The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-21
A Strip of
SeaWeed
TWAS Given as a Token at
the Time of a Betrothal.
By T. A. Mitchell

pot 'ahl snlpplng port. Indeed,
uhtli the period Of the Revolution
NUMBER OF points on the Atlantic coast
were about equally prominent in this
respect. AS the years rolled on all ex.
cept New York, Boston and Philadel-
phia dropped out, the latter finally
leaving the first the supremacy.
In that early day on the beach where
now in the summer season hundreds.
at times thousands of fashionable per
sons drive and lounge and battle, one
moonlight night young man and a ,
girl sat looking out upon the gilled wa
ter. They We're Edmond Roscoe and |
Evalina Blair, the young man Il son OF |
prominent shipowner, the girl the |
daughter of a merchant There were
no sounds of revelry in the little town
back of them, as there are now at that
season, and, as for the beach, not
sound was to be heard except the plash
of the sluggish waves as they broke
and rolled in on the sand
There could be no more fitting place
for young man to tell his story to a
maiden, and Edmond Roscoe was tell
ing Evalina Blair his love for her.
Then and there their troth was plight
ed under the yellow light of the moon,
the lovers voices accompanied by the
effervescing sound of the waves as
they slid up in foam on the smooth
sands.
There were both happiness and sad
ness for these two young creatures
| whose lives seemed so much to them.
In few days they were to part for
several years. Evalina was to go to
England that her education might be
finished under the supervision of an
aunt, for she was of the Blairs Of Dew
II onshire, a family of country gentlemen
and ladies of blue blood, and must
II needs be given accomplishments suit
II able to her rank Edmond was to enter
/ Brown university, which was then II
it's babyhood and soon to give up it,
| as yet only dormitory to quarter sol
diers of the Revolution.
II The transports Of betrothal wer'
| scarcely over when Edmond said:
II "You are going to land where yo'
will meet many persons Of rank ant
II fashion. know that you will be |
| belle among them. Some man, possibl.
noble, will fall in love with you
II You will dread to return to this I'LL
II cultivated land You will remain i
| England. and l shall never see 20
II again"
II Looking at him through her earnes
II eyes, she replied:
"Give me some token by which
shall remember these words Of your
II If am tempted by fortune to renal
in England | promise you | Will loo
H at it and am sure 1t will bring up b
fore me the happiness Of this evenin
and | shall choose you and the life
. a simple Rhode Island woman In pre-
: erence to that of lady Of rank"
"Alas, l have nothing suitable
\ should give you ring Or
NJ 81 wish no bauble," replied Evalin
n "Give me something to remind me
these sands. the ocean. the plash
the waves"
Looking about him, Edmond saw
seaweed lying within his reach. la
ing it up, he handed it to Evalina. 5
took It and, spreading 1t out on b
lap, said:
81, Evalina, promise you, Edmor
that in case l am tempted to pla
rank and fortune before my love
III you l will think of you with this pla
of the sea before me. And | asst
III Won that when | have finished
education / will bring the token
III Won as evidence that l have been II
TO YOU and my heart has been alwf
III yours"
Lii After this assurance there was
long embrace. Then they arose a
IL taking a path which is now a bro
IL avenue. returned to the town.
IL Every day, or, rather, every eveni
III till Evalina's departure the lovers w
III 70 the beach. They were not troub
III even in the daytime with persons
III disturb their meetings. There W
II no batlfers in fantastic suits. no
IL riages. no loungers. The last even
III before Evalina's departure they pas
Ill there. The moon rose. as 1t were.
III of the ocean, the first spark appear
III like a far distant bonfire, then glld
III the shore over the crests of the wa
and finally the great round DISK res
IL on the horizon of water.
Ill "Heaven grant" said Edmond. :,
we will again see this beautifui s.
and that we shall then be one.
IL "If live you will have your WI
III replied Evalina,
H The next day the ship that was
III carry her TO England sailed from
III little town on Narragansett bay,
III lovers waving until they could oi'
III cuish each others forms no longer
Ill During the first year of their sep
III tion Evalina wrote regularly 10
Ill lover The second year aproau
III for an education in social life. AS
Ill lover had predicted, she pecan
III ba,le She wrote Edmond OF the
III people she met, of the amuseln
iii common among persons OF qua
III d., ber letters showed no diminu
ID =. Coz hin, and indicated that