7H
WEST SHORE.
AN OCEAN WAIF.
BY VKLMA CALDWELL MKLVILLB.
I'AHT II.
THE evening after the party Prof. Gettwood was de
tained from tl! 1 riiMTH home ly old-time friends
calling on him at hi hotel. "To-morrow night will
do an well," he thought, when, at hint alone, he
noted the time. "Strang how the child interests me;
it miixt U her likcnc to Grace. I doubt if hIk of
whom I h ath write in more like her; hut I must we her.
l-ct me we, what doe he say?" and he drew u letter
from hi N ket and unfolded it.
The next day he received a message from Mr. Pra
ht, regretting that they eoiild not meet tiatii. and ex
plaining their midden journey, concluding hy Haying
that hi nirnt winded to he renicmliered to "him, and
a!o extended an invitation for him to call on her if he
ever viited the Pacific coast. The new wan most tin-
"'I''" to Prof. Gettwood, and he eluded himself f.ir
allowing anything interfere with hi call at the Pra
rr' the evening previous. Ami thu. in )e than fifty
ix hour after the two violinist were playing together
in lU-njiuiiiii )ra-r' parlor, one wn xrding toward
Oregon and the other toward Australia, unconscious of
the meeting yet in More for them.
" Mow i Tnele Max, U1 " were the first word
that ceaN' I'et' li a he met hv Mason at Port
lilhd. Ie' fair told the utory hi lip refund to utter,
"lie call for you cntimially, and I .rav heaven vou
may n-i h him in time," he aid.
IM thought her heart wn leaking. She little
knew how nun h one ran endure, and that
lUrU (klnt, hut Motu hroak,
IWiM-ftth a wnlgtit u( wu.
Hut she did not cry out or make a fus. Aunt (Vlia,
wt. hing the white, min-Mri.ken f.f , wondered at her
control 1,-e watched her furtively, tu., while he tried
to divert h. r attention fnun thi first great grief of her
life. She wa cimng-d, he could that, hut whether
" .le.," a he had i.rvdu t.sl, he could not tell. She
certainly Uied hthtj0 and innocent ,MlotiKh at the
.r. ..,tto to, h a I,m ,u ,ti,e heart than her old
loVer'i.
Max. Ihvwning wm tu, weak to talk, hut with hi
w ife on one idc and ,i. Ut..r daughter o the ,.ri m,
Uy In tuiliiig contentment fr f,.w ,ri).f
Hum. followd. a it werf, u, the v,.rv kirUl j
twominiMering ang- U, hr ,,,-d ut into the unknown'
unknown, yet M unknown to tl .i,,,lt.( ,-hild like
Ulievrr.
TW a Un. U..I b Um than dy,
AaJ r-jr Ulih ra 1Ukfi
From that hour Mildred and Pet were as sisters,
every tie strengthened by this mutual woe. AuntCelU
lingered until the first keen sense of loneliness waj
gone, enjoying the matchless climate, and having a very
tolerable time despite the mourning about her. She in
vited Pet to return with her, but was not sorry when the
girl refused on the ground that she could not leave Aunt
Millie. It was as well, she thought, for she had not
Wn blind to her son's infatuation; and by next year
he would 1h' married, and there was plenty of time yet
for Pet to pursue her education. In answer to Arthur's
queries when she reached home, she smiled significantly,
and hinted that Pet was likely to settle down as a far
mer's wife soon. She had noticed Lee's evident admir
ation for her, nnd made the most' of it.
One afternoon late in the spring Mildred and Pet
sat sewing out on tho vine-clad porch. Pet had Wn
shaking of that last party at Aunt Celia's, and of her
enjoyment of the half-hour'B music with Prof. Gettwood.
" Prof. Gettwood? " repeated Mildred. " And is it
he of whom you are thinking when that dreamy, far
away look comes into your eyes? "
The young girl started guiltily. " No, auntie that
is I am sure I did not know that my eyes ever wear a
dreamy, far-off look; but if they do, it can scarcely be
when thinking of the professor, as I never met him hut
the once. He was to call again before he lea for Aus
tralia, where he told me ho had to go on important bus
iness, hut we came away the next day, you know. Un
cle I)riter sent our regrets to him, and I invited him to
call if he ever came to the Pacific slope. How roman
tic if we chance to ever meet again."
Mildred listened, and only sighed in response.
That Pet had a secret from her was plain enough,
audit hurt her that the time had come when her dar
ling' heart was not open to her. True, she had never
told the girl of her own buried romnnec, had never con
fided to her her own girlish affairs, but she hungered for
Pet' confidence, longed to help bear the burden-whatever
it was-that was evidently wearing on tho young
'. She had never sjn.ken of Tom Veeder during her
husband's lifetime for f,.nr thnt Pl,t ph()ul(1 think
untrue toor dissatisfied with Max ; and since the latter1
death n m,.n...d wrong to mention a love that antedated
the one great love that had made life so bright. She
had feared that she could not lnake the girl un(liri(tan,i
hat the love a maiden gives her lover is but the bud
' comparison to the r,e to that of a true wife for her
hupluin.1. and she might think that her heart was in
te grave of r rary ,MV ra,h(r Umn
husband.
IM was M honest, m true and loyal, the story could
only raUw h,r min Wiuw (,w
n. Mildred u thinking something of this sort
1 ''l 'I'1"' " Auntie, I think I ought to be