The Press., 1921-08-18
A Matter of Ranges
By WILL T. AMEs
@. 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)


 t@. 1s21 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
 For eleven months of each year Herbert Calhoun built bridges, dams, piers and additions to his reputation as an engineer. Each August he stead lastly refused to do any work at all, but reserved the month to the utter relaxation of fishing for tautaug at a very precise point ranged by the stee- pie of Cave HarbOr church and a cer- tain blasted oak across the cove one way and the direction line of the Hal liday famf1y's private pier the other way. The ranges established to 8 foot, the location, away down at the bottom of the cove, of the cluster of rocks where all the tautaug of Sanderson oay seemed to foregather for lunch.
 For the same eleven months of each year Bernice Halliday, to the intense disgust of her mother, devoted herself to mourning the wrath of recalcitrant employers of women and children and to the leading of a strenuous and milf tant life generally In her official clpac- lty of state inspector of employment
 
 The whole of the eighth month she swan, canOed, danced and had, on the whole, probably the best all around good time of any of the girls of the rather exclusive Cave HarbOr summer colony.
 Of course, of all things in the world the most natural and beftting would be that these two doers of things, the thirty-six-year-Old engineer and the twenty-eight-year-Old sOciOlOgist both spending a months vacation at the harbor every year, should be at least interested acQuaintances. Herbert Cal hOun, on his reputation alone, was man not to be ignored anywhere
 Bernice Halliday, whose name was identified with half the factory wei fare legislation in her home state in celebrity as well as a mSst uncommon ly fne1oOking young woman.
 Yet ns Rernice sat on the end of the Hallidays' pier in her bathing suit, swinging her trim and besocked legs over the water, and as Calhoun brought his Stubby skiff to an anchor age hundred feet off the end of the pier, there was no sign of anything like enthusiastic sympathy between them. The least that might have been expect ed of the masculine neighbor would be friendly wave of the hand. And the least that might have been looked for from the feminine one would be Il cheery "GOing to try them again?" or some equally amIable inanity.
 As a matter of fact, Herbert Cal hOun merely acknowledged the exist ence of Miss Halliday by stiffiy per functOry bow, and Miss Halliday's re- turn of that meager courtesy was so very casual that an OnlOOker would have been hard put to it to make affidavit that she had reciprOcated at all.
 For thirty long minutes the man in the boat tished assiduOusly. He baited with whole rock crab. He took the crab off the hook, cut it in two with heavy jackknife and tried one of the halves. He took off the half, and put on a very much smaller crab. He removed that and substi- tuted fiddler. He banished the fid- dler and baited with the luscious in- ner mechanism of clam. He swOre, earnestly and expertly. But he did not get a bite.
 For thirty long minutes Bernice Hal liday continued to sit cn the end of the pier, swinging her legs. By no sign did she give evidence that she even remembered the existence of the man in the boat. But she did.
 "Concelted old prig!" Bernice was saying to herself, the while she ap- pearcd to he lost In lazy cOntempla- tiOn uf the distant catbOat regatta down the bay. If he were just an ordinary smarty, I'd tell him. But he isn't; he's a most extraordinary one. The idea of his trying to lecture 'ne--me lon the proper sphere of a woman! And sulking when let him 7 Inow that l considered my work just IS important as his and didn't pro- pose to give it up, ever, to be nothing but just some mans wife! And say ing there were some things, like fac tory management, and his old engineer
 
 the feminine understanding as fishing if you please of course, the woman hadn't been born who could give her mind to cause and effect in the catching of fish! And now look at him-sitting out there by the hour ev. cry day-and he hasn't hooked black fish this season."
 "If that girl comes and sits on that pier tomorrow" inwartlly fOamed Cal hOun, "and silently revels in my ret ten luck, by thunder, Pm going to pack up and get out of here! Jeering at me, she is, because ] said there were masculine stunts and feminine stunts and that bridges and factories and fishing were eGmasculine and in my line. and writing verse and being mentally and spiritually as well as physically beautiful-and being my wife-were feminine and in her line!"
 Still not fish bit and still the girl on the pier sat swinging her legs But into her heart was creeping shadow of cOntritiOn. Poor old boy p she said to herself; tits shame after all. He does so love to catch 'em. And if be should decide that it's hopeless and give up and go away altogether" Something very like pan. fc came with the thought Then. quite suddenly, Bernice put the flat of both her hands upon The stringer on which she had been sitting, strengthened her under body and dropped like d plum met into the water. She swam di- rectly toward the boat.
 Are you sure you're on your ex- act ground, Herbert?" she inquired in the most friendly of tones as she f1oated easily on her side close to the skiff.