Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-29
'7heDaAyNouelette
Crabapples and LoUc
By Ciarissa Mockie
hailed Ben Tompkins. as

!
Good morning, Ben, said Jane Sc
dately, from the stcpladder where she
was standing rs She broke off clusters
of crabapple blossoms. She might not
have known Ben wGs going after
shrimps that morning. but the creek
that ran past Ben's orchard followed
it's course 10 the bay and touched last
of all James land. II was a beautiful
day-blue sky. fresh wind. racing
clouds, birds singing and the air was
sweet with blossoms.
Too carly for shrimps,' she called
to the bronzed young man In the boat.
He grinned shcepishly. Il know
| it--just going TO scout around the bay
and sec how things are coming along
going over to the island to look after
my nets and lobster pots. Come
along?'
"Not today---I'm busy" she evaded.
His glance sharpened. Don't pick
your blossoms. Jane
why not? They're mine" People
did say that Jane Dale was too out.
spoken. Sometimes Jane (secretly) be-
lieved them. II love the smcll---they re
50 delicately sweet" She buried her
fair face in the pinkish bloom.
&C ant have your blossoms and fruit,
too-how about crabapplc jelly lstcr?'
He eyed her shrewdly
Jane firtcd careless hand at him.
Il Will remember the fragrance Of the
blossoms and do without the jelly she
retortcd
''Humph Wasn't there some poet
. chap that said If he had loaf of
bread he d sell it and buy hyacinths or
dnfodils. or something foolish: III
bet that before night he'd be around
trying TO sell his rosics for bowl Of
bread and milk-hang " all, Jane,
you 'rc laughing" he ended wrathfully.
= You are 50 funny, Benjamin -
shows over he rctortcd srufly as
; hc started his engine. 'lou will find
out some day. Jane, that I'm right
= about several things. such as saving
some Of your blossoms for the fruit time
4 and not wasting love ht playing with it
- TOO long. -
What will happen if I do--that?"
she called. hcr voice cool and thin and
provoking.
"Why.' as he bent over the engine
and then suddenly Strengthened up and
faced her, why. some day when YOU
e are ready to take love seriously you
may find il has become tired of wait.
ing and--gone on T. With a clatter
e and fuss the little craft leaped for.
1t ward and disappeared around the bend
Y, of the creek.
!. James voice came to him across the
6. intervening space. Il hate you, Ben
If rompkins. and when he heard it the
N grim smile faded from his face and
4 left him looking very anxious and tired
Id Jane descended her ladder dcibcr.
nc atcly and looked at the spray OF crab.
10 apple blossoms In her hands. She laid
ct them down and went to the waters
h edge, where the little tree leaned over
and dipped some of its pink blossoms
3 in the tide. An old Hat -bottomed boa
ct was moored there, its rotten painter
IN tied to round stone on the bank. Il!
10 standing in the boat Jane could casil!
a, reach the other blossoms, and the np
ples on those lower limbs never amount
cd to anything. after all. OF course
She would never let Ben know that sh
needed his advice. She stepped dowl
Id into the skiff and reached for tn
branches. The boat moved under he
weight and tho old line snapped. Th
ut ebbng tide snatched at the skif an
ad swung it into the current and in
cd moment they were rocking down tn
nd creek at an increasing speed. Jane ha
in Topped down into the bottom of IN
=. boat. A single oar there might be usc'
IN os n rudder. Jane was handy abou
he boats All she could do now was I
90 keep the nose of the old skif in mid
w stream and hope 10 see some man @
~ ",' boy along tho shore.
81, No one was in sight The boys wer
am gu all at school and the men were bus
ny in their gardens or had gone out o
'n' the bay, as Ben Tompkins had done.
,rc Ben Tompkins! If 1t hadn pee bc"
re ar, for him this would never have hap
'n pened. How glad Jane was that sh
had refused to listen to his tale {
love. She had always put him o
was n lest or an excuse. lie was
tyrant-an uubcarab!e tyrant! ia,
70 grew so indignant musing over Ben
faults that she forgot her peril unt
suddenly the boat bounded out OF II
n. creek and ycnturcd out upon ver
49, green and nasty looking bay.
,ar over in the southwest the sky wa
T.. darkeninc and somewhere thund'
Of growIcd. Along the horizon lishtnir
'en fickercd intermittently.
is- Jane detcstrd thunderstorms.
ers The boat foundered around OF shol
re-. among the choppy waves. and jar
IL. was uncertain whether they you'd
lr- or drowned in the deeper water. st
ie. was certain. however, that sOmethir
the terrible was going 90 happen to he
the and among other thoughts came to h,
ds, werc the many times spent with BE-
Tompkins-there wasn't another man
. tho world she would marry-Dut ncN
mind that. she was going to drow
- anyway--and she hoped her parents
. VIII h &c .e-e-e-e, What bless'
sound was that? She hallooed as lot
and as she could.
II 4 faint sound answered her
'22. Ben" she called valiantly.
top "Coming.' came the stentorian r.
Al. Al, In Il few moments the sturdy lit
-" launch had caught up with the ru,
ling away skiff and Ben's strong arms h,
,,,r, ,killfully transferred Jane to his bO
and then he scooped up an armful
and drcnched crabapple blooms and toss
,l!v. them around her.
sta Let the old skif go--let her sink
~" Never. I'll tow her home: didr
e She chase me most 10 Bayberry Isla
S''' With load of blossoms"
rat. Ben
,,,v TO tell me that after ALL"
Ais we'll" sang Ben joyously,
~, hc leaned toward her, and the z
h' Iittle launch bore them swiftly ba
&c. % James garden, where the crabapI
2, rec stood like pinky.wh! brio
ta!, boil waiting for them.
laUc - -
hree -
ire.s
half