The Red Cloud chief., 1922-03-30
A HARD SCHOOL
by MARY LOUISE BUzzELL

and that fellow" Templeton hurrying
down TO the inlet where the young
mans boat lay; for Templeton, while
ostenslDly taking a much.necded rest.
was paying %assiduous court to the girl
whom Jerry had looked upon as his
future wife eve since they had played
together as children.
Jerry turned his back on the APP
preaching couple, but when they had
passed he gave his rival n strrpptitious
gldncc-noting the white silk shirt, the
immaculate white trousers and the
wrist watch. Turning suddenly, Ellen
caught his criticizing eye, laughed, and
called back:
Better forget your lobster pots to-
day, Jerry, and bring Sarah over to
the island and picnic with us !" to
which her escort added u languid,
"Yes, dear boy, get your Sarah and
Gomez
Thanks! ~ snapped Jerry. II have
no Sarah and I've something to do
besides picnlcking notwithstanding
poetry" seeing the book Templeton
carried.
Receiving no answer save IA tolerant
shrug from his rival, he s%ullenly re-
sumed his work, but q moment later,
after a troubled look Mt the sky, he
strobe after the picnlckers, and as
Tcmpleton pushed Off the wharf, he
gave him n brusque:
Better keep m eye on the nor'wes-
ter, Templeton, those clouds mean
wind; and I'd come In with the tide,
It's tough rowing against It,"
Templeton raised his brows, then
vouchsafed a supercilious: "Ahl
Thanks awfully, my good man, but
have no fears, I've handled a boat sew
eral times before today !" with an
emphasis on the several that made
Jerry long TO pitch him into the wa
ter; but instead, with Il smothered
"Humph!" he swung up the beach to
the cottage he shared with his crippled
grandfather. The old man seeing
Jerry he stopped smoking to mutter
fretfully:
IF that chap had II sense Of ma
sculpln, he'd keep ol'm the water with
such clouds abroad! !" waving his pipe
skyward; then added with a senile
chucklc: II shouldn't wonder IL he
found it true that experience is q
hard school, but fools will learn from
no other afore he gets home"
Every likely, hut If anything hap
pens Ia Ellen through his ignorance,
Ill-Ill-"
you amin to let that wllppersnap-
per grab your girl away right from
under you roscT' queried the old man,
irascibly.
"Why, nor blazed Jerry, "but he
ilatters her till she"
Doesn't know any more'n she ought
err" interrupted his grandfather. "All
the same, I'd kinder row out toward
the ~island-you see what's coming?'
Jerry nodded and sat down.
The weather grew more threatening
every minute; but he waited till the
tide turned, sending choppy waves in
shore, Then, unable to bear the sus-
pense. he ran down to his dory, thrust
the oar INTO the oarlocks and pushed
Off into tn" foumlng waters.
Somcthing smashed into the dory,
scrapcd by aEd was gone. Twisting
around, he strained his eyes to make
out the tossing thing a%stern-it was
Templcton'S empty boat being driven
shorcward,
His breath Cuue in Mortified gasps
as he scnsed the awful significance Of
the sight; then wild rebellion fred
his soul rs he thought of Ellen being
dashed and buffeted into n~othingness
by the cruel waters. 1t must not
should not be! He sent Il stentorian
shout toward the island 1t came back
In n knocking echo.
Again ANA again he called her name,
with "A wild hope that somehow, In
some miraculous manner, she had es-
capped death. Suddenly the island
doomed before nina black blot
against the sky. With a mighty effort,
no sent his spent voice shoreward and
listened. His heart almost stopped
beating for very JOY, for across the
flashing waters a faint hail came to
him Out Of the darkness. 1t was
Ellen's voice!
With a superhuman effort, his
strained and swollen muscles beached
the dory; two sodden figures were
lifted over It's high side to safety, and
In silence, save for murmured THANK
Heaven Jerry backed away, turned
his boat toward home. and the racing
tide did the rest.
Giving 10 heed to the babbled ex-
plantations of the modified Templeton,
he lifted the shiverlng girl out and
carried her up the beach to her home,
but before reaching her door he asked
by what fool stunt did Templeton
lose his boat?"
He tied it to a rock with a silly
little rope, which sawed In two in
no time after 1t came on to blow,
though even then he might have got II
II he hadn't been afraid of getting
wet T. answered the girl, angrily.