Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-04-25

popping beneath his boots, peering:
searching; swore softly under his
breath so as not to admit that any
thing but anger filed his mind.
That little blighter! .:... that
wistful, straight looking little chap
who called him "Laverock," and had
been his companion on that four
ITO the North" he seemed to
To the North that Archie wished
he'd never set foot in or seen.
1t had done In everything else and
now It seemed to have done In that
poor little devil.
'Freddie!" he called. all the more
loudly to reassure himself and that
distracted red-haired girl who was
now beginning to run quite wildly
to and fro. calling also freddie
Where are you. Freddie?"
And where, meanwhile. was Fred
die Royds?
Not far away. Crouched low, on
hands and knees, he was stealing
round the base of a rock. and his
bright eyes shone with all the en-
joyment known to Pathfinder. Deer
slayer, Mowgli, Tarzan, and all the
wolf cubs that ever were. He was
creeping in and out, doing the
snake. formation, achieving the silent
stalk"
He thrilled with pride that he was
outwitting the grOwn-ups; Miss
tombstone who was herself a Cub
master, Laverock who had secuted
in No-man's Land. They didn't
see him. They didn't spot! They
Freddie! Fred! Ali" broke off
Archie Laverock softly to himself.
At last he had spotted. Thirty
yards away he caught sight OF
something that emerged; an edge Of
gray worsted, pair OF skinny
brown legs ending in school boots O
size too large.
Archie haired up softly . . The
pose of those legs treasured him.
1t was no accident. He
beckoned to Ethel down the beach,
put O finger on his lips and silently
stalked that little stalker. Now the
boy had wriggled to a orevice be-
tween two boulders at the foot Of q
steep rock.
Archie crept up that rock, round
the bottom Of which the wolf cubs
excited face was thrust. The child
was a foot or so low for the man
to reach him.
Again Archie turned to Ethel.
White-lipped she was nerving her
self for what she might have to see,
the small white face little
limbs dangling -" blood e
Archie pointed to his own ankles
She grasped and held them with
those boyish, strong, unpretty hands
of hers.
He let himself down.
Then, swift as the cat that by the
60 he LII -
he grabbed at the boys jersey. He
swung him up, dumped him down,
sitting, on the rock.
Got YOU"
The boy, as lie scrambled out Of
his rescurer's hands and to his feet,
was flushed and laughing. Full of
glee, he shriNed. "Oh. Laverock, il
the waves hadn't made such a noise
I'd have"
His treble piping voice died away
as he became aware Of the wrath
the unfamiliar wrath on the face Of
his captor.
Go home" Laverock ordered him
, sharply. In the reaction of relief
he could have thrashed young Fred
die within an inch Of his life there
and then. Get along. Quick!"
One astonished glance The
child turned, scrambled obediently
along tie rocks to the turfy cliff
and started for the fields =
With a gasp his elders, having
watched him go in silence, turned
and faced each other.
A strange look passed. -
What was it that few from eyes
TO eyes now that the danger was
lifted that had gripped these two in
Its terror? A shared thought . .
to1,
to child of hers--a child of his
They looked at each other.
Ethel gasped. How dare-dare
ANYTHING give one such a fright"
speaking savagely, Archie retort-
ed, You gave me one. last night.
SO, in that moment when every
thing had seemed to be over, every
thing began again. With his eyes
still on hers. he said now, quietly,
We'll. What about TT"
"Abs Last night"
"oh. that" she said, hurriedly.
We'll, that's as / said, of course.
It's no use reopening that, is It?
That's all over, Isn't it? There isn't
any more to be- said, Is there?"
$3.50 she went quickly on.
You see, don't YOU? What a fatal
mistake it would be; for you to
marry anybody. don't think we
need say another word about 1t,
need we?" she continued, desperate
ly. How could 1 go on with such
an engagement"
You'd said you kncY it was oil
1T was, before that etter came,
and showed me. That&Shews about
your coming In for that money. Oh:
-
But, when you realigedk---! Don't
you think I saw how you looked ~
looked"
BLANK! Just because YOU knew
that now things could be definitely
nxed up You were happy in our
engagement only as long as It was
indehnite-Oh. no, no, / won't talk
about it," she cried, standing there
facing him but with her eyes upon
the waves beyond his shoulder, GAS
soon as you knew there was nothing
TO stand in the way of our get.
ing married at once-That was a
snock! A blow! You felt, suddenly.
Iied. MY God! l shall be married
ana Done for before can say Knife
You felt it, you looked 1t, 1 saw
you and you can't, can't DENY It"
He looked at the picture, loving IT,
Still very quietly. he answered her.
Ethel. Supposing don't DENY
what You say. Supposing I did feel
like that. Just for the first instant,
The moment afterward, though.--ah,
darling!'
mo, don't ever say that to me
now"
II shall. For that ought to have
shown you. Doesn't 1t show you
that IL could feel like that and