Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1920-12-24
PRISCILLA
BY JACK LAYTON.
1@. 1ggO. by MCCLURE Newspaper syndicate

on the train. The first reading hau I'M
pressed her with his apprehension
p~ainstakingly yelled, concerning heT
coming arrival at his home. Priscilla
knew her lover so well that she could
read between the lines also, and quite
unconsciously, Sidney possessed an
art of p%ortraying with his pen ms
surroundings. Priscilla could almost
see the austere old couple who were
his parents. She could see "Stebbins,
the elderly maid of long service IN
her English uniform, and could fancy
beneath her silence that unsympa-
thetic criticism of strangers, which
would later be passed OF to her mis-
tress. With all the conventional
formality between them, Stebbins n
Anne Gray Long were friends. Had
not Stebbins served in Anne Gray's
English home years ago, before Anne
met and married Sidney's American
father? Prissy read with a smile her
f~iance's precise direction as to her
coming. 1t sounds, thought the girl,
like a preparation for presentation at
court. l will try to be pleasant and
proper. she decided, but I'll just be
my na:ural-self. 1t was her natural
self" she further reflected, that Sid
ney Long had. fallen in love WITH
back in the city where h was study
ing music, and he studying law. IL
had been a surprise, after their nasty
engagement, to learn that Sidney's
people disliked the life of a singer.
Priscilla was immensely proud of the
fact that her voice was iike1
enough to be publicly known-proud
that she was able to still keep with
the money 1t brought her, the small
home of her childhood. But the in
vitation to visit. which Sidney Longs
mother sent after the engagement,
was sufficiently cordial n~otwithstand-
ing its Formally. and she had
thought it best to accept.
Hardness it seemed was an unfor-
givabIeS sin in the Long household.
Priscilla did not know what h was
going to do about it, as she caught
up he* bag and started from the train.
She alighted, it appeared, in a huge
public park or picnic ground. Inquiry
proved the latter surmise to be cor
rect. A large country picnic was in
progress with carts and autos every
where. But each auto awaited its
return load and could not be bribed
to accommodate a chance stranger. And
as Prtssy waited, pretty even in her
pe%rplexity. lowering above her head
into fhe summer sky, swung an air
plane. The areonaut was finishing ms
daring feats for the amusement of the
crowd, and came swirling to make his
landing.
To The girls b%reathless %astonish-
ment the bird-ship halted so close to
her sida, that she was nearer than the
excited throng who rushed to welcome
it. The aviator slipping back his leath-
err cap smiled VIGOROUSLY into her
face, end lPrissy, her own plight for
gotten in admiration, returned his
smile with words of praise.
at was wonderful" Prissy ex'
claimed, "to see you come flying
across the sky. I,"-she laughed u
felt az If 1 would like to be up there
too-looking down on the land be-
low"
The aeronaut's name was n she
had often heard in time of war; he
leaned toward her impulsively.
Get in" he offered, "Tll take you
up"
Pris ella hesitated another moment
then she dimpled.
at is very necessary" she said
shat I reach the Long estate just
outside of Claremont, before foul
o'clock. If you could get me there
The young man was already helping
her i,sto the airplane.
"Going back just that way" he said
In aer joyous flight across land ant
water, Priscilla was still conscious OF
a guilty scruple concerning the man
ner CT her arrival at her conservative
fancr's home. The old English uncle
who had named Sidney as his heir
had crossed the ocean for the sus
piciofgs purpose of meeting Sidney:
inten 2ed wife.
1t was not the drivers fault tina
he m scalculated his distance, or thai
Long park presented the only favor
able anding spot. But in Long parl
he landed.
Tho airship had been heralded b!
its sound, and porches and veranda
of the old place were filled with famil.
and servants. Prissy recognized thu
stately old couple OF the pillaret
veranda as Sidney's parents, and sh'
could not resist a chuckle as the OBJ
ject they watched so eagerly droppet
to their feet. She knew Uncle Stephen
too, as she removed the goggles iron
her eyes and Sidney-well il wa
plain to be seen that Sidney coul'
not believe his own eyes as he cam
toward her.