New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-21

entire want OF comprehension IN her Dyes, ana theu
youchsating no reply, rose up and began TO survey
her hands.
L shall never play we'll | can't You see' she
They are verv small. certainly be answered
And then he looked at them too. Very small and
| very pretty
They are like my mothers she said pensiyely.
Have you got a mOtherf lie asked.
She shook her head aud sighed.
ION no; | unhappy enough to lose her long
ago she replied She died when { was quite
/ child. And | have lost my father too am DOth
! fatherless aud motherless.'
/ oh dear exclaimed Keith sympathetcally.
He did really for the moment feel sorry for her.
1t was so clear that she needed somebody to look
| alter her. he thought.
| She had folded her hands aud was standing gaz-
/ ing thOughtiully the ground. They were both
silent for few moments, during which he occupied
| himself in regarding her, ana then-begnnlng To
find the silence a little awkward
We'll. hope YOU will De comfortable here, ne
! said abruptly and sOod-naturedly. lt won't be
my mothers fault think, If you don't coon feel ut
! home
'Oh. no. don't think it will believe that
! thoroughly, she replied with earnestness our
| family nave been very kind to mo, Mr.. Klein
Your mother, and your father, and Mabel have all
been kindness Itself. Even your brother Godfrey
was good enough to talk to ne for a quarter OF an
| hour last night quite a;iably.
Poor Keiths blood mounted TO his face. If the
| soft little fingers had slapped his cheek he could
| hardly have felt more hot.
Now say he broke out stammerng. upon
| my word that's too bad And you mean to say
! that am the only one-that treat you Inherently
! from all The rest =
ION mol am saying nothing about you at all
she replied. Lifting up her eyes suddenly with
smile in them that seemed to him as cold ~ a steel
! blade That wOnld he piece Of presumption,
after your ebuke last night, that should be sorry
| to lie guilty Of
Hiss. Hart. you are an awfullv sarcastic woman
! be exclaimed How Is one ever 20 know how to
! have gou u To say such thing rs that to a fellow
| Is enough 10 knO, X him down
There Is not the least fear of your being knocked
| down she replied with lIttle sndden scofniul
| laugh. some peoples words, | uareSay. might
! Kind ltfff nnfT
But all at once. she made this answer. she
! smiled. and the smile had a curious unexpected
| sweetness IN that struck the young man with
! surprise. + or moment the face that he had been
calling plain looked. 10 his eyes. almost beautiful.
! And then, before he had more than hall recovered
from tins first change IN her. there came second,
! which completed ais amaZement.
! You seem 10 look upon me a. very designing
! person she said abruptly. with her eyes, full OF
| then new expression. fixed on his face, and in
! stead of that | am only lonely girl, who has been
left tO herself great deal. and who has no home
! except what your people give me- and no friends
excerpt And then she stopped, and the pause aud
! the unfinished sentence were very eloquent But
! before he could reply she had suddenly passed by
! him. and slipped through the open reuch WINDOW,
! and as lost to view.
! After this Keith spent quiet evening The girls
! went 10 church again, but he did not 20 any more
| To church ley did not, however LACK an attend
| ant on their way back for Godire'. when service
| was over appeared at the church door, and
| escorted them home. ! thought you were gong
! over To Mr. Marshalls, TO iIeyP Mabel said TO
| hun when lie met them, hut the young man ONLY
! laughed. and answered that he had changed MS
! mind. And the" he set himself AT frudences sl"e
and talked to her. and Mabel took her walk home.
! listening and perhaps IN some surprise
The next morning. as the two young men went
back Godfrey said abruptly to his brother
! with laugh
| We'll. 1 think my mother has caught n Tartar.
OF all the uuccmpromsIng lrts ever came across,
have never known one to beat that girl
'Oh-what-vou think that too. 30 Won : said
| Keith. why has she been talking to you
Talking ia me! 1 should just think she had
! answered Godfrey.
But l don't know when you were together SAID
! Keitt quickly. | never saw you with her.
What does that prove l never saw you with
! her retorted Godfrey.
And then Keith, knowing that undoubtedly, as
far ~ he concerned, that fact proved nothing,
! held his peace.
Il think certainly she IS drt he agreed. after
| few moments silence; and 1t Is pity, for the
! others don't seem To- have notion oi It,
We'll. il vii do them no harm not to know.
Don't you say anything to then. cIalned Cot
! lrey for she Is splendid lun. hat pretty little
Minis she j. too! / thought with Won at first that
she was plain, but by JOye she knows how to
Sic Is a very odd grl' said Keith gravely. L
am afraid she is not very good companion for
ION. Mabel can take care OF herself answered
the Younger brother carele~sly. Besides sho
wants shaking up and Miss TART i Just The sort Of
person L. give her illip. There is no real harm IN
her-at least. | don't think there Is. She Is
/ thorough paced 1lrt, that's all
! well. but that l. bad enough, | suppose, said
krlth was little uneasy as he went to his work
! that DAY. lie haC Strong suspicion that he ought
10 eve bis mother hint of the special proclIrI-
ties that he and Godfrey had discovered IN Miss
Hart and yet he cont hot bear 10 hurt the giri 10y
doing It. Mrs. NeInrr wonid have ner ont 81 the
/ house at once II she knew, nc Thought. And then
! he remembered how Prudence had sad To him that
! She had 10 other home than tins one. and how she
| had looked hen she had said that she was lonely
ami trcndiess AMI he ielt that lac could not ID IT,
so he made mp his mind that he would say moth
inE and that TIL the end of the week. at any rate,
/ he would put the matter ont OF his thoughts; aud
accorllngly To The best OF bis power. ne iId this
! bu yet before the week ended he found himself
/ Incoming very curious learn how she would con
| duet herself to MIN when he saw her next.
! With cert lin undenable interest he vailed Tor
Saturday TO come. and 10 tell The truth, wDen IL
arrived ami when. a. he entered IN al thr gate OF
hs fathers house he recognized at some nifty PAGES
! from him a small gray figure fitting amongst the
! trees the first impulse unquestlonably was To bend
nj, steps IN It's direction lOr tue sinai gray hgre
was Mss Prudence Hart taking solitary exercise IN
the sunny afternoon. Bat, after lit.ie pause, he
! rontluue his straighC walk 10 the house. Godfrey,
! i'm ms place would have done differently: but
| Keith had scrupes that were ignored by his
| Younger brother.
| ardor in seeking Miss Harris society ii was By no
| means his intention 10 exclude himself from any
! future intercourse with that Young lady On the
contrary he had 10y TINS time assured himself that
| it was his duty in quiet way. 10 learn what more
of her be could. order 10 place himself III post
ton 10 give such advice concerning her lsupposhg
| that advice were necessary as ought TO he looked
| tor from an elder and brother. Without further
loss oil time therefore. he set himself about TINS
| rirtuous work and continued IL with audable per-
| severance through week after week of the advanc-
| ing spring and early simmer, for II proved to be
an Undertaking OF an aruOus sort requiring or. ut
least 80 he thought much time for lis due carrying
1 out. -
! A. these weeks went on. Prudence showed herself
| ,o btu in variou. moods. He good deal of
her and she was sometimes Though not often silent
| and drmurc she was generally irritating and more
| ar loss tu0ckinE: she was occasionally gentle and
| yomaulv; and IN all her moods. except perhaps the
first she got the better of him. They rad many
encounters together. ad she beat him IN every one
| Of them She was ten times ceverer than he WAS
| ten times readIer-tcn times more daring. And he
sald to himself again and again. She Is not the
/ ItftL inc slt,4 l. .fIt "A