178 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



June 



altogether very mysterious. 



Andrew Rnssell lias a sweetheart ou 

 that side of the river — pretty Jeu Hardy, 

 the fishernjaii's daughter. 



It is ouly natural that frequently he 

 should row across in his wherry. But 

 Jen Hardy does not see him every time 

 he goes during the next fortnight. He 

 tramps throngh a strip of woodland 

 across lots until he reaches a sheltered 

 vale this side of Barriugton's. 



Here he meets the mysterious lady 

 again and again. Andrew is 20 — tall, 

 strong and manly looking. Cars Ferris, 

 as she calls herself, uses all her blan- 

 dishments to complete his inthrallmeut. 

 She tells him a pretty story — how that 

 her uncle is determined to make a nun 

 of her; that, Barriugton being her cous- 

 in and frieiul she has come to him for 

 protection, -.Autil she can get out of the 

 country. 



She wants to go to Europe, for ay 

 soon as her uncle discovered her hiding 

 place he will follow her. She is appar- 

 ently very confiding with Andrew, who 

 is too innocent to see the flaws in her 

 story. " Would he think she was 25?" 

 she asked coquettishly. 



Andrew returns a decided negative, 

 never once dreaming that she is 10 years! 

 older. Jen Hardy is too proud to own 

 that Andrew does not come to see her 

 any more. Andrew has no mother, and 

 his father, v.'ho is not a very clear 

 sighted man, sees no change in his boy, 

 who is moody or exalted by fits. 



In two weeks' time Andrew imagineJi 

 himself mauiy in love with this woman. 

 He does not ntop to reason over the ab- 

 surdity of so urilliant a creature finding 

 any attraction in an ignorant boy li... 

 himseif. 



One night he goes home intoxicat' d 

 by the meiuory of a round, whit>.! ;u . 

 abont his i:-. . k and the pressure of fofr, 

 warm lips tf Irji own. A wc( k lat i, 

 one hour l> fore midnight, l:e crossis 

 the river in liis little brown \\herry. 



Ou the bi^ rock which serves for a 

 pier a man ;.ud a wonian await him. 

 Barriu:-:tc!n carries a valise in each 

 hand. Tin-y tenter the wherry, and An- 

 drew pulls '•■svilrly and silently down 

 the river. lu about au hour they roue 

 to a small cove, where a commo ion- 

 sailboat is tied to a ring in the rocky, 

 shelving bank. 



They go Lboard this, the little wherrj 



is fastened astern, the sails are unfurled 

 and on they go, dancing lightly out into 

 the waters of the bay. 



At nightfall of the next day they 

 come to a g:eat city. Barrington and 

 the lady go a.shore. Some purchases are 

 to be made here, and Barrington is to 

 eee a man who will buy the boat — this 

 is what they have told Andrew. In the 

 meantime he is to wait with the boat 

 until their return, when they will all 

 go aboard the gre.it ocean steamship 

 who.se black funnels rise from a neigh- 

 boring wharf. 



Andrew is not particularly pleased 

 that Barriugton is to accompany them, 

 but nothing can dampen the joy of his 

 belief that she loves him, and he can 

 never forget that her lips have touched 

 his own. The poor boy is quite daft for 

 the time and does not dream that he is 

 being duped. 



The city clocks are striking 10, when 

 a ragged street gamin crosses the whari 

 and hails Andrew. 



"Hi, there! Be your name Russell?" 



Andrew nods, and the boy hands him 

 a note. 



, ' 'A big swell up town sent this to 

 yer." 



Andrew takes the note and tears il 

 open. He knows, of course, that the 

 "big swell" is Barrington. The note 

 reads as follows: 



When you read this, we shall be aboard an 

 outward bound express. Goodby, my deal 

 boy. Many thanks for your gallantry. Mr. 

 Barrington makes you a present of the boat as 

 a reward for your services. C. F. 



For a moment Andrew stares at the 

 note in dun-b amazement. His brain 

 reels. The letters dance blood red before 

 his ej^es. He staggers down into the lit- 

 tle cabin and throws himself prostrate 

 upon the floor. He breaks into great sobs 

 which shake him from head to foot. To 

 be fooled, played with, cast a.side, when 

 he had servrd their turn! 



Oh, the bitterness, the grief and rage 

 in the boj^'s hot heart as he rolls to and 

 fro upon the cabin floor! 



All night long he battles with this 

 first great trouble. In the morning he 

 rouses himself and goes up into the city 

 to find a purchaser for his boat, for the 

 sight of it is hateful to him, and he 

 must have money to get home with. He 

 sells it for $150, which is a pretty sum 

 for a poor lad. At noon he has a .sun- 

 stroke and is conveyed to the city hospi- 



