el busses
could be secured, which would not be the case after the season opened.

Albert went to the picnic. He was not very keen on going, but his
grandfather had offered him a holiday for the purpose, and it was one
of his principles never to refuse a chance to get away from that office.
Besides, a number of the young people of his age were going, and Gertie
Kendrick had been particularly insistent.

"You just MUST come, Al," she said. "It won't be any fun at all if you
don't come."

It is possible that Gertie found it almost as little fun when he
did come. He happened to be in one of his moods that day; "Portygee
streaks," his grandfather termed these moods, and told Olive that they
were "that play-actor breakin' out in him." He talked but little during
the ride down in the bus, refused to sing when called upon, and, after
dinner, when the dancing in the pavilion was going on, stepped quietly
out of the side door and went tramping along the edge of the bluff,
looking out over the sea or down to the beach, where, one hundred and
fifty feet below, the big waves were curling over to crash into a creamy
mass of froth and edge the strand with lacy ripples.

The high clay bluffs of Trumet are unique. No other part of the Cape
shows anything just like them. High Point Light crowns their highest
and steepest point and is the flashing beacon the rays of which spell
"America" to the incoming liner Boston bound.

Along the path skirting the edge of the bluff Albert strolled, his hands
in his pockets and his thoughts almost anywhere except on the picnic
and the picnickers of the South Harniss Congregational Church. His
particular mood on this day was one of discontent and rebellion against
the fate which had sentenced him to the assistant bookkeeper's position
in the office of Z. Snow and Co. At no time had he reconciled himself to
the idea of that position as a permanent one; some day, somehow he was
going to break away and do--marvelous things. But occasionally, and
usually after a disagreeable happening in the office, he awoke from his
youthful day dreams of glorious futures to a realization of the dismal
to-day.

The happening which had brought about realization in this instance was
humorous in the eyes of two-thirds of South Harniss's population. They
were chuckling over it yet. The majority of the remaining third were
shocked. Albert, who was primarily responsible for the whole affair, was
neither amused nor shocked