The Penn's Grove record., 1921-06-03
WHEN TIDES LIFT
BY W. BERT FOSTER.


Inc tue walls uPNTA
fore. the farmer-fishermen OF BLOCK
Island watch its moods and 1ancles
closely: for the sea, a tickle mistress,
holds the island in an embrace which
is today caressing, but may tomorro"
be as the clutch of a rayenlng beast.
In the spring and fall, when the heavy
tides bring in their burden OF rock
weed and other deep sea vegetation,
torn from its roots by the ground
swell, the windows cast up along the
shores must needs be secured to feed
the sterile farms.
ashore rights are jealousy guarded
then, for the weed, together with the
~shacklehsh frotu the traps, constitutes
he islands nsin supply Of fertilizer.
Wre.n the proprietoFs OF these tide
water privileges have stacked such
weed as they need for the year, their
less fortunate neighbors are allowed
to CLEAN as they may among the rocks
and along the stretches of beach. And
1t CALLED Abram Biddle nightly to be
classed with the cleaners.
The Biddle place had fallen to him
heavily mortgaSed, however, and when
he sold the "home lot" to .Anson
Sprague the shore rights went with it.
1t is i'll for one man to consider an
other lucky" when he himself mas
beer unfortunate; but Abrams feeling
had been passive until the day he saw
Arson walking about the cid farm with
Belle.
And so Abram, sore and heartsick,
went his way, and no longer fingered
at the church door for Belle on Sun
day evenings, or drove a roundabout
way to the harbor for the a k OF pass
ing her fathers door.
His gloomy eyes noted the tide lift
ing among the rocks, heavy with Its
burden of brown and green weeds.
He turned his team at the foot OF the
bluff. and then, with the fork in his
hand, waded into the water and began
to draw the green masses Of weed
ashore.
Suddenly the rattle of another wagon
smote upon his ears. He glanced swift
ly upward, to see Anson's span OF
grays coming over the bluff.
"Hullo, Abel" yelled Arson. Got
ahead Of me, didn't ye? Abram
grunted and lifted a huge forkful Of
dripping weed into his cart.
Abram kept at his work fever
lshly. He feared to speak. He de-
sired to get his load and depart.
Them bosses O. yourn don't draw
much, do they?" shouted Arson.
Belle said to me she didn't think ye
was dom as well as common"
Abram dropped the reins and turned
on him in a rage that smothered In bis
eyes and whitened his lips.
$50 you and she discuss me atween
ye, do We? Amt We got nothin' better
to do?"
"Oh, yOu'm mad this morning, Able"
There was a hot mist in Abrams
eyes. Through 1t he saw the leering
face of the man he hated, and at this
he struck. Then Abram delivered a
mighty blow and his antagonist went
down.
Arson fell fiat upon his back, his
head coming in contact with a stone.
A single gasp, and-he did not move
again.
Abram, u%nsoftened by the sight,
turned away. He picked up his reins
and chirruped to the horses.
He rode on past the Allen house with
his head on his. breast, not noticing
the girl who watched him from the
window. He was throwing off the
A - T. AIo I@rn xa ~ uhnn TTnala
Bozzle puffed into view.
"Jes' what 1 been tellin' emf"
wheezed the old man. Another slice
of it gone. Some O. you boys III have
a wreck over there yit." Abram looked
at him DULY. "More OF the bluff
gone. Jes' seen it myself"
"The bluff caved again?" gasped
Abram. "Where?"
Abram shrieked aloud, and, leaping
from the cart, seized the first imple-
ment to his hand-a shovel-and start
ed for the shore. Uncle Bozzle
watched him breathlessly.
oval, TIL dern fool! !" he CALCULATED
at last.
Abram plunged down the side of the
bluff, his heavy boots ploW1ng deep
burrows through the clay. Once upon
the beach he began to dig madly into
the heap.
what in tarnation We dom there,
Abe-burrerin' like a ground-haug?"
"Anson-he's under there!
"Git aout He amt nuther."
HE is, I tell you, Allen! See bis
team along yonder? He was DRAWN
weed this mornin'."
"Ya-as, I know. An' he left things at
sixes an sevens, bout as us'al. He
fell an hit his head, he said, an got
me ter draw weed for him the rest o.
the day. I seen him a-startin' off for
the harbor half an hour ago. jim
unity, man! What's the matter O.
YEP"
"He-he amt dead?' whispered
Abram.