The Whitefish pilot., 1912-11-28
IN A MOTOR
DAT
BY SARAH PRICE VAUGHAN

child, and we all know what that
means. Her father and mother lived
for her alone. Without her their uni
verse would have collapsed.
When she was sixteen she was what
girls OF that age usually are-half wo-
man, half child. She realized the wo-
man part, but of the child part she
was unconscious. She considered her
self quite old enough to have 4 lover
and was not long in getting one. John
ny Walker was the young man she de-
cided upon for that position.
She made Johnny's acquaintance In
this way: His father owned a summer
cottage on the Atlantic coast. and one
season Mr.. Cummings, Pussy's father,
rented cottage near by. There is no
coast in the world 30 adapted to boat
ing in a medium way as this-that Is,
It isn't ocean boating or row boating.
though there may be both. It Is espe-
cially lifted for motor boating. All day
one hears the rapid explosions Of gaso-
line engines coming over the water far
and near.
It was Z motorboat that did the busi-
ness for Pussy and Johnny. Johnny
was eighteen years old and had grown
up, so to speak, in a motorboat. He
had very nice one, SO Pussy thought,
only she would have preferred that it
should have been painted blue, her IA
vorite color, instead Of white. When
she first saw Johnny 60 out in It she
stood on the shore looking at him so
wistfully that he asked his mother to
call on their neighbors so that he could
take that pretty girl out in his boat.
His mother called. and Johnny and
Pussy did the rest.
That was the first summer. When
the two families went home "after
Labor day"-the American people all
go home from the country at one time
after Labor day. much to their discom-
fort-Johrny and Pussy were en-
gagged. Pussy managed it oil, though
Johnny was quite willing. Pussy be-
fore starting in for another year at
school told her mother Of her engage
ment.
: The good lady was as much sur
pEsed as if her daughter had an
nounced the engagement Of her doll.
that had been laid aside but two years
before. Nevertheless since Johnny
was nice boy and of a good family
and all that she told her daughter that
If she and Johnny were of the same
mind in four years she would have no
objection to their being married.
-Four years." exclaimed Pussy.
"Yes; when you are twenty"
"Why. mother, I'll be as old as Me.
thusaleh in four years. It's an age"
The next summer Pussy was seven
teen years old. Like most very young
people. she had very little respect for
the opinion Of her elders. She thought
it was time for her and Johnny to be
married. Johnny hadn't thought much
about it, but since Pussy thought so he
thought SO too. But he didn't make
any move in that direction.
The two families occupied during
this second summer the cottages they
had occupied during the first. One day
when Johnny and Pussy were out in
his motorboat Pussy said:
Johnny. how long do you propose to
keep me waiting?'
waiting for what?"
Are you going to marry me or not?"
Johnny caught his breath. "Why. of
course am"
"When?''
"When we're older"
Pussy turned her back on him. John
on1nroI ,n6 OI1nd. A II riTv1,t
is a good time. Wen 60 to 3. and be
He had "seen" Pussy's bluff and gone
her one better. But she was tired of
waiting for all those years to pass be-
fore being married. so she said she be-
lieved she would consent to go to B.
and be married.
Johnny put on all the power in the
engine and pointed the boat toward
B.. five miles away. Pussy sat very
quiet She neither moved nor spoke.
Johnny occasionally looked at her out
Of the corner Of his starboard eye. hut
he didn't say anything either. In half
an hour they reached the floating dock
at B. Johnny got out and made fast
the boat. then put out his hand to
Pussy. She didn't move.
"COme." said Johnny.
"Where are you going to take me to
after we're married?'
"We'll go on IL wedding trip. have
a nice little sum saved up in bank"
II wonder what papa will say?"
II don't know
"And mamma?''
81 don't know that. either"
ut would be nice to have her with
me when am married.
Johnny cast Off the line. threw it
into the boat got in himself and start
ed for home.
The ride was not chatty one. Pus-
sy remarked that the boat was not
going as fast as usual, and Johnny re-
piled that he thought 1t was doing
quite as WE'LL This was the only re-
mark made during their return. though
the distance was eight miles and they
were an hour doing it.
When the interminable four years of
waiting were ended Pussy had been