The Tomahawk., 1920-01-01
Love and Breakfast
BY SHIRLEY MONROE


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 fne-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 kingfsher successfully camoudaged
against the rain-bleached limb Of a
dead tree near by turned 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
disk bound to her wrist. She seated
herself, carefully. smoothing out her
frock that it might not be wrinkled,
and, picking up handfulls of the shin
ing pebbles, let them trickle 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
cled 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 1t hap
pened-the miracle-when he had
taken her into his arms and of sud-
den it had come and she knew that she
loved himl It would end in marriage,
of course but she didn't want to think
Of that now, only Of the utter pertec-
ton of her prince and of the beautl-
full, beautiful world, which was such
happy place to live III.
On parting they had agreed to meet
on the secluded beach, out OF sight OF
the hotel, before breakfast. She had
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
Instead Of sudden step there was
q splash in the water few feet from
shore. The girl turned in time to see
a fountain of rainbow-hued drops and
emerging from it gray bird with
white collar around his throat, carry
ing in his beak small silver fish. The
bird 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 a glorious morning like this,
when every living creature must be
filed with Joy at being aliveV
In the sedge grass, few feet away,
a lump which she had taken for q
brown stone moved cautiously for
ward, step by step. There was an in
describably quick motion Of sinuous
neck, a glitter Of silver, then a lump
moving down the long throat as some
thing was hastily swallowed. It took
but an instant for the tragedy; the
murderer resolved again into a brown
stone, ceaselesly watching its chance.
In disgust the girl turned her back
on the king6sher and on the marsh
hen and, after 1leeting 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 great mouthful Of Its liv-
ing prey in it's free claw and crammed
it into it's mouth. It was only that
common occurrence, one crab eating,
with relish, q disabled brother; but to
the girl looking on there came q
nauseating revulsion Of feeling and
she stoned the cannibal till he dropped
his victim and scurried away. 49,
allow perfectly awful Why, I'll
never eat another crab as long as I
live-they're too disgusting. Nor an
other fish, either! Poor things; they
have enemies enough! Oh, why need
such cruel things, happen in such a
beautiful world?'' -
A loose pebble rolled down the path,
announcing the swift approach Of an.
other human to the secluded beach.
ckA van