The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-04-24

tory wall and tried to laugh. The
stranger lifted his hat. looking straight
at her with pair of piercing brown
eyes.
"Excuse me, Miss Travers," he said,
in rather an off-hand manner, "but that
was about as rash q thing as any one
could possibly do. The dogs might
both have turned on you and bitten you
badly"
"Thank you. Capt. Hardwicke, l had
not the least fear,' was her response,
given with little haughtiness; and the
gentleman, with nod to Richard,
turned and strobe away as rapidly as he
had come.
"AIiss Travers are you hurt?" Rich
ard was able to articulate at last. "You
never should have done thing like
that Hardwicke was right; it was aw-
fully rashl BY the way, you know
Hardwicke?"
NO, Pm not hurt bit" The won
derful gray eyes we're dancing with fun
now. Don't scold me, please. Iknow
it was a silly thing to do, but l didn't
stop to think. Pray don't look 30 hor-
| rifedi"
"But if you had been bitten?"
swell, / wasn't" And her face
dimpled with friendly smile at his
shocked look.
"But you know Hardwicke?" he per-
sisted, unable to get over his surprise
in that quarter.
"Oh, yes" Her face grew cold in
stanty. Capt. Hardwicke was in hos
pital with an accident some months ago
my hospital L had charge of him
there, that's all" And she pulled q
rose so sharply from the hedge that it
! fell to pieces in her hands.
"Look therel" she laughed, shower
ing the petals on the ground before her !;
"let us cover over the battlefield with
flowers" and she laughed again.
Richard went home more thoughtful
than ever. Surely this woman was a
novel thing in his experience of men
and manners. She acted with the skill
and daring OF man; and yet he would
rather not think what his sisters faces
would be like had they but seen it.
Was it actually ladylike? or should she
not rather have fed from the scene of
conflict, or even have screamed and
|
as beautiful as an avenging Amazon;
| but was it quite correct conduct for u
girl? And Capt. Hardwicke's manner,
so abrupt and dictatorial; he seemed to
show her the difference in social posi-
ton between a nobleman's nephew and
! hospital nurse. 1t must have been an
awkward meeting, as lis sisters had
said. And then a cold SILVER came over
him, as he thought Of Miss Travers in
troduced as Mrs. Richard Allerdyce at
Belmont castle, and Capt. Hardwicke's
stony stare of surprise. And yet-and
yet-she was so beautiful.
Nearly three weeks since the dog
episode, and Richards courage still
wayered in the balance. He had grown
to know Miss Travers well in those
three weeks, and to know her well was
but to love her better. There never
was n woman so sweet, so clever, so
sympathetic, so beautiful-he was
certain of that-no woman he more
ardently longed to have for his own !;
and yet-and yet That terrible
strength of character, that profession,
that lack of pedigree! Only last night,
almost flung all prudence to the winds,
she had been so dangerously, fatally
sweet (she was always especially kind
to HIM, but he reele1 back from the
gulf Just in time VIXEN she mentioned
casually, without q change of voice or
countenance, that she had an uncle whs
was a chemist in Rochester. "A
1 chemist! Shades of my ancestors,
protect mel" Richard recoiled again
as he thought of it, and fancied Hard
wicke's look if he could have heard her.
For Capt. Hardwicke was still at the
"White Hart, and perhaps his presence,
and the atmosphere of exalted society
about him, had been one of Richard's
restraining though unconscious in
fuences. Now, as he slowly worked
his way up the steepest hill in the
neighborhood, on his new tricycle., he
was bordering the old question in his
mind. Could he take the fatal plunge,
or was it too costly?
A trim, graceful figure on the road
before him. as at last he gained the
summit, drove all else to the four
winds; and in an instant he had over
/ taken the object of his cogitations, and
sprung to the ground beside her.
"Mr. Allerdyce!" she said, turning
with her own bright look to shake
hands; "how like ghost you stole upon
me! Oh, see, it was on tricycle.,
and what beauty! Do let me look at
it," And Richard, nothing loath, be-
gan to display his new toy-a perfect
thing in build and finish-the Aller-
dyces' possessions always were the
most perfect of their kind.
He began to explain it to her, for
getting all about the chemist uncle, bat
she interrupted him.
"Yes, / know all about them, thanks.
/ see, it is regular bit of perfection.
/ should so like to try it; may II"
Once more Richard was dumb with
surprise. A lady on tricycle. was as
yet IN unheard-of thing in rustic Chel-
lowdean, and it seemed an outrageous
idea to him.
II really don't think you could" he
faltered. my sisters have never done
such thing"
your sisters? Oh. perhaps not J"
with little smile at tho idea. "But
am quite used to tricycles. / ride one
whenever can get chance"
Further blow for Richard; but there
| was no knowing how to refuse her and