Christian fiction; Families -- Fiction; Love stories
Stiff, bewildered, filled with ecstasy, they finally unloaded in front
of a big white building that looked like a hotel. They tried to see
into the deep, mysterious darkness across the road, where boomed a
great voice that called them, and where dashing spray loomed high like
a waving phantom hand to beckon them now and again, and far-moving
lights told of ships and a world beyond the one they knew,--a wide,
limitless thing like eternity, universe, chaos.
With half-reluctant feet they turned away from the mysterious unseen
lure and let themselves be led across an unbelievably wide veranda into
the bright light of a hall, where everything was clean and shining, and
a great fireplace filled with friendly flames gave cheer and welcome.
The children stood bewildered in the brightness while two strange
serving-maids unfastened their wraps and dust-cloaks and helped them
take off their hats. Then they all sat around the fire, for Graham had
come in by this time, and the maids brought trays of some delicious
drink with little cakes and crackers, and tinkling ice, and straws to
drink with. Doris almost fell asleep again, and was carried up-stairs
by Shirley and put to bed in a pretty white crib she was too sleepy to
look at, while Carol, Elizabeth, George, and Harley went with Graham
across the road to look at the black, yawning cavern they called ocean,
and to have the shore light-houses pointed out to them and named one by
one.
They were all asleep at last, a little before midnight, in spite of the
excitement over the spacious rooms, and who should have which. Think
of it! Thirty rooms in the house, and every one as pretty as every
other one! What luxury! And nobody to occupy them but themselves!
Carol could hardly get to sleep. She felt as if she had dropped into a
novel and was living it.
When Graham came out of his room the next morning the salt breeze swept
invitingly through the hall and showed him the big front door of the
upper piazza open and some one standing in the sunlight, with light,
glowing garments, gazing at the sea in rapt enjoyment. Coming out
softly, he saw that it was Shirley dressed in white, with a ribbon of
blue at her waist and a soft pink color in her cheeks, looking off to
sea.
He stood for a moment to enjoy the picture, and said in his heart that
sometime, if he got his wish, he would have her painted so by some
great artist, with just that little simple white dress and blue ribbon,
her round white arm lifted, her small hand shading her eyes, the
sunlight burnishing her brown hair into gold. He could scarcely
refrain from going to her and telling her how beautiful she was. But
when he stepped quietly up beside her only his eyes spoke, and brought
the color deeper into her cheeks; and so they stood for some minutes,
looking together and drawing in the wonder of God's sea.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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