| Show THE AVENGING WAVE I 1 j people besnia bosnia the bay is a B I 1 village of huts they are mada y or mud and turf with floors of clay and no windows it Is cold and cheerless there even in midsummer and in winter it Is very cold and gray and lonesome in on of these huts there once lived A lettla girl she waa very pretty with big gray ayea and a dear white forehead and long dark brown curl her namo was boda in the lone winters boda read stories of imely ladles wearing gorgeous gowns and many jewels and of gallant gentlemen who knelt at their feet who sung to ahm and hunted for thero and coda thought made life very the beautiful story ladles she wished she lived among such people and she longed with alcher little heart to cross the sea and bacomo a part ot a cay bright world boda spent whole days on the seashore the sea was her only confidante one day site was bitting looking out over the water which waa first green then blue then dark dark bauo and her dreams were keeping time to the great awell lne waves some day ill go over the seab a great wave broke on the beach ill meet wonderful ladles and brave cavaliere cavaliers cava liers the wave crept steadily up to bodae toot and met it boda jumped back with a start then tor the first time the noticed strange fisherman who was pulling bis boat up on the beach near her A crusty foreign looking old fellow he was with black bushy eyebrows boda wondered what brought any one to this forgotten cove she thought he must have lost his way you landed la the wrong place bho ached any place win do he said X am going back when I 1 get fresh water back where asked boda the temptation of her other world was toa t strong in her besides she had never been told not to speak to strangers tor who ever heard p strangers la this deserted bay back to my own land etue pretty one back to the blue sky and green hills and sunshine the stranger replied 1 I wish I 1 were going back somewhere sighed boda and she went down to the boat climbed in and sat in the prow just to make her dream seem more acal how tired she was of this hateful little cojei before she realized what was happening the fisherman pushed on lumped la and began to pull strong at hw oars boda eat up straight and looked about her yes she could see the hateful little cove but it was across wide stretch of restless blue water then she realized it all she ilka abts strange man she never saw him before and what right had he to take her away like this boda scolded him and threatened all sorts of things now thoroughly frightened arhe begged to be put back on land the fisherman rowed steadily on ho seem to hear her then she cried and begged some more all to no purpose the mud huts were already out ot sight only a faint outline of the familiar coast was left days went by and the terrible man rowed on looking out from under Us bushy eyebrows now and then but never speaking boda grew weak and sick only the sol dmn blue ocean about her now angry and lashing at the fisherman with its long white tongues now laughing and sparkling in the eun mocking bodas misery at baat there was nothing to eat boda waa so weak and afraid she care what happened she knew she would never see the quiet little cove gain but the beaucl tul people ot another country came nearer every day next morning the fisherman was alone the sea was gray and angry it laugh now the boat was slowly drawn nearer shore pursued by hta guilty conscience the stranger hated the ocean and hurried to leave it but first aba old ocean must avenge the little girl who loved it A great wave swept down upon the boat deep and gray and anery curling in at either end aa a tiger curls its claws about its prey silently with lightning darting from its crest the avenging wave overtook the guilty man lie and bis boat were swallowed in the wave the wave slunk bach to its home in rold ocean whispering what it bad done the wicked stranger had gone but hla punishment end there when any of the descendants of athla man sail on the coat the avenging wave appears and swallows them and all with them in this way it protects the little village in the faraway cove from bad and little girls can sit on the beach by the sea and dream unharmed |
