The Washington times., 1913-12-24
CHAPTER V.
Author of "Cheadle & Son. e:

of yellow sand, dotted here and
there by smooth, round rocks TO
which clung strands Of brown
seaweed, went on and on until il was
brought up sharply by the fort of Am
bleteuse.
The sands made a valiant effort to
climb I'D the sloping granite digue which
divided them from the rush-coVered
dunes. Away out the sea shimmered
and danced, and tiny dot from which
fioated gray line of smoke on the hori-
zoH showed where the channel boat was
hurrying along.
From the Hotel Imperial, a great
barracklike building, all green and white,
some ninety yards along the road from
the Cafe Tardet- a causeway ran down
20 the beach. On it lay a Gshing boat
covered over by q tarpaulin, and the
sand had edged its way up to the keel.
A chain of footprints began at the
boat. small, neat footprints clearly out
lined First they led down slan.ingly
to the edge of the sea, then branched
to the right and kept on and on until
they caught; up to their maker, girl,
half way TO the fort.
She was walking quickly in skirt
cut well above her ankles. She wore
no hat and her hair, parted in the
middle, was coiled up behind and held
by q black bow. She was beautifully
built. tall, slim and well-balanced. Her
eyes were big and brown, and there
was a soft down on her cheeks like
that which adds to the lusciousness of a
ripe peach
Her father, Hippolyte Guerchard, had
two ideas in life. One was to get thin,
the other was the happiness OF his
daughter, Toinette. NJ. Guerchard was
the vast proprietor of what he called
the Cafe Guerchard. II was really No
more than small drinking house pat
ronized by laborers and cabmen.
Perhaps his great corpulence was the
Cause of his magnifying ii to the rank
OF cafe as he magnified everything else
gestures. voice, and the quality of the
sonnets which he wrote in spare mo-
ments and recited with extraordinary
vividncSs of hands. Toinette was the
apple of his eye, and every morning
while he rocked the entire building in
mis- painting efforts with skipping rope
% reduce his adipose tissue, he asked
himself what new little thing he could
give her or do for her.
The result was that Toinette, although
or the same class as Marthe and Jeanne,
was allowed to realize her dreams in
The question of dress. She appeareI
always 10 be what Marthe called en-
din!anche- Her shoes had buckles and
high heels. Her stockings were almost
silk and very much open-worked. Her
fTCcks were made for her, and were
tired on at least three times. Her
blouses, before she appeared in them,
might have been seen in the windows
Of the great shop in Beulogne marked
-'dernier chic, 20f. 75c''
But though her large father. whom
she still called petit pere. spoiled her,
fOinctte was not the happy girl he
rondly thought her to be- There were
times when, in the secrecy of her lit
tie white bed room, her thoughts fiut-
tered shyly TO the gallant lover who
should come To WOO her She told her
self that she was already nearly nine
cen and quite old, and If no one came
soon she would be getting lines on her
ace and losing her prettiness.
At such moments her expensive frocks
seemed drab and futile, and when she
anne downstairs fragrant and smlIr-
petIt Dere, greeting her boisterolsly,
lever guessed that she had just washed
way the traces of tears.
French girls as a rule marry young,
amd Toinette never faced the possibility
"f booming an old maid. Marriage,
happily. was absolutely certain. she
ihought, but when she knelt in front
Of the quiet altar in the little church
II Asnbleteuse, where God seemed so
Eery close. Toinette quite simply and
ratUrallv told Him all about il and
sked that the certainty might be
- .sedilv accomplished.
AS she made her way along the firm !
6nds in the sunshine that morning her
yes were shining with excitement. A
i"ellng had come over her that love
"a ould V.ry soon take her by the land. |
She could not explain * to herself |
She did not try to. She just felt 1t !
-TG was glad. Her thoughts danced |
head into 4 rose-Colored future ard the |
i'tie song foated to her lips once lore. !
Nv sweetheart. let is wend ou- way |
Along the quiet roads.
Md then in the distance she caught |
2ht Of a big priest in S1utane and |
shovel hat. walking along the sands Oh |
tho farther side Of the little estuaryi
nich she had to cross by the bridge.
lie took of his hat and waved to her |
". I&tbe Jean Paul Gusrchard, who |
"fcoherded the inhabitants of AmbIe- |
icuSe, WAS TOinctte's uncle. but unlike |
his brother he had not run to fat He |
IS tall. broad of shoulder. lean and |
athletic. His gray eyes looked you |
through and through. and a little wrin- |
Fie az either size of his mouth was the |
rsHt Of an eYer-ready smile
Toinette crossed the bridge ard joined |
him.
Well. darling" He placed q hand |
"a her shoulder. You look rs il some
thing nice had happened. Surely not /
arOther birthday yet?''
Toinette laughed and shook her head. |
~ was only the other day you gave |
ne my beautiful rosary, and time
doesn't fly as quickly as all that"
They fell in step and made their way |
i0ward the village.
Tell me the good news, then" said /
the able l
Toinette spread her hands. But there
Is no good news" she said. II am only
on and looked out over the sea. The II
title dot had grown TO big ship, which /
left stream Of foam behind il. Il
Because you are young the abbe 4
bilit es, ch2' How is my brother?'' III
What do YOU think?' said Toinette. II
laughing deiightedIy '"Some one has
recommended vinegar So little papa