Flood Tide

he silver buckle. Neither did the eager young man catch even a fleeting glimpse of its owner. It was, he told himself, unlikely that she would come to the Spence house again.

, and once there he would meet the girl's family and perhaps be asked to come again. U

, yea, even likely that his aunt might be needing a bonnet right away. Women were always needing bonnets, argued the young man vaguely; at least, both his mother and sister were, and he had not yet lived long enough in his aunt's household to realize that with Tiny Morton the purchase of a bonnet was not an equally casual

at tartly. "A hat has to do me three seasons for best an' a fourth for common. I've

inquired Bob, amused

n't met

t y

fles, an' jet, an' lace, an' fitted her like as if she was poured into it. Folks said it was made in Brockton, but whether it was or not there's no way of knowin'. Anyhow, back she pranced to Wilton in that gown an' for a year or more, whenever there was a church fair, or a meetin' of the Eastern Star, or a funeral, you'd be certain of seein' Minnie Coffin there in her black satin. There wasn't a lay-out in town could touch it, an' by an' by it got so that it set the mark on every gatherin' that was held, those where Minnie's s

cking and leaned fo

pictures an' patterns from Boston; scanted the skirt; took in the sleeves; made a wide girdl

laughed with

o the rest of us. Abbie Brewster knows Minnie well an' somewhere in a book she's got set down the gyrations of that dress. I wouldn't be bothered recordin' it but Abbie always was a methodical soul. She could give you the date of every inch of satin in the whole thing. Just now there's 1914 sleeves; the front breadths are 1918; the back

or paused

drove by there last week an' to make sure Abbie got out an' tapped to' see if anybody'd come to let us in, but nobody did. We said then: 'Minnie's resurrectin' the black satin.' You mark my words she'll be in church in it Sunday. It generally takes her about ten day

ullin' that durn thing to pieces an' puttin' it together again is a caution. Bart said you'd be dumbfounded if you cou

ped the horri

a century Minnie wouldn't need much of anything else. But his reckonin' was agog. It's been nothin' but that black satin all his married life. Let alone the price of continually reenforcin' it, the wear an' tear on Minnie's nerves when she's tinkerin' with it is somethin' awful. Bart says that dress ain't never out of her mind. She's rasped an' peevish all the time plannin' how she can fit the pieces in to look like the pictures. It's worse than fussi

stina triumphantly. "So you was at the store, w

little man. "Lemme see! I belie

u get a

id get somethin'. If I did, it's

ned with a small white packa

e, after she had examined

I didn't notice, not havin' on my re

y. "Whoever's sendin' you a bundle all tied up with white

ie sprang to

sters," explained he. "Delight's buckle was broke an' kn

lancing from one to the othe

ut an' see how it looks

bert Morton u

ed of blue cotton wool, rested the buckle of silv

and inspected

an attempt at indifference. "See what

f spectacles which he exchanged for the ones he was already wearing, and after scru

nded, instantly alert. "Isn't

kin' at," Willie returned slow

silver, now holding it at arm's length, now bring

uld stand the su

ith it?" he at

aught the note of impatience in the young

hat a buckle should go to Boston with D.

ha

n it-C. L. G. Se

can'

n' have

d the trinket in R

ed the intertwined letters of the monog

a bell on a still night. There must have been two girls an' two buc

"Why, I'd rather have given a hundred dollars th

'Tain't likely Miss C. L. G. will care a row of pins for Miss D. L. H.'s buckle. She'll be sendin' out an S. O. S. for her o

iss Ha

t buckle, an' she don't look none the worse for not hav

rly, then stopped short,

was talkin' to her, an' she had that Harvard professor who boards at the Brewsters' along too; Carlton his name is, Jasper Carlton. He's a mighty good-lookin' chap."

need to see her,

' with them other fellers. Still a young man is never the worse for chattin' with a nice girl. Now, son, if I was you, I wouldn'

e, Willie?" called Cel

ha

comin' in. You go an' see what she wants, 'cause my apron ain

into the hall he was not in time to

. "Of course you can speak to him. H

only pretty but she was perfectly groomed and was possessed of a fascinating vivacity and charm. Everything about her was vivid: the gloss of her brown hair, the sparkle of her eyes, her color, her smile, her immaculate clothes-all were

shold, Robert Morton leaped to m

!" he cried. "How

ing laughter cam

ed then; I thoug

? I can't

, you wouldn't have been at all amazed to

e," the culprit

ou are doing on Cape Cod," went

ou know I

an't g

aven't a

eater she drew forth a small white b

long to you?"

es Robert Morton could feel t

h a ghastly attempt at gai

the initials sugges

s funny how things come about sometimes, isn't it? I want you to mee

ainty Miss Cynthi

that bring you to

nodded. She se

e had taken a house at Bellepo

"I haven't heard

will be wild when I tell them you are here. My brother," she went on, turning with a pretty graciousness toward Celesti

as my nephew does?" questioned

raised her eyebr

diana even if we don't live there." She shot a conciliatory smile in Robert Morton's direction. "Couldn't you go back with me in the car, Bob," she asked turning toward him, "and spring a s

can't to-day,

ast reason in the world you s

red the package in

erruption. "I'd like immensely to come another day, though.

eeting the astonished gaze

ied, drawing in her chin with some haut

had offended his fair guest, yet determined to stand his ground. "Tell the affluent

e here for the week-end,

Sunday? Mr. Spence and

come to-day. But I don't see why y

t do it, d

if that is the earli

ceded Bob to her car. But although the great engine throbbed and purred, it was some

ich to greet him. How remarkable it was that the owner of the missing jewelry should be some one

Willie, on the contrary, was peculiarly silent, and although his furtive glance traveled at frequent interva