Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-09
DAILY NOVELETTE,
MOONLIGHT AND
MIDNIGHT
BY Lizzie NJ. Peabody

WHEN Carol Fielding alighted from
W the car and stepped into the beauti
fnl cottage near the beach at Garden
town by the Sea, her long and tircsome
journey ended, the sun was sinking in
the west like great ball of fire, giving
promise of another warm day to come
but evening brought cooling breezes,
and later in her rPm, she rapid,
wrote many letters.
When all had been sealed. stamped
and addressed she placed them on the
hall table. where the butler would find
them in the morning and give them to
tn" chauffeur to mail, and with sigh
of relief paused at her window to look
out on the beach which she had not
yet visited
\ light surf broke upon the sands.
and the moon looked down upon q
sparkling sea.
All was so beautiful. so Quiet--it was
only II :30-why couldn't She? She
would. And in few moments her
evening clothes had been changed for
IL
danced as she stepped softly from the
house and ran lightly down to the de-
serted beach.
II was Il wonderful sensation, this
seeming possession of an enchanting
little world all her own. and she paced
back and forth humming little snatches
of song but after while. the silence,
the solitude. tho very beauty of it all,
inspired her with feeling of awe and
loneliness. and glancing at her tiny
wrist watch She decided to lie down on
the sands by the side of large rock
near for few moments. and then to
bathc and 90 back to the cottage.
Hardly had she settled herself com
fortably when the crunching sands sent
out friendly warning that some one
else also walked the beach at midnight; !;
but she was deaf to their call, for al
ready she had fallen asleep and was
dreaming.
Dreaming of hospitals in a far off
foreign land, OF her past laborS there,
as a nurse. Of brave soldiers and of one
in particular.
In the distance the village clock in
the old church Stccple could be heard
Ginning the hours of II, and the tall.
broad ShouIdcrcd young man with the
military figure, counting the strokes
and Striding by Carol without seeing
her. suddenly decided to turn about;
and then stood staring at the sleeping
girl whose face looked so fair in the
moonlight. "Pshaw. I'm dreaming.
he muttcrcd. 1t can be. But he
stepped close beside her and called
softly: Miss Fielding Miss Field
ing ~ ''No Marie! l won't get up
YET sh" answered slecpily.
Miss Fielding he sad again, ana
she opened her eyes and gaspcd at him.
'What wonderful dream, she
murmur"d. as she caught sight OF
strange surroundings. or him. and held
out her arms. In second he was
down on his knees beside her. but his
quick movement had fully awakened her
and she rose quickly to her feet. Con-
fused, bewildercd, she stood looking
down upon him.
1T is really you, Dicky! Or is it
dream" she asked, wrinkling her fore
head in pcrplexity.
ITS Dicky.' he smilingly affirmed
as he rose and stood beside her. land
after my search for you day after day
for months. in any place where l
thought you might be. believe me it was
Il surprise to me to find you here and
now"
But WASH t 1t careless or me to
fall asleep herc?' she asked with a
little Shivcr.
Yes" he agreed seriously. but if
YOU had not. should have gone away
tomorrow still searching for you and
getting farther and farther away from
YOU"
when you thought you were dream
ing. YOU welcomed me-" he said sud
denly and smiled.
go ,;nn r""'ne,a aeroroIr I ..hrt Won can't hold
'c rerors;hln for what 7 did in nv