Happy Island: A New "Uncle William" StoryLee, Jennette
General
Happy Island: A New "Uncle William" Story
Lee, Jennette
Islands -- Fiction
“That’s good enough for me,” he replied. He helped her into the boat
and lifted anchor, running up the sails and casting off. The breeze
freshened and caught the sail and filled it and the great boat crept
from the harbor and rounded the point.... Out in the open, it was
blowing stiff and the boat ran fast before it, little dashes of spray
striking the bow and flying high. The girl’s laugh sounded in the
splashing water, and the salt spray was on her arms and cheeks and hair.
The young man looked at her and smiled and turned the bow—ever so
little—to take the wave and send it splashing about her, and her laugh
came to him through the swash of the spray. It was a game—old as the
world... pursuit and laughter and flight and soft, shining color and the
big sun overhead, pulling the whole game steadily through space—holding
the eggshell boats on the waves and these two, riding out to sea.
He turned the bow again and the splashing of the water ceased. She
was looking at him with beseeching, shining eyes, and he bent a little
forward, a tremulous smile of power on his lip. He was drinking life—and
sky and sea were blotted out. The boat ran heedless on her way... and
he talked foolish nothings that sounded important and strange in his
unstopped ears.... The girl nodded shyly and spoke now and then—but only
to the sky and sea....
The sky had darkened and the distant fleet bore toward home—casting
curious glances toward the dark boat that moved with random hand....
George Manning could be trusted in any blow, but he was up to something
queer off there—with a sky like that. They drew in sail and ran close,
making for harbor....
The young man looked up and blinked a little and sprang to his feet. He
had pushed the tiller as he sprang, and one leg held it firm while he
reached to the guy rope and loosed it. “Get down,” he said harshly.
Her quick eyes questioned him and the little head lifted itself...With a
half-muttered word he had seized her, crowding her to the bottom of the
boat and ducking his head as the great boom swung past.
She gazed at him in swift anger, pulling herself free. But her wrath
spoke only to the winds—He had run forward, dragging down the foresail,
and was back to the tiller—his dark face set sternly, his eyes on the
horizon.
When she tried to get up, he did not look at her—“Stay where you are,”
he said roughly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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