The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Tidal Wave and Other Stories, by Ethel
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Title: The Tidal Wave and Other Stories

Author: Ethel May Dell

Release Date: September 29, 2004 [eBook #13553]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

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THE TIDAL WAVE AND OTHER STORIES

by

ETHEL M. DELL

Author of _The Lamp in the Desert_, _The Hundredth Chance_,
_Greatheart_, etc.

1919

BY ETHEL M. DELL

The Way of an Eagle
The Knave of Diamonds
The Rocks of Valpre
The Swindler
The Keeper of the Door
Bars of Iron
Rosa Mundi
The Hundredth Chance
The Safety Curtain
Greatheart
The Lamp in the Desert
The Tidal Wave
The Top of the World
The Obstacle Race

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Three stories in this volume, "The Magic Circle," "The Woman of his
Dream," and "The Return Game," were first published in The Red Magazine.

CONTENTS

THE TIDAL WAVE

THE MAGIC CIRCLE

THE LOOKER-ON

THE SECOND FIDDLE

THE WOMAN OF HIS DREAM

THE RETURN GAME

THE TIDAL WAVE

CHAPTER I

STILL WATERS

Rufus the Red sat on the edge of his boat with his hands clasped between
his knees, staring at nothing. His nets were spread to dry in the sun;
the morning's work was done. Most of the other men had lounged into
their cottages for the midday meal, but the massive red giant sitting on
the shore in the merciless heat of noon did not seem to be thinking of
physical needs.

His eyes under their shaggy red brows were fixed with apparent
concentration upon his red, hairy legs. Now and then his bare toes
gripped the moist sand almost savagely, digging deep furrows; but for
the most part he sat in solid contemplation.

There was only one other man within sight along that sunny stretch of
sand--a small, dark man with a shaggy, speckled beard and quick,
twinkling eyes. He was at work upon a tangled length of tarred rope,
pulling and twisting with mu