and her life went with it. Read me the
story."
Reeves obeyed. When he had finished he held the book out to her.
"Helen, will you take this Tennyson from me in remembrance of our
friendship and of the Kelpy's Cave? I shall never forget that I owe my
life to you."
"Thank you."
She took the book and placed a little thread of crimson seaweed that
had been caught in the sand between the pages of "Elaine." Then she
rose.
"I must go back now. Aunt will need me. Thank you again for the book,
Mr. Reeves, and for all your kindness to me."
Reeves was relieved when the interview was over. Her calmness had
reassured him. She did not care very much, after all; it was only a
passing fancy, and when he was gone she would soon forget him.
He went away a few days later, and Helen bade him an impassive
good-bye. When the afternoon was far spent she stole away from the
house to the shore, with her Tennyson in her hand, and took her way to
the Kelpy's Cave.
The tide was just beginning to come in. She sat down on the big
boulder where Reeves had fallen asleep. Beyond stretched the gleaming
blue waters, mellowing into a hundred fairy shades horizonward.
The shadows of the rocks were around her. In front was the white line
of the incoming tide; it had almost reached the headlands. A few
minutes more and escape would be cut off--yet she did not move.
When the dark green water reached her, and the lapping wavelets
swished up over the hem of her dress, she lifted her head and a sudden
strange smile flashed over her face.
Perhaps the kelpy understood it.
The Way of the Winning of Anne
Jerome Irving had been courting Anne Stockard for fifteen years. He
had begun when she was twenty and he was twenty-five, and now that
Jerome was forty, and Anne, in a village where everybody knew
everybody else's age, had to own to being thirty-five, the courtship
did not seem any nearer a climax than it had at the beginning. But
that was not Jerome's fault, poor fellow!
At the end of the first year he had asked Anne to marry him, and Anne
had refused. Jerome was disappointed, but he kept his head and went on
courting Anne just the same; that is he went over to Esek Stockard's
house every Saturday night and spent the evening, he walked home with
Anne from prayer meeting and singing school and parties when she would
let him, and asked her to go to all the concerts and socials and
quilting frolics that came off. Anne never woul
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