The San Francisco call., 1910-06-05

when he asked II she were afraid. Girls
were always afraid in boats, but she
had seemed to enjoy it from the first and
was never fidgety or nervous.
He was half mile up stream now, at
the foot of the pasture where the black
under the bushes on the bank one day
and he had filled her hands with the
berries. big, juicy. black fellows they
were. just at their full ripeness. And he
dared to feed her with his fingers, and,
laughing, had pretended to miss her
mouth. until her cheeks and chin had
dripped with the red juice. How severe
ly she had scolded him, and how sweet
ly she had forgiven him and made him
wash her very face with his handker-
chief dipped in the stream. They had
been very. very good friends after that.
And nowi
A sharp turn around a little point jut-
ting out into the stream brought him to
the foot Of the rapids, in the quiet shell
tered backwater they had chriStened
"Cozy Cove The rapids emptying into
a pool out in the middle of the channel
came down among rocks and stumps
deep and strong, tempting the venture
some and threatening the unwary. He
had carried his canoe around one day
and shot them for her sitting on the
bank. And then, after much coaxing,
had carried again and taken her through
every swirl and eddy, but it was no mat
ter for careless steering, and he was
more relieved than he would admit when
they shot out safely into the quiet pool
at the foot Her added weight had up
set his calculations and brought the bow
down into one wash that. with a vicious
slap had thrown pailful over the gun
vale and into her lap. But she had
laughed and pretended not to mind the
wetting, and scoffed at his steering. And
that was the girl he had lost! That girl
who had Just measured to his ideal. No
one was about. and there was no use in
pretending that he did not care. She
was back at camp; maybe she had gone
by now. 1t was later than he had
thought.
He threw himself on his back along
the floor of the canoe, among the cush-
ions, and stared at the sky through the
overhanging branches. The canoe had
was stil1. Here was where they had
been the day they forgot to go back to
dinner. Yesterday. 1t was the same
boat, the same cushions. the same cove,
And this was how he had very care
fully stretched himself on the broad
floor, with his head beside the cushion
she was sitting on. That was day Of
days. And she had ordered him to sit
UP and keep to his end of the boat, and,
when he had refused. had said Better
go. It's raining" dipping her hand in
the stream and letting it drip on his
upturned face. And he had countered by
reaching UP for a twig from the bush
above them. holding it between his
teeth for tentpole and, draping his
ever-ready handkerchief over it, had
boldly announced: Let it rain. I'm a
circus tent" And she had quickly check
mated by dripping whole branch in
the water and playing cloudburst above
him so successfully that his return to
his seat in the stern had nearly upset
them both into the water That had
been only yesterday. And today; today
was so different.
AS well stay here as anywhere Here
was where they had spent so much time
together. talking of everything He had
told her all he hoped to do, all he hoped
to make of himself, all his ideals, every
thing; for she was a girl one could
trust. And she had softly told him of
her ideal man, and he, foolishly, had
thought that it was like the man he
meant to be. He had been such a fool
He had thought she cared as he did.
That had all been long ago. What was
1t she had just said? That she could
not love him and did not want to marry
him? That was it. He drew his arm
across his eyes to shut out the glare
Thoughts were not pleasant, but they