The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1921-10-14
MAID OF THE MIST
sy LUcRETIA LOWE.

0yerhung the river, she was fairly dig
ging her paddle into the water and
jerking 1t swiftly back for the next
stroke. An alder stretched out its
green fingers and snatched at the net
which confined the hayward gold Of
IGNORES wonderful hair. The alder
did more than tear the fiimsy net; Ii
lOOsened the pins and let the soft
waves of hair fall free about the girls
shoulders. Tossing her head. LenOre
sped on. The canoe leaped cOnvulsive-
ly up the river.
| LenOre was In vicious mood. Less
than an hour before she had returned
to the donor a perfectly good solitaire
diamond set I'm platinum. She had never
supposed that Bob would let her break
the engagement. But he had, and had
even seemed glad to be rid of her. The
quarrel had been silly enough.
II was over the matter of decorating
the canoe that together they had
planned to enter for the boat club re-
gatta that night. LenOre had insisted
upon pink lights in crepe paper rose
buds, and Bob had wanted blue tar
latan mist effect with LenOre at the
stern as Maid Of the Mist. LenOre had
stamped her foot I'm fury as Bob
showed no inclination to yield to her
wishes. In the next moment she had
flung his ring back at him and her ep-
gagement was broken. She had
founced down to the pier. jumped into
the Ianthe and padded away In rage.
| And now, several miles from the
boat club. Lenore was still angry. She
struck at muskrat as he leaped from
the bank. She tried to knock turtle
from snag with her paddle. Then an
island invited her to land. Always
creature Of impulse, she ran the canoe
ashore and jumped out. Her white kid
slipper caught In the mire and stuck
fast. Poislng on one foot, Lenore de-
bated whether or not to retrieve the
slipper and petulantly decided to
abandon II for the present. She hoped
to the top of little knoll and, sudden
ly losing her balance. sat down precip-
itately ON the grassy incline.
Turning over and lying out at full
length, face down, she began to cry.
Long she wept, until, wearied to ex-
haustlon. she caught her breath In
great irregular gasps, sighed many
times. and fell asleep.
Little by little the river teased Mt
the grounded canoe and finally drew n
completely on from the shore.
1T was the empty canoe that Bob met
on his way up the river.
| After Bleaching the empty canoe
B0b's first impulse was to leave Lenore
to her own devices. She had surprised
him with her fit of anger and he hsd
not reconciicd this biazipgly angry
Amazon with the loving md lovRhe
companion he had pictured her. But
the strength Of kind Of habit Of do
ing things for Lenore Made him reluc>
family decide to go To her rescue.
Bob did not hurry. He dawdled
along, exerting himself just enough to
make n slow progress against the cur
rent until he came to the island where
I-enore slept. lie saw traces Of the
keel Of the lantl,e and recognized, With
a quick thrill. the white slipper Ina the
mud
| suddenly, through the opening In the
bushes, he saw Lenore sleeping peace
fully on the knoll. with her lovely hair
spread about her. As Bob watched her
he forgot the petty quarrel, the angry
departure; he forgot his surprise and
his own sudden anger. and he knew
then. as he had never known before.
how much this girl meant to him and
to his whole life.
On the opposite side Of the narrow
island he moored his canee and waited
When the full yellow moon doomed
over the black wall Of pines Lenore
opened her eyes. Remembering the
events Of the afternoon. she sprang tn
her feet. and In the seni-darkness
leaned over Ia pick her shoe out Of the
mud. Then she uttered a sharp cry.
Her canoe was not there.
Tall and slender In the light Of the
moon. Ienore stood iresoisitely on the
edge of the island. The mist en-
shrouded her figure and seemed 10
catch and hold the moonlight In hazy
aura around the glory o. her flowing
hair. Her anger was gone. she was
filled with deep regret that she had
quarreied 80 foolishly with Bob. Prob
ably he was now at the regatta with
cut her.' some other sirl playing the
Il maid IN his blue iarlatan mist.
Maid Of the Mist" she cried sud
denly. with n sob nj the end. "Oh. Bob.
II you were only here To sre me you
would know that ! am your Maid ~
the Mistr'
Are you. my darling" Rob stepped
out of the bushes and ciasped her In
his arms Are you. aud will you be
my oan dear Mist Maidy"
The Maid cf the Mist did not enter
the regatta. Tor long after the prizes
wrre awarded n man and n girl In an
undecuratcd canoe slipped down out Of
the darkness To the buat club and a.
. though for moment they Hooked down
, nj the gay canoes GA the river. thes
: saw only the light In each others eyes
Must Re Proved