PLOT by J A boiler nook cried the brakeman mrs martha and her son adelbert alighted from a parlor car nd were wet by andersen a farmer who took city boarders Doar ders dur ins the summer months adelbert nc had just graduated from harvard and had planned to take a good rest before entering upon a business career in new york cita iiii mother was an invalid and could not endure the noise and excitement in hotels the little village was formerly known as huckleberry hollow and the beautiful lake beside it as pond but with the rise of the place as a summer desort the received the name of beauty nook and the sheet of water the appellation of Laurel Lake the change from rustic to aesthetic names and the contact with the sum mer guests had its natural effect on the rural population they became more particular as to dress and the furnishings of their hoagies the pirn pie ways of the country t 0 a large extent vanished and everybody was rest less and ambitious farmer Ander sens only daughter minerva was at once captivated with adelbert livingstone well educated handsome and distinguished in appear anac as she was inordinately ambitious bit ious the knowledge tuat the young man was rich made her captivation doubly easy minerva was a country beauty of the dashing sort had a good figure and dressed stylishly slie had a quick energetic mind and although exceedingly affable to people of high station with whom she desired to ingratiate herself was haughty toward inferiors minerva tried to fascinate adelbert but he was politely indifferent so he proposes to treat me as a casual acquaintance said minerva in dign antly to herself one morning at she stood in her room admiring her pelf in alie large mirror which frequently did homage to her vanity ell ill see about it my fine bit iveleen Ive been to boarding school and knowd a thing or two im no unsophisticated have him to understand when she met adelbert anc smiled most sweetly and endeavored to engage him in conversation but lie did not take her bait he was in search for bait with which to catch fish in the lake pouting and angry minerva walked into the houe but she soon recovered her equanimity t about the middle of the afternoon adelbert returned with a long string of anh and the one who admired hia skill the most and who most enthusiastically complimented him was minerva have you anything to claim your attention during the remainder of the dayt was minervah Miner vaa stilted question nothing in particular was the re ply then we would like to have you RO bathing with us if it bould be agreeable to you several of the quests and myself aie going to the lake we would like to have you go too adelbert was tired and did not want io go but deemed it advisable to coin aly with the request I 1 thomas larkins and hia wife lucy badham Va dham daisy dimple r were the other members of r the party all were splashing in the water laughing and talking when minerva challenged adelbert to try to catali her as she swam away from the land he followed in a perfunctory way and alie kant in diio lead suddenly ehe sfa T i ia i it 1 v fw 1 became frightened and began to noun der leaving apparently been seized with cramps oh dear what shall I 1 do she gasped save me im drowning she disappeared beneath the surface and thoroughly alarmed adelbert junsch forward to the rescue he caught the bewildered girl as hc arose and she threw her arms wildly about his neck bo cool or drown us both lie cried minerva her arm from hia peck and began to sink at the same time saving support me a little and ill be all right he grasped her left arm and smil TOR at him as if hit inere presence gave her strength she consigned herself to hit caie with a happy sigh and began to paddle somewhat uncertainly with her disengaged arm she weighed on adalbert rather heavily but with his aid and with some help from her free arm they began to progress toward the shore fortunately they had not far to go before their feel could safely touch bottom it was remarkable how quickly she seemed to have recovered from the cramp and ahe was able to stand holding fast to his hand as they stood with water up to their necks oh oh that pain she cried in agony and adelbert found it incumbent on him lo 10 place liis arm around her waist and support her then she immediately quieted and they began slowly to wade toward the land how good and boive you are she exclaimed regarding her companion with a look full of admiration and gratitude it is nothing he hastily replied realizing even at that moment eliat it would be awkward to be a hero in the eyes 0 a girl whose personality was not pleasing to him in the meanwhile daisy dimple and lucy wadhams were indulging in hysterics and mr larkins was pale alth fright but larkins and winthrop recovered their wits and rushed out and pulled two adventurers to the shore nith trembling hands minerva collapsed on the beach and th women threw themselves around her she s drowned she is drowned moaned daisy dimple no im still alive minerva smiling faintly mrs larkins bethought her of a smelling bottle in the pocket of her dress hanging in the bathhouse and quickly getting it applied it to the nose of the faint girl how good that smells said minerva drawing a deep breath in a way that showed that her strong lungs were t unharmed ft ft t r A w ii r t i it might be more efficacious with the stopper olt remarked larkins dryly minerva blushed and mrs larkins looked sheepish during the rescue tom owlish mi cervas country beau and winter escort stood behind the bathhouse unobserved and glowered at adelbert livingstone 1 when no young men from the cities were available to show minerva ati tensions tent ions especially in the winter owlish was in high favor with minerva but in the summer minerva flouted her humble but faithful attendant or treated him with a s eliat made him miserable damn the fellow muttered owlish ill pet even with libin yet wait and at the home of abijah that evening the of minerva was alio one theme of the conversation adel bart to the akies and ho found being a social lion very disagreeable adalbert was not a fool and lie felt cilc certain that minerva had tried to him for the purpose of luring him into lier toila a the result of a seemingly romantic adventure and he was indignant A few daya later there was a picnic in which many both of the regular inhabitants and jhc thc city guests participated the picnic was held in a grove on laurel lake VL part of the life saving plot minerva and adelbert were there and on account of their recent remarkable adventure were the center of all eyes minerva continually about liv and treated him with undisguised and tender admiration and adolbert did not know how to shake her off already the tongues of alic gossipers goh sipers were wagging and a match between the distinguished city guest and the blooming country belle was predicted but minerva was not popular among the country girls vhf had known her from childhood and acquainted with her deceitful ways tom owlish sullen and moody listened to the talk and nursed liis desire for vengeance among the country girls was one who even wore a sun bonnet she was a typical maid of alie old fashioned sort modest sweet and pretty and withal sensible and cry intelligent in spite of her indifference to the city stylo of dress affected by most of her ambitious associates she was much re and the kotlier girla acknowledged her innate superiority without envy sally Wart rous he was alio only daughter of a widower A farmer in moderate circumstances she took care of his little home and she took care of it weil the old ladies said she was ilia only thoroughly good housekeeper among the young women bof the neigh boyhood bo I 1 1 I tell you ashes forty of your modern high dedicated edica ted girls said enthusiastic thusia aunt betsy perkina to ad elbart she can bake and sew and wash she can do anything in her hands a dollar will go further than five in the fiands of one of your laight eighty girls eliat sets the pace nowadays ashes no fool in books and can outdo the highton cs in all that amounts to anything in their own line that minervy they say youre stuck on but I 1 hope you aint pardon me if im bendin has had more advantages aa they call cm but she cant hold a candle to sally in things that count adelbert was not offended and he encouraged cou raged aunt acty to expatiate on the virtues of her favorite he himself had already been charmed by sallys appearance and superior demeanor and at lila request aunt betsy gave him an introduction to tho remarkable maiden despite the watchfulness of minerva adelbert managed to elude her after the basket luncheon had been eaten and to wander along the shore of the lake in company with sally on hid return from the walk which ho would hae made almost an interminable one had not sensible and dis arct sally prevented it he hiis met by minerva she with great difficulty concealed lier vexation and skillfully fully monopolized his attention resolving that blip would bac every endeavor hereafter to keep him from enjoying alic doriety of one whom blie instinctively recognized as a formidable rival tom ow labh in a forest behind a wall that extended along one side of a country road the road was un dually narrow there and the place lonely and secluded it was early in alie evening and the moon was shining brightly soon adelbert livingstone pd on horseback and with a grimace of satisfaction behind the wall and waited bof hi to po ly the horse was walking and adelbert wan enjoying the beautiful scene flooded by the light of the moon at the proper moment for his purpose owlish threw a stone from his powerful hand it struck livingstone fairly on the back of his lead and ho fell insensible to the ground owlish immediately hed into the depth of the forest fortunately mr Wart rous happened to be driving home from the village and he found adelbert lying in the road lie placed the still man in his wagon and carried him to hia home rot liala a mile distant dix tant the doctor con eluded that adelbert was not injured but deemed it advisable eliat he should remain quiet for days that he should not attempt to return to his boarding house until he had recovered from the shock and regained his strength of coure rally proved to bo a competent and devoted dirae annl of coursie what was to be happened adelburt noon recovered from his injury but told sally clial tt wa impossible for him to recover hl heart and he to take cutre of it or him A for minerva hc took up with tom owlish one day when he wa drunk her husband informed hr that it was IK wio had hit adelbert alv Ir gAtone with hie bitone and had thus enabled sally Warf rous lo 10 eaten alic ci tyman foe a husband there r ni if i 1 i after the quarrels between mr and mrs owlish were much more frequent than formerly and at last she left alic mean fellow and returned to the home of her parents