The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-12-25
Love and Breakfast
By SHIRLEY MONROE
9. 1919. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.


While the dew was still on the
grass and the sun not yet full-orbed
over the eastern hills, there came
down the steep, narrow path which
led, between thickets of sweet fern
and bayberry, to the pebbly shore be-
low, a maiden fair as any queen of
fairy tale fame. Her slim little frock
seemed to have borrowed its color
from the rosy dawn.
A wandering ray of sunshine found
her hair and transformed it into a
crown of fine-Spun, virgin gold. Her
daintily shod feet appeared to barely
touch the ground, yet they brought
her quickly down to the beach. There
she threw wide her sun-browned arms
and took long breaths of the sea-
washed air.
Everything is perfect this morning
yes, everything" She spoke aloud.
A kingfisher successfully camouflaged
against the rain-beached limb of a
dead tree near by turned a startled
eye in her direction for the thOusandth
part of an instant, perhaps, then con-
centrated again on the sparkling water
beneath him.
The girl looked at the tiny jeweled
isk bound to her wrist. She seated
Trself, carefully smoothing out her
0ck that it might not be wrinkled
], picking up handfulls of the shin
pebbles, let them tricI1le slowly
back to the ground, talking to them
meanwhile.
Her happiness was of the sort that
demanded expression, and at first
glance there was no animate thing
nearer than lonely osprey which cir
cied high over the bay.
So the pebbles and sedge grass
heard her wonderful news-a tale as
old as the spectacle of the dawn, yet
ever as new and marvellous to one who
experiences it for the first time.
Only the evening before had it hap
pened-the miracle-when he had
taken her into his arms and of a sud
den it had come and she knew that she
loved himl 1t would end in marriage
of course but she didn't want to think
Of that now, only of the utter perfec-
ton of her prince and of the beauti-
full, beautiful world, which was such a
happy place TO live in.
On parting they had agreed to meet
on the secluded beach, out of sight Of
Al BE- haH
anticipated the time set, for the night
had been sleepless and the glorious
morning called. But at any moment,
now, there might come the sound of
footsteps down the narrow path.
Instead of a sudden step there was
q splash In the water a few feet from
-hore. The girl turned in time to see
: fountain of rainbow-hued drops and
merging from it gray bird with
ghite collar around his throat, carry
.ng in his beak a small silver fish. The
sird flew straight back to his perch on
the rain-blanched limb of the old dead
tree, swallowed his booty and resumed
the watchful waiting.
"Why-you hOrrid thing" exclaimed
the girl, startled from the tale she
was relating to the shining pebbles,
ito eat up that beautiful little fish who
wasn't doing you one bit of harm
and on q glorious morning like this,
when every living creature must be
filed with JOY at being alive!"
In the Sedge grass, few feet away,
a lump which she had taken for Il
brown stone moved cautiously for
ward, step by step. There was an in
describably quick motion of a sinuous
neck, glitter of silver, then a lump
moving down the long throat as some
thing was hastily swallowed. 1t took
but an instant FOR the tragedy; the
murderer resolved again into brown
stone, ceaselesly watching its chance.
In disgust the girl turned her back
on the kingisher and on the marsh
hen and, after fleeing glance up the
steep path, turned to the sparkling
waves breaking almost at her feet.
At least there was one creature on
that beach who could enjoy the fair
beauty of the morning without think
Ing eternally and only of eating, she
soliloquized Something grotesque and
horrid of form was moving sideways
and with difficulty out of the water.
With one ugly claw it was pushing be-
fore it an object almost as big as IT.
self, which feebly struggled.
AS the girl gazed, fascinated, the
thing took a great mouthful of its iiv-
ing prey in its free claw and crammed
it into its mouth. 1t was only that
common occurrence, one crab eating,
with relish, disabled brother; but to
the girl looking on there came a
nauseating revulsion of feeling and
she stoned the cannibal till he dropped
his victim and scurried away.
"How perfectly awful! Why, I'll
ever eat another crab as long as l
iVe-they're too disgusting. Nor an
her fish, either! Poor things; they
ave enemies enough! Oh, why need
uch cruel things happen in such a
beautiful worlds"
A loose pebble rolled down the path,
announcing the swift approach Of an
other human to the secluded beach.
The girl leaped to her feet; strong
arms held her tight. 1t was her prince,
Of course, and there followed an hour