Poetry -- 20th century -- Periodicals; Short stories -- Periodicals
The Yale man replied to these overtures of friendship with the offer of
his cigarette case, his name and the secrets of his heart. “I’m Martin,
’05,” he confided. “Ever been in New Haven? Best place on earth! I
say, how do you like Pemaquid--how long are you going to stay? There
are some ripping girls here. At least, there’s Elfie May, that girl I
sat next to at the table. Notice her? A queen, isn’t she? And you just
ought to see her swim! But she throws a fellow down so. I guess I’ll
go home to-morrow.” The blithe face drew down into sudden sadness--ah,
poor little Yale man!
“The girl that sat next to you at dinner,” mused Glyn. “Ah, yes. I
think I noticed her--rather good-looking, yes. New York girl?”
“No, Boston. Want me to introduce you?”
“If you will be so kind,” returned Glyn, with elation, and a sudden
softening of his heart toward the blue. Martin went over to the far
end of the piazza, where Miss May sat trailing her indifferent gaze
across her little court of admirers, and laughing lazily at their
witticisms and their compliments. As the Yale man spoke to her, Glyn
saw her glance flash for a brief instant in his direction, and he
started forward to meet his new friend halfway upon his return. But oh,
disappointment! “I’m so sorry,” said the pleasant little chap from New
Haven, “but she says no! I don’t know why, but she said it, just like
that--no!”
“It doesn’t matter in the least,” returned Glyn. “And thank you so much
for taking all that trouble.” He spoke gayly, but his hand trembled as
he tried to strike a light upon the side of his match case. “Here, let
me give you some fire, old chap,” cried his new acquaintance, genially.
That night Glyn did not sleep very well. Not that he cared one scrap
for a snub from a disagreeable, spoiled child! But deep down he
recognized what it was--the regretful ache, the yearning, baffled
tenderness that had newly filled his heart. He writhed in recollection
of the repulse he had received, and then forgot the pain in delight as
that glance came back to him, those eyes raised to him from the water,
eyes so thickly fringed, with dark irids rimmed in clear sea green.
Dawn broke early and brilliant; after that there was no sleep for
the restless newcomer, and suddenly it occurred to him that the best
plan--the most enjoyable and the most independent--would be to hire
a craft and go out for a day’s deep sea fishing, far from the jars
and distractions of the hotel. For though, like many sailors, he had
but little skill in swimming, he was excellent at managing a boat,
and fishing was one of his favorite sports. A descent to the pier, in
the long-shadowed quiet of the early morning, proved this plan easy
of fulfillment. Old Ben, the fisherman of the day before, was there
clearing out his tiny sloop, the _Fried Cod_. For a mildly exorbitant
sum he agreed to let the boat to the New York man for the day, provide
tackle, throw in bait, and give all necessary directions to the
fishing grounds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account