St. Landry democrat., 1884-10-04

very Inucn pIea5anCeTp Gnanh YOU
Ruth answered, demurcty.
Il might perhaps allow others to go
through" he went on, eff | could be
sure they would not abuse the liberty.
But it is always dangerous to give people
an inch; they take an ell instead. -
"Oh, I've no doubt you are quite in
the right-from your side of the matter"
Ruth answered, and if there was the
faintest touch of irony in her limitation,
Mr.. Hale did not see it.
Certainly am in the right" he de-
clared, in his most magisterial manner,
but having thus, so to speak, asserted
his dignity, he sought to unbend and be
properly gracious to so discreet q per-
son as she hal proved herself. Ruth
answered all his remarks with proper
modesty, deepening the good impress
sion she had already made, and forgot
all about him whom she had crossed the
hedge.
But the next day, as she sauntered
along the path, q sudden sharp cry
startled her-a child's cry for help. 1t
came from the riyer-bank, and as she
ran toward it she understood its mean
ing. The youngest Of the children, the
little heir of the house, had slipped and
fallen into the stream. The nurse was
running up and down wringing her
hands, and the two children were
screaming for help. The water was not
deep, but child can drown in very
little, and when she reached the bank
he had gone under for the second time.
'Run to the house for HELP" she
cried to the children: but even as she
spoke she had herself seized the readi-
est means OF aid, and was climbing
down the bank. 1t would ruin her
dress-even then she thought of that
but she waded in bravely, half support
ing herself by clinging to a vine that
curtained the slope. It might give
way-it certainly would if the boy
struggled and she lost her balance; but
it was the best she could do. She was
not conscious of any special heroism.
Other people would doubtless come to
pull them both out later, but the mo-
ments were precious, and the child
And here he came up again, just out of
her reach. She dropped the vine, took
the step needed to catch him, and fell
with him to the muddy bottom.
Ruth Bennett was chiefly conscious
of her ruined dress and mud bespat-
tered face when, O. minute later, she
climbed up the bank with her burden.
The gardener and goodman were
there; Mr.. Hale was there too; but he
let the other help her up, and his
paternal raptures did not extend to
taking his dripping son and heir in his
arms.
Garry him up to the house. Bates"
he said, after a glance had assured him
that the child was unhurt, land put
him IN bath-tub at once. And you,
Miss Bennett"
II need to go into one, too" she
gasped. trying to wiring the water from
her skirts. Her ears were roaring with
the water in them; she felt as if she had
been drowned and come 70 life again;
but it was the comedy of the situation
which chiefly occupied her even then,
and Mr.. HaIe's divided mind between
his wish to be properly grateful and his
disguised sense of her dripping condi-
ton. And then, woman-like, as she
tried to pick up her dress with some
light remark on its state, she cried in
stead.
III hope You haven't hurt your
self,n Mr. Hale said. evidently not
knowing what to say. I'll am deeply
grateful, Miss Bennett-more than can
express-a I should be very sorry
for any consequences to yourself"
''Oh, it's nothing" Ruth answered,
as soon as she could speak. 1.-The only
consequences to myself are ruined
dress, and that's proper revenge of
fate. 1t was to save this dress-it was
so new then, and so pretty she added,
pathetically, ''that | trespassed on your
grounds SIX weeks ago. hope you APP
preciate the fact of the Nemesis. y
And Herewith she held up the torn and
streaming silk to his astonished eyes.
"You won't exaggcrate my heroism, "
she went on, IF I tell you that ]
thought more of this than anything else
when went into the river. l knew
there was no real danger if kept q
steady head. But hope the little boy
won take cold; and as that is my own
danger lust now And before Mr..
Hale could recover himself to find
speech, she had swept him q knocking
courtesy, and was flying toward the
Alexander House much as he had seen
her speed six weeks before.
"Miss Bennett, !" Mrs. Alexander
said, few days later, coming into the
library after the children had gone. q
have a commission to discharge. It's
rather peculiar one, but hope yor
won't mind such thing coming
through third person. OF course the
situation is peculiar, and rather.delicate
for Mr.. Hale. He thought he would
rather put it into my hands; that is
rather let me find out first yorr-youl
feeling about it, =