1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



280 



aud grew rough, and you tried to turu. 

 We were far, far away from shore. You 

 must have been looking at me instead 

 of the land, or yuu woald have seen that 

 we were floating fast in a current. With 

 an effort you brought the boat round 

 and pulled for safety. Oh, you looked 

 splendid ! Your thin jers-^y showed the 

 lines of your strong, supple body, the 

 muscles of your arms and chest rose 

 superbly, and your manly face, flushed 

 and firm, fascinated me." 



The man smiled, half scornfully. 



"You pulled hard, and I don't think 

 I was frightened. I didn't care what 

 happened. Then the rotten oar cracked, 

 and you bound it round with our hand- 

 kerchiefs, but it still was weak, so you 

 tore off a long strip of my petticoat to 

 bind it with, and we drifted, drifted 

 out. When at last you tried again, it 

 snapped, and the blade fell into the sea. 

 Then you came to me, to the stern, and 

 took the tiller from my hands. You put 

 your arm round my waist and said, 

 'Don't be afraid, dear wife!' I knew we 

 were drifting out to open sea, storm and 

 death and was aware that you knew it. 

 'Don't be afraid, little wife, ' you said, 

 and suddenly put your arm round my 

 neck. ' ' 



"I remember. " 



"Yes, I know. Let me go on. You 

 brought my face to yours and laid your 

 lips on mine. Oh, that kiss — that kiss ! 

 It still stings on my lips. In it I felt 

 the depth of your love. I felt that I 

 loved you — felt that we were man and 

 wife, aud the only beings alive on land 

 or sea. That kiss is what I regret — that 

 kiss, the one moment of rapture in my 

 life." 



She paused. 



"I remember. " 



"Why did that foolish steamer save 

 us? I could have died there, happy in 

 your arms — quite happy." 



"Quite ha.ppy?" 



"Yes, quite. To think that we quar- 

 reled within a week — at least I did — 

 and things went worse than ever after- 

 ward ! What are we women made ofi' 

 The old song is wrong — we are made of 

 gall aud wormwood aud marble. To 

 think that we are here, aud that paper 

 lies there! You've acted very handsome- 

 ly, allowing me more than half yuur in- 

 come and letting me keep the flat." 



"Do vou think I could live in it after 



you have gone?" he answered, with a 

 break in his voice. "There's nothing in 

 it that does not speak of you. It's a 

 graveyard of memories." 



She looked at him over the fan and 

 saw tears in his eyes. Then she rose 

 and walked across the room. 



"Herbert, " she said in a timid voice, 

 after a long pause, "it is 4 o'clock. 

 He'll be here in five minutes to see the 

 deed executed. " 



The man bowed his head and hid his 

 face in his bauds. 



She took out her handkerchief, a ri- 

 diculous bit of lace and lawn, and touch- 

 ed her eyes. 



"Herbert, tomorrow is just a year 

 after that day. The night train starts at 

 8 o'clock. If we went to Etaples, we 

 might find — might find — that kiss 

 again. " 



He jumped up, tears in his eyes and 

 a smile on his lips. "You mean to 

 say" — He caught her in his arms and 

 pressed his lips long and passionately 

 on her mouth. 



"I don't think we really need go to 

 Etaples," she said, with a smile, after a 

 long pause, "but it will be a pleasant 

 little — little honeymoon. " 



He rang the bell, told the servant to 

 tell Mr. Hawkins that no one was at 

 home, and she bade the girl pack her 

 things instantly. When the girl left the 

 room, they both took hold of the deed 

 and slowly, gravely tore it into two 

 pieces. 



"It is a new way," he observed, "of 

 executing deeds of separation. ' ' — 

 Sketch. 



Abolish Fences. 



The absiiuce of fences makes a saving 

 and is also a benefit, and the drives, walks 

 and landscape effects are such that a cheer- 

 ful harmony prevails, and the grouping of 

 several hoiues thus forms one harmonious 

 whole. 



Milk Not a Disease Carrier. 



Evidence of the antiseptic power of milk 

 has been supplied by MM. Gilbert and 

 Domiuici. An adult man, whose faeces 

 contained 67,000 germs per milligram, 

 was restricted tor five days to milk and at 

 the end of two, three, four and five days 

 respectively the t>erms had fallen to 14,000 

 5,000, 4,000 and r-',500. Here we have evi- 

 dence of the antiseptic value of milk in 

 contrast to the <>ther side, so much of late 

 discussed — viz. "Milk as a Vehicle of Dis- 

 ease." — Loudon Invention. 



