River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-03-06
cHAprER Xll.-contlnued.

tiut such o condition vas, after all,
more apparent than real. In his heart
EIcc! knew that hn did love ATelanie
enough" however much that might
~. &c loved her enough to want,
rot only and not mainly what she
could give to him; but ne wanted the
happiness Of caring for her, cherish
inR her, rewarding her faith With his
own She had not seen that, and it
wa lis problem to make her see it.
There was only one way. And SO, in
forgetting himself, forgetting his
wants, bis comforts. his studies and
els masculine wiII---herein was the
biossoming OF Alexis soul
MeIu1io instinctiyely felt the sub
Ito change. and knew in her heart
that Aieck had won the day though
gho FtiIl treated their engagement as
,an open question. Aleck would read
TO her in his simple, unaffected man
ner, sometimes with Madame Reynior
land Mr. Chamberlain also for audi
ience. sometimes TO her alone And
,uince they lived keenIy and loved, all
hooks spoke to them OF their life or
their love- A line, q phrase. thought,
would ring out of the record, and each
would be glad that the other had
heard that thought; sometime they
would talk it all over. They learned
10 laugh at their own whimsical preju-
dIceS. and then insisted on them all
the harder; they learned, each from
Che other. some bit of robust optimism
some happiness OF vision, some
further reach OF thought
After they had read. they would play
at quoits, struggling sternly against
each Qther; or Chamberlain would OK
t,mfnC MeIanie In nautical lore; or to-
gether, In the evening. they would
trace the consultations in the heav-
ems. During their first week they were
tn the edge OF storm for night and
day; but they PUT into harbOr where
they were comfortable and safe, and
merry ns Iarks through it all.
So day by day, Aleck hedged Me-
tanio about With his love. Was she
thoughtful? He le. her take. as She
would, his thoughts, the best he could
GIVE from his mature experience. Was
che gay? He liked that even better,
end delighted to cap her gaiety with
els own queer, whimsical drolleTies.
Whatever her mood. he wOuM not let
her get far from hlfn III spirit. 1t was
Hot in her heart 10 keep him from
Der: but Aleck achieved the super
mundane feat OF making his influence
felt most keenly when she was alone
She dwelt upon him in her thoughts
moro intensely than she herself knew;
ond that intenseness was only the re-
SECTION OF his own thought for her.
They had been sailing little more
thaa a. week. changing the low
piacid Connecticut fields for the
Tougher northern shores, going some
times farther out to sea, but delight
tng most in the sweet, pine-fringed
coast of Maine There were no more
targe cities to visit, only small viii
laSes where fishermen gathered after
their weeks haul or where slow, print
tive bodybuilding WIS still carried on.
Most of the inhabitants OF the coast
country appeared &c be farmers as
well as fishermen, eren where the soil
YVES least promising. The aspect OF
chs shores was that OF limited but
FAIRLY prosperous agricultural COM
munity. Under,the shadow of the hills
were Htaid little homes, or fresh-paint-
ed smart cottages. Sometimes a bold
rock-bank formed the shore for miles
and miles, and the hills would vanish