OCR Text |
Show S : RECORD-BREAKING LOVE i; M ill - V :, By H. A. SLATTENGREN. 1 . aiHtripfHttrrrrrfrrrtrrtirititttii ' JB fjyyin 4 VVVV .." .... fr-PP-f-r-f-f f 'jB Jack Tracy wua Ashing, reeling for tB bass. Uc was an expert at tills, which, IjB was his favorltu spurt, barring only ffjH flirting with comely ladles. It wns liWl lat0 lu tu0 u(torlluuu of uu early SjH spring day tluit had hocn crowned by EB a cloudless sky. RAW When the velvety star-lit darkness '& superseded tho gaudy twilight Tracy Fput uwuy his llshlng tackle, lit a cl-'car cl-'car and started to puddle slowly home-ward.- Thonlght was of tho sjjpcrb klnil that 1ms a tendency to inuko u person retrospective, dreaming and amorous. Presently a woman's volco was heard Bluglng on tho other side of tho lake. It was changed and subdued by the distance Intq a charming quality as it vibrated on the soft, tranquil air. The volco possessed u range, currying I power uud sweetness that caused j Trucy to stop rowing und to listen in- tcntly to tho maglcul outpouring. For several minutes lie listened, spell-! spell-! bound, to tho witching music; but It stopped as suddenly us it had start ) d. Tracy waited patiently for bouio time, expecting thut tho Bougstress i -would ugulu sing, but sho did not as soon as ho desired. "I wonder who sho Is?" Tracy asked I himself. "I didn't think thut this llt- i tie dot upon the mup harbored such, I an exceptionally good singer. I'ossl- I bly, she la Just u visitor llko mo and won't stay hero long. It's too bad that I shall have to leuve for the city early In the. morning, or I could'pos-sluly, could'pos-sluly, contrive to meet her uud Uud out who she Is. Tho owner of such u i volco must bo very churmlng." j Trucy wasn't even sure whether sho I was out In u bout or not. But he do- elded to take chauces on It and soon started rowing across the lake In tho direction from which the song had come. Not until ho had ueurly readied tho opposite shoro did he stop row- (lng. What Is more, he saw no boat and ho heard no moro of tho songstress. song-stress. He bud about decided thut he had come on a wild goose clmse, when his attentive ear cuught tho rnttlu. of an oarlock some distance uwuy. "So sho Is out lu n boat and, I believe, be-lieve, nlone, since there Is no conversation." con-versation." Tracy unconsciously straightened his tie uud smoothed his hair, complimenting compli-menting his good luck. While he was planning homo wuy to get acquainted, J she htnrted hinging again. Tracy for- got everything in listening to tho m wonderful, appealing charm of that K. voice. Ho thought thut It was the Hk most entrancing vocal mu-slc he hud H ever heiifa';'in h'ort, ho hud fallen K-jlouidym love wftktlhe volco and WMJ onged to meet Its owner when tho H cong wns ilntshcd. , MwW To row up and accost her onltho j luku was, of cuui'M', entirely outof 1 tlw questloii. ho liu began ruvklutils fcl hruln for another method. It come t llko an Inspiration. Jnimoiimtoij 1110 1 's. set out for the bonthouso lauding ntT(r I B tho hotel, which was marked by u , If! green light. The small lake ho was on I ' was Joined to another lake by means of u channel 'about six feet wide and twenty-llvo feet long. The boathouso I wus on tho other side of the channel, and taking 11 boat through tho chan- H nel without mishap and delay required H some skill. It was best done by start- lug the boat straight and with sulll- H dent Initial velocity to carry It well Eft along. W f Tr,ic' dItl uot B trouB" tllc clmn" nel, but landed his boat on the beach, JM out of sight from tho entrance. In ftE going nshoro ho took with him a very) KB strong silk ilshllne, und wnlked care-, BM fully though quickly to where n foot- iK bridge crossed tho channel. Fortun w ntely for Tracy, tliere were no people fn tibout to disturb him while ho was mm. stringing tho flshllno across tho chnn- flji nel so that it would Intercept a boat Ijf in going through. When this was done rat ho went over to a bench uuder a near-. $8 by willow, lit a cigar and listened to flU the enchanting Blnglug which had flt again sturtcd. I Tracy pondered deeply tho best 'f words to use In nddressing her and ' I oven went so fnr as to practice In j whispers the words and sentences ho i intended to use. ' I Within fifteen minutes of tho tlmo t lio had landed ho heard tho boat bear- I' lug tlio songstress coming toward the o3i landing. She was silent now, but tho Wm splash and creaking of the oars were BJ' miflleient tell-tales. It was too dark WL to seo her boat distinctly ! it seemed M like n gray shadow upon tho waters. fj-fl As It neared tho entrance it wns lined II 8? "I' wl,h splendid precision, and with if M two or three strong pulls wns sent ) m correctly Into tho channel. S Tracy waited in breathless exclto- H inent until ho saw the shadowy skirt hehltato and rebound. After this there HA was n scraping of oars and splashing A of water as tho boat iloumlcrcd iWtmW against tho banks. Then, with his TB licart lu his throat and trembling with Ml nntlelpatlon, Tracy roso and wnlked l over to whero his adored songstress I wns captive. Tho boat was In tho shadow of tho bridge, and consequent-II consequent-II ly ho could not see lier, but n glint JjK of whlto ncrtcd him to sny, "I no- M tlced that you were In trouble, so I B eamu down hero to ofTer my nsslst- M o'"-'. If you'll Bivo mo your hand, lX mndam, I'll, help you out of the boat." El "vt, gwan, there's no leddy In here, mW ,U' lf 'ou w,mt ,0 worl you cun tnl0 MUM n lieavo nt this hero funnygrnft," cried JIK- an urchin, with a wide straw lint en- mlmm ' suiting his head. V (Copyright, 1910. by tho McClure Newi-UmWt, Newi-UmWt, yapor Qynillcutti.) MX mMW. - MmWl1 ."Wu .......J- .,-- u |