Loyola College - Review Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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LOYOLA COLLEGE REVIEW - 19 «ведення MM Фен» “Flossy—I—I—I—I love you!” Flossy’s voice was not choking, nor un- certain. It rang out clear and silvery in a peal of laughter. Why, of course, you do, Muffets, and I wish you didn't. That's what makes you so stupid half the time. But — said Mr. Morpeth, vaguely; «« but [= But you're a silly boy, returned Miss Flossy, and she added in a swift aside “you haven't asked me to marry you! “W—W—Will you be my wife? stam- mered Mr. Morpeth. No! said Miss Flossy, emphatically, “T will not, you are too ridiculous. The idea of it! No, Muffets, you are charming in your present capacity, but you aren't to be considered seriously. They strolled on into the gloom at the end of the big veranda. “‘That’s the first time, he said, with a feeling of having only a ghost of breath left in his lungs, “that I ever asked a woman to marry me. “T should think so, said Miss Flossy, “from the way you did it. And you were beautifully rejected, weren't you. Now— look at Mrs. Melley, will you? She's scudding off to spread the news. And before Mr. Morpeth went to bed he was aware of the fact that every man and woman in the Hotel knew that he had proposed to Miss Flossy Belton, and had been ' beautifully rejected. Two sulky men, one sulky woman, and one girl radiant with triumphant happi- ness started out in two canoes, reached certain fishing-grounds known only to the elect, and began to cast for trout. They had indifferent luck. Miss Belton and Mr. Brown caught a dozen trout; Miss Flossy Belton and Mr. Morpeth, caught eighteen or nineteen, and the day was wearing to a close. Miss Flossy made the last case of the day, just as her escort had taken the paddle; a big trout rose—just touched the fly—and disappeared. Its this wretched гой!” cried Miss Flossy; and she rapped it on the gunwale canoe so sharply that the beautiful split bamboo broke sharp off in the middle of the second point. Then she tumbled it overboard, reel and all. І was tired of that rod, anyway, Muffets,” she said, “ Paddle me home now; I've got to dress for dinner. Miss Flossy's Big Sister, in the other boat, saw and heard this exhibition of tyranny; and she was so much moved that she stamped her small foot, and almost overturned the canoe. She resolved that mamma should come back, whether papa had the gout or not. Mr. Morpeth wearing a grave expres- sion, was paddling Miss Flossy toward the hotel. He had said nothing whatever, and it was a noticeable silence that Miss Flossy finally broke. You've done pretty much everything that I wanted you to do Muffets, she said in almost a whisper, but you haven't saved my life yet, and I'm going to give you a chance. It is not difficult to overturn a canoe. One quick turn of Flossy's active little body did it, and before he knew just what had happened, Morpeth was swimming toward the shore, holding up Flossy Belton with one arm and fighting for life with the other in the icy waters of a Maine Lake. The people were running down bearing blankets and brandy, as he touched bottom in his last desperate struggle to keep the two of them above water. One yard fur- ther, and there would have been no strength left in him. Не struggled up the shore with her, and when he got breath enough he burst out “Why did you до it? It was wicked! It was cruel. “There!” she said as she reclined com- posedly in his arms, “that will do Muffets. I don't want to be scolded.” The delegation of rescuers came along with blankets and brandy, and took her from him. Morpeth presented himself at the door of the parlour attached to the apartments of the Belton Sisters. Miss Belton senior was just coming out of the room. She received his enquiry after her sister's health with a white face and a quivering lip. І should think, Mr. Morpeth, she began, “that you had gone far enough in

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18 LOYOLA COLLEGE REVIEW —— “It’s a bargain, so far as I'm concerned, he said. This time a soft, small hand met his with a firm, friendly, honest pressure. And ГЇЇ refuse you, said Miss Flossy. Within two weeks, Mr. Morpeth found himself entangled in a flirtation such as he had never dreamed of. Miss Flossy's scheme had succeeded only too brilliantly. Тһе whole hotel was talking about the terrible behaviour of that little Benton girl and Mr. Morpeth, who should know better. Mr. ‘Morpeth had carried out his in- structions. Before the week was out he found himself giving the most life-like imitation of an infatuated lover that ever delighted the old gossips of a summer resort. And yet he had only done what Flossy had told him to do. He got his first lesson just about the time that Flossy, in the privacy of their apartments, informed the elder sister that she, Flossy, found Mr. Morpeth's society agreeable; it was nobody's concern but her own, and that she was prepared to make some interesting additions to the age columns in the census statistics 1f any- one thought differently; that she was eighteen, and knew what she was doing, and so on. The lesson opened his eyes. When she met him afterwards, there was another part of her scheme exposed. Do you know it wouldn't be a bad idea to telegraph to New York for some real nice candy and humbly present it for my accept- ance? I might take it if the bonbonniere was pretty. enough. He telegraphed to New York and re- ceived, in the course of four. or five days, certain marvels of sweets in a miracle of an unholstered box. The next day he found her on the veranda, flinging the bonbons on the lawn for the children to scramble for. Awfully nice of you to send me these things, she said languidly, but loud enough for the men around to hear—she had men around her already; she had been dis- covered—'' But I never eat sweets you know. Here, you little mite in the blue sash, don't you want this pretty box to put your doll’s clothes іп?” And Morpeth's fine bonbonniere went to the yellow haired girl of three. | But this was the slightest and lightest of her caprices. She made him send for his dog-cart and his horses, all the way to New York, only that he might drive her over the little mile and a half of road that bounded the tiny peninsula. And she christened him ''Muffets, a nickname presumably suggested by ‘‘Morpeth;” and she called him “Muffet” in the hearing of all the hotel people. Didsuch conduct pass unchallenged? No! Pauline scolded, raged, raved, wrote to Mamma. Mamma wrote back and re- proved Flossy, but mamma could not leave papa. His gout was worse. The Misses Redingtons must act. The Misses Redingtons merely wept, nothing more. Pauline scolded; the flirtation went on; and the people at the big hotel enjoyed it immensely. And there was more to come. Four weeks had passed. Mr. Morpeth was hardly on speaking terms with the elder Miss Belton; and with the younger Miss Belton he was on terms which the hotel gossips charac- terized as simply scandalous. Brown glared at him when they met, and he glared at Brown. Brown was having a hard time; Miss Belton, the elder, was not pleasant of temper in those days. “Апа now, said Miss Flossy to Mr. Morpeth, “‘it’s time that you proposed to me, Muffets. They were sitting on the hotel veranda, in the evening darkness. No one was near them, except an old lady in a shaker chair. There's Mrs. Melley. She's pretending to be asleep, but she isn't. She's just waiting for us. Now walk me up and down and ask me to marry you, so that she can hear it. It'll be all over the hotel before half an hour. Pauline will be frantic—and your happiness will be assured. With this pleasant prospect before him, Mr. Morpeth marched Miss Flossy Belton “ар and down the long veranda. Не had passed Mrs. Melley three times before he was able to say, in a choking, hasty, un- certain voice! x

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20 LOYOLA COLLEGE REVIEW SB eo playing with the feelings of a m-m-mere child; oh! I haven’t. words to express my contempt for you.” And in a most unladylike rage Miss Pauline Belton swept down the hotel corridor. She had left the door open behind her. Morpeth heard a voice, weak, but cheery addressing him from the far end of the parlour. You've got her! it said, She's crazy mad. She’ll make up with you to-night— see if she doesn’t. : Mr. Morpeth pushed open the parlour door and entered; Flossy was lying on the sofa, pale but bright-eyed, aglow with contentment. - “You can get her,” she whispered as he knelt down beside her. “Flossy,” he said, “don’t you know it's all ended? Don't you know that I love you only? Don't you know that I havn't thought about anyone else since—since—O Flossy! don't you— is it possible that you don't understand? Flossy stretched out two weak arms and put them around Mr. Morpeth's neck. Why have I had you in training all summer? said she, “Did you think it was for Pauline? Clyde McCarthy, H.S., 23. SONNET TO COLUMBUS What brief delight your days of triumph bore! How long the years of labor and of pain Ere you could compass quest athwart that main Whose vague vast waste no prow had braved before. What.shame when from your own dis- covered shore You Spainward sailed enthralled їп caitiff chain! Yet, for that cup of woe you did thus drain What glory Earth and Heaven kept in store! ' True Christopher, the Christ you longed to bear To half a world untutored by the Cross Your pattern shone: more frequent in the strife Of want and direct pang—in Tabor’s glare But once, hosannaed once—His death, all loss That seemed, is now for you light, love and life. Oct. 12, 1922. -