the stern solitary figure sat
indolently-a girl in white. with golden
hair shining in the sunlight I'm defiance
of a white sunbonnet which had fallen
to her shoulders!
In a flash comprehended the situation.
There, in one, were my Undine my war
bier and my damsel OF the tantaIizing
laugh! She should not again escape
Moreover. in punishment for her amuse-
ment she should tell me her name. or
where she lived. or agree to permit me
TO call upon her when, by other means,
had learned both.
In the flush of this resolve 1 seized the
oars and in a twinkling had headed my
boat toward hers and was pulling yieor-
ously. She still lolled against the cush-
ions Of her boat when, after a few strong
strokes. / glanced over my shoulder to-
looked she had taken her place between
the locks and was lifting the dripping
oars from the water. Then a low. rim
bling laugh came across on the breeze to
me and at the same instant the little
white boat shot away from my approach.
She pulled with a long. sure stroke that
permitted no waste of energy. and car
ried her craft over the water at a speed
that / was far from equaling. In my
Arrangement at the sight paused to stare
for moment. then / bent to my oars
with redoubled vigor.
Notwithstanding my efforts. however.
the tiny white craft kept at a tantalizng
distance from me: and presently l was
chagrined to see that only one chance to
win remained for me- That one was to
efected. But with an aim that was un-
erring. as she neared the pier-lne Over
look pier at that,-a rope flew out from
JTndine.s hands and its moose fell deftiy
over one Of the upright posts at the end.