The Winslow mail., 1919-01-10

even nOW"-which was true enough, as
the most casual could observe.
Myrtle, aiming at the witcheries of
coquetry, achieved pertness and a
habit of nagging, and kept her lover in
a state of irritation far enough re-
moved both from the blissful uncer-
tainty which she intended and the
comfortable assurance which he re-
garded as his right.
BY and by the March gales began to
beat along the coast. The waters Of
the bay rose and lashed themselves
with oceanic fury. The winds threat
ened the houses, the piers, the railroad.
One morning there came telephone
report to the station that the trains
from the region west Of Falmouth Cape
would be unable to reach the cape sta
ton and to go on to Falmouth Town
on the other side of the bay. Floods
had washed away bridges and road
beds in the interior, and for 48 hours,
at least, there would be no traffic. Fal-
mouth Cape settled itself to the ex-
cited security of a mere watcher of
calamities but in two hours it ceased
even to watch, for the storm had
wrought havoc with the telephone
wires, and it was cut off from the
world.
Two things drove Larry stubbornly
to town that morning. One was boy
sh pride in the fact that he had
never missed a days work since he OBJ
tanned q position; the other was that
Myrtle had been uncommonly trying
The night before with her weak CO.
quetries and her bad temper, and he
wished to escape her neighborhood for
while. He harnessed the old horse,
wrapped himself well, and drove
across the road bridge that paralleled
the railroad bridge across the bay and
into Falmouth Town.
In the afternoon the section of the
road bridge next to Falmouth Cape
succumbed to the strain of the winds
and the rising pillows. Cracking and
crashing, it was swept away, and the
flooring of the structure terminated
abruptly over the seething, tar-black
waters an eighth Of mile from the
cape shore. The arch still stood, and
the wooden girders on which the floor
Ing had been laid.
All that afternoon Mrs. Doherty
rushed about beseeching some one to
go and save her boy. Every one an
sWered that her boy would not at
tempt to make the journey home that
evening. In the morning. perhaps, the
wires would be working again, and the
town end of the bridge could be
warned of the damage at the cape end.
Any way, they said, there was no
practicable way of reaching her grand
son.
Myrtle, to whom the old woman
went in final appeal, scOffed at the no.
ion Of Larry's attempting to return
n the evening.
"He wouldn't be such a fool!" she
said cOnclusively.
"Fool?" cried his grandmother, in
anguish and evaporation. 'Tis us that
Knows the bridge Is broke, not him.
All was safe an well whin he went
over this mornin'. Why wouldn't he
be comm home tonight? He'll start,
all in the dark an the wind, an he'll
lrive, an there'u be no SEEM the end,
an'-are ye goin' to do nothin' at all,
1T allT'
"What could I do?" demanded
Myrtle, sullen, but sufficiently reason
able.
eff ID was the man I was goin' to
marry" declared the old woman, with
red spots In the wrinkled hollows of
her cheeks, and glittering points in
her eyes, I'D crawl along the broken
wood, over the pillars there, till l
could reach the boarded part of the
bridge. An thin I'd walk an run, an
run an walk, till I came to Falmouth
Town, an there I'd stand to wait an
warn him!'
'La, Mrs. Doherty, you certainly do
make me tired" retorted Myrtle. 81
amt so dead set on keepin' a beau as
you'd be, if you had one!"
Something I'm the brutal egotism
\ which she had uncovered silenced Mrs.
Doherty. She started and shook her
head In dumb uncomprehension, then
turned and walked back to the cabin.
Maybe I was meant for the say,
afther ALL" she said, as she moved
about putting the cabin to rights. Then
she went out, quaint and sturdy fig
ure with her tight, white cap, her
short, quilted skirt, and her red shawl
crossed on her bosom and tied at her
waist in the back. Down to the place
where the bridge had been she trudged.
Later, one of the cape children came
\ home screaming that old Mrs. Doherty
/ wos crawling along the girders that
remained on the demolished section of
\ the bridge-he had seen her red shawl.
ga nice notion of lovin' you've got, !"
4 stOrmed Myrtle, angry tears in her