The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-12-05
EOening Story
Hope.
81 JEss1E DOUGLAS

d L 16o016 1OOoAA<Ao
Hope thrust one foot into the water,
withdrew it, shivered, cast a frightened
glance behind her and then slipped
down suddenly under the next great
wave.
The sea water gIiet eneo On her
cheeks, her blue eyes sparlSIed, her
little patient mouth smiled suddenly.
She forgot that she vas just spend
ing two weeks alone at Noise Beach
she forgot that she was aching in
every part of her brain and her body
from WEAKNESS. Now, for this after
noon, she was part of the sea ana the
sky and the sand. The waves that
rolled in were no more playful than
frothy spray than her sudden laugh
oh. she - i9 svJim And she
wanted to swina cut. cut. out TO the
tuft OF green island that laughed under
the sun. But when she had gone
half way and felt ter breath come
harder, size was frightened suddenly.
Terribly frightened; as tho the asea
had tu-Rej cruel ana those waves
roaring in had some evil intent in their
touch. The giistep:uS dome of the
sky shut her in like i great smother
ing bowl CT blue.
She turned over VERY deliberately
and floated. She seemed 50 float TO-
a long. long time: She felt az tho
cons must have passed iier b. when
she opened her eyes xio~i" arl saw
that she rad drifte'i s.act--tc the
white sand.
~ CT Piuckv little iI;;ng!"
Hope TUNED.
What she saw SEM :. sudden wild
nutter' thru her heart He was a
a pair of eyes that laughed at her
and admired her anG Knocked her all
at once
''I'n race you to the edge of :he
surf" he said. studying her
Now she was conscious of how she
looked in his eyes. She glanced dov i
hurridly at her old black suit with
it's long, disf:gurinG sleeves, at the
cotton stockings that wrinkled about
her ankles; she put up timid hand
to the knot of dingy black that kept
her hair from wetting.
~CominE?"
Hope hesitated. Then she swallowed
all her prejudices, all her timidiues
and gave him a shy smile. 1t was she
who took the first breaker ahead, it
was he who won the race; but as they
came gasping back to the beach once
more he said slowly:
How jolly you'd look without all
those bulky things to hinder you from
swimming!"
"Good-Ly," she answered, and fled
surreptitiously up the beach to the
house on the edge of the sand where
she had + er room and board.
That night almost guilty she sat
down and wrote to a big department
store<and ordered new bathing suit.
When, two days later, she tried it on
before her mirror and saw the soft
satin of it CLEAN and crinkle beneath
her careSsing fingers, a sudden feeling
of having wings came to-her. Almo
guilty she crept down to the yellow !
sand.
He was there.
1--we been waiting for you," he said
gravely, for two days"
Then his eyes fell on her satin
figure. He was laughing at her. Hope t
could see it and she blushed hotly |
and made a sudden run for the sea. |
The blue waves sparkled and danced |
an she laid a rosy cheek against their |
salty caress.
DO you think he smiled, catching !
up to her in two strokes, that you
could swim t. the sandbar?"
When at last they sat on the strip |
of moist sand, dangling their toes in |
the sea, he said gravel, Take off
that bit of faded ribbon from your
hair!"
and as the sun &C uSht the red in her
brown braid he gave a satisfied, sigh. !
with a bit of gold ribbon about |
your hair" he said slowly. |
When they reached the beach again |
he had not asked her name, she did |
not know his. She said good-by a
trifIe breathIeSsly.
The next morning she bought a bit
of gold ribbon. She tied it about her
thick braid, wound coronet fashion.
across her white forehead, and went
fearfully down to tic beach.
He was not there.
She went slowly down to the sea.
All the sparkle had left the waves, the
breakers reared in, like white sea-
horses, their foamy names blowing,
their breath a salt salute. She shiv-
cred as the cold water touched her
body.
Funny how lonely the world wasi
How like a brassy ball the sun, how
empty a waste that white stretch of
sand! Very slowly she walked back
to the house, shiverinS in all the heat
of that long afternoon.
At supper the landlady Joined her.
Heard that young Marlow's been
SEEM" she ask ed. You know. Mar l.