344
THE WEST SHORE.
" Peg pardon, Miss Ablxit" he said, but we shnll soon
Im in sight of the harlior, and I want to talk to you about
that precious bag."
Hv her nnnln's advine Miry hud givn hr trnr
into tho captain's charge, and he had told her it was safe
in Iiim cabin.
" Keep it, captain," she said, " till you give it np to
Mr. Homorfiflld almiR with me."
He smiled. " I like to see your confidence, hut still
things li()xin which no one can gnnrd againt something
might delay your mend a day or so, then, as he saw her
sweet face sadden at his words, ho addnd, "although I
don't doubt bat what he's in New York waiting for you
by this time. Htill it may not bo so, especially as our
piuutnire has iieon a short ono.
"Well?" Mary said.
" I'm coming to that," the captain was amused by her
itnpnticnoo, "it's just possible you'll have to stay at an
hoUd till ho arrives, and in that case I advise you to take
out, lMtrrn we land, some money for expenses, and I II
give the bag in charge of the landlord where you lodge."
" I know Willie will be waiting for mo," Mary said,
tint she saw the reasonableness of this advice, and, after
a few more words, sho went with the captain to his cabin
and took out a sufficient sum to provide for several days'
stay in New York. Hhe did this in simple ohodionoo.
" Hut I'm sure I shan't wtnt it," she said. It seemed to
her imioeHihlo that her Willie o mid fail to keep his trysi
Very early next morning, !efore the passengers find
lft their Imrths. Miry learned tint they wore in the
harlsir. It seemed to her as if she were in a droam.
Him got op and dressed herself mohanioIly. Sho oonld
not touch her breakfast It did not matter to her what
the captain had said She knew that she should see
Willie waiting for her.
The captain felt a pressure on his arm as he stood
saying " Oood-byo" to his passengers. Mary was beside
him, her soft eyo filled with happy light, while a flower
like color dyed each cheek. There was no nood to toll
the captain what she saw, but following the direction of
Iter eyes, he singled out of the crowd on shore, around
the gangway, a tall young follow waving his hat, and thus
showing a handsome head covered with rich rod oliOHtnul
curls. Tho eyes looked rod, too, but they wore smiling
till they narrowed to a line botwoon the young man's
Murk eyelashes.
" I see him," the captain said. "Anyway," ho thought,
" he's a fine-looking chap enough, though a bit devil-may-parish,
ami there's no mistake that he's glad to see her.
All right, my dear girl, keep close to me, and in a few
iiiIiiuUhi your sweetheart can come aboard."
Mary sUmmI quietly lxido the captain, but her pulses
were leaping with excitement, though it seemed still to
hr that it wsa all a dream, and that when her lover, who
looked to her more beautiful than ever, came on board,
she should waken suddenly to fiud herself still expoctiiuz
him. r "
IIL
The bright promise of the morning had faded into a
gl'vuny afternoon, when the train, after a long interval
onon more stow, and her lover hands Mary out of it As
the girl looks around her, sho thinks this is surely the
wildest, most lonely plaoe she has ever seen. It look
like a vast clearing made for this outof-the-world sta
tion; tree stump show here and there on the waste, and
in front is a ilsrk horim of forest Behind lie the lofty
ridge of hills ou of which the train has emerged, and 011
the right is another hill with a tunnel Mow, towards
whu-h the train Uiey have quitted is already on its way
Hours have panned since Mary said "Oood-hye" to
her friend the oapUia, and yet she fool still as if she
wore dreaming. She walks on beside her lover. The
road is so rough that she fancies it can only be half
mado, and sho stumbles more than once over stones or
huge lumps of enrth. She looks np t her till, hnndsomo
lover. Surely she onght to feel very happy her longing
wish is fulfilled and yet she cannot shake off the disap
pointment he has caused her. His letter had said they
were to be married as soon as she landed, and that he
would thon take her to the home he had mnde for her in
the wild country ho now lived in; but after his first rap
turous greeting, as soon as he found himself alone with
. " c..i.i ti.i i.: ..l - u ,i .. i
nor, ooiiN'rumu wmi uui mm uta ynino wore injured, anil
that ho had settled to go on without delay to a station
near tho house of a friend of his, an old woman, who
would care for Mary as if the girl were her own child.
"Your luggago can be seut off after us, and when it
arrives and my darling is rested from her fatigue," ho
said, " we will take another railway journey to Onona and
got married."
This had been said so lovingly that, although Mary
protested, she felt herself to be ungracious. Somorfield
rfovA lini nn (inta frt rnflnnt in Tn a faur mimiAa aim
' V! 11171 iw Vliuu vr avaiwv ui M. l lun UllUUVQO DUO WOn
driven oft to a railway station with only her small bag of
i ii. : i i i ? i ii
nnoflHHHnHH and me precious treasure oag wnicn tne cap
tain had handed to her lover.
During tho journey Mary thinks her companion has
rrrnum vnrtr nrnvn litil titan lin lina Kaan ahaAiKa.l
liufViiilnrt fn HiA attirv nf lini aiirtf'a illnaaa nml l
count of her voyago; and, indoed, in the delight of his
presence she takes little notice of his manner,
i ii ii. i .. i. i . i j ,.,
vs tuny nuw warn hiui uy sine, me uream-UKO ex
poctanoy is so strongly on Mary's norves that she feels as
nil" minii wy uuv wi vmQ Dtiuu UlUOt UUUUIOU WHy Jl
baniHhinR it. Sho stumbles again and would have fallen,
her shudder, and she draws away from his supportinir
arm.
This is not the first from him that she has heard, and
she rememliers sadly that swearing was not a habit of
ur:it: n 1 1 .1
it mi" n in nie oui iiiiye.
" If I had onlv ooine to him nnnnnrl" Rho hmu1i
wore his wife, this would givo her a right to remonstrate;
but surnlv. even na it iu alia nnirl.t nt W 1, .
that she is willing to tolerate such words.
-Are tne mou very rough you go among, dear?" she
says timidly.
It is now a gloomy evening, the sun has nearly set,
and they are just entering the wood they have so long
seen in front of them. It is yet darker here, and although
she cannot see lmr Invnr'a ?nu ;Dt;n.. i, t i
. . ..u uumiuuujr, 11 a VU1US JU
noad away from his companion.
duo leeis sure she has vexed him, and now that she
rouses herself to think. hIia uui H.n l, i i
- 1 no uiunb unvv uutin
vexed for somo time past, and that is why he has been so
imvn willKtHl aiong.
She canuot Uill how it has happened, but she must
make it nn at ohml Kim liUn i.n. i i . i
, 7 , "; -i" uniiuB rounu ills
arm, and Iwiks np at him lovingly; but he keeps his faca
amy LI win I11T1 ,
tnrmr .1 1 it 1
- .i t r wining, Biie says
"Did it?" he unva crrnlllu il i 11
of silence. " mm is anouier pause
It has now grown so dark that Mnry is glad to take
her lover s arm. T l.n n.ik i . b . . .B
... 1 11 : i K " lvv,a ""loonier unuor loot
and this divm lmr Ln n. .
civilivl i ' i i ' "PProwuing a more
1 ltAlJM not "ch as a cabin
iuvj i. n vno Bunion.
The onlv unmi.l limu i... i i . . .
.. .. I i v c"inHi me wood has been
the anap of a dry twig under foot or a rustling among the