The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-02-17
CHAPTER discontinued.

lily, afraid that she might remove her
hand. 81 can't see any fish, Milla."
She leaned farther out over the
bank. "Why, there, goosie!" she wills
pered. Fright there"
II can't see it."
She leaned still further, bending
down to point. 'Why, right tn"
At this moment she removed her
hand from his shoulder, though unwill-
ingly. Sine clutched at him, in fact,
but without avail. She had been too
amiable.
A loud shrek was uttered by threats
ADLER to vocalize, just then, than Milla's,
for in her great surprise she said moth
ing whatever-the shrek came from
the other girls as Milla left the crest of
the overhanging bank and almost hor-
izontally disappeared into the brown
water. There was a tumultuous splash,
and then of Milla Rust and her we'll
Known beautifulness there was moth
ing visible in the superficial world, nor
upon the surface of that creek. The
vanishment was total.
"Save her!"
Several girls afterward admitted
having used this expression, and little
Miss Floy Williams, the youngest and
smallest member Of the class, was
unable to deny that she had said, "Oh,
God ~ Nothing could have been more
natural, and the matter need not have
been brought before her with such in
sistence and frequency, during the two
remaining years Of her undergraduate
career.
Ramsey was one of those who heard
this exclamation, later so famous, and
perhaps it was what reused him to
heroism. He dived from the bank,
headlong, and the strange thought in
his mind was II guess this'll show
Dora Yocum!" He should have been
thinking of Milla, of course, at such
a time, particularly after the little
enchantment just laid upon him by
Milla's touch and Milla's curls: and
he knew well enough that Miss YOcum
was not among the spectators. She
was half a mile away, as it happened,
gathering botanical specimens" with
one of the teachers-which was her
idea Of what to do at picnic!
Ramsey struck the water hard, and
In the same instant struck something
else harder. Wesley Bender's bundle
of books had given him no such shock
as he received now, and il the creek
bottom had not been of mud, just
there, the top Of his young head might
have declined the strain. Half stunned
choking, spluttering, he somehow floun-
dered to his feet; and when he could
get his eyes little cleared of water
he found himself wavering face to face
with a blurred vision of Milla Rust
She had risen up out Of the pool and
stood knee deep, like lovely drenchad
figure in a fountain.
Upon the bank above them, Willis
Parker was jumping up and down,
gesticulating and shouting fiercely
Nov 1 guess you're satisfied our
fishin' is spoiltl Why'n't you listen
me? I told you 1t wasn't more'n three
foot deepl and Heinie waded all
over this creek gettin' our bait. You're
a pretty sightl"
OF Milla he spoke unwittingly the
literal truth. Even with her hair thus
wild and sodden, Milla rose from i'm
mersion blushing and prettier than
ever; and she was prettiest Of all
when she stretched out her hand help
lessly to Ramsey and he led her UP
out Of the waters. They had plenty Of
assistance to scramble to the top OF
the bank, and there Nilla was sur
rounded and borne away with great
clacketing and tumult. Ramsey sal
upon the grass in the sun, rubbed his
head, and experimental with his neck
to see If it would 'work." The sun
shine was strong and hot; In half an
hour he and his clothes were dry--oi
at least 'dry enough" as he said, an6
except for some soreness Of head an6
neck, and the general crumpledness OF
his apparel, he seemed to be in all
ways much as usual, when shouts and
whistlings summoned all the party tC
luncheon at the rendezvous. The
change that made him different was
invisible.
Yet something must have been seen
for everyone appeared to take 1t fol