The Little River news., 1922-12-09
At the Lands
 End
By JUSTIN WENTWOOD

lant jlning far out into the ocean. It H eetted with sparse hshermen's caktAL here and there is squatter; n6iyt seems to own Lands End, no- bS3k 1eSs there.
 EalEh Reed set his lobster pots and carried his catch across the bay to the nearest market. His father had lived there, too. Lands End was home to him. It should have been to June, tsullen, discontented girl who had al- |ternafe moods of joy and laughter.
 "June's not one of us," said the Por- tuguese squatters. "You can see it in her face" 'A
 What she was no one knew. She had been washed up from a wreck, 20 ,yee1 before, babe, miraculously breHthins. All the rest of the passen. geue had gone down when the ship, ripped by the Needle, sank to the bot tom of Deep Hole.
 Elihu Reed adopted her. His wife cared for her until she died. Then the girl stayed with her adopted ia. Ither, cooked for him, kept house. Elihu was not tyrant, just somber, re ligious man with the elemental strength and gloom of the sea in his soul. He never understood June.
 "What d'you want to go away for?' he would demand when the girl was insistent. "It's good enough for me; it ought to be good enough for you. Haven't I brought you up as my own gal?'
 q can't stand for 1t here," June muttered. q want to see the city. want little fun"
 It was the cry of youth. Elihu took counsel of neighbor.
 Shell be ready to settle down when love comes along," he said. "They're all alike at that age" ! Love came where no one would have looked for it, in the person of Tom Santley. the neighbor's son. melan- choiy, interpretive boy who played the fiddle drearily along the dunes, had ambitions which every one could see were destined never to be realized. It was pr1pinquity, perhaps. chance word or two, kiss, an embrace-they were engaged.
 T don't see what she can see in Tom Santley," the neighbors said.
 T can't see how she can bullyrag hip that way, or why he stands for it."
 The bitterness of their Quarrels spread through Lands End. She gibed at him, flouted him. and still they remained engaged. They were to be married in the summer. Tom was. peclalming land, running up a cottage And they seemed at mortal strife. What would 1t be after mar riage7
 | One day an astonishing rumor ran through the community. Ellhu had received a letter from the American consul at Padra, or Pavia, or Flor ence, or one of those outlandish places. June's parentage had been traced. It happened through man who was spending the summer at Lands End the year before, an artist who painted knew Italy, and had seen the Italian name written inside one of June's baby garments.
 June belonged to a wealthy family at Padua, or Milan, or Genoa. They were ennobled, too. They had lost a grandchild, years before, ip 6 wreck, while the father and mother were pro- ceeding to Washington, where the man had diplomatic appointment. That was bow the story ran.
 Elihu stood perplexed. holding the letter. At first he did not know whether to tell June or not. He loved the girl in his own fashion, and he dreaded letting her go to foreign countries. Elihu did not trust foreign. CTS; they ran at you with knives, pol soned you, ate snails, frogs legs and mice. and were generally queer. He decided 1t was her right to know. There y are, June, my gal," he said, flinging the letter down on the table. t"Now you can do what you've long had mind to do. You've always kicked against the bricks in Lands End. Go and take whatever's com ing to you"
 June read the letter, white of face, tense Tipped. Then Toms flute was < heard and she shuddered. Tom was coming in.
 Don't let him knowi" whispered June.
 "I guess he'll have to know,s said ElihA
 NPn not going,' said 5une. '4~ I only wanted the right to go if chose-n0t to go. I love Lands EnAs
 Tom came in, looking uncerta&nly at his betrothed, he teared her lem per. June flung the lettee Into {he stdre.
 Hello, Tomv' she said kizsmg him.
 Just that. But the look in her eyes told him that the past was dead and forgotten. With arms linked heyl left the cottage and paraded acfors the dunes toward the sea- ss
 "Well, I'm swished." ukA Elihl