Dodge City times., 1884-06-26

me, SO would you MIND gong tnere at
quarter past two and telling her cant
come. because of that beastly dean?
And so that you can't mistake her,
I've brought you her photograph. By
the-by, her names Miss Bernard.
Now will this be too much trouble for
you?'
.'Oh, not a bit.'' said Crofton, Il
shah be delighted
"Well, remember, Westminster land
ing pier, at a quarter past two! And
now, goodbye, and pleasant long to
you"
Methven, highly elated with the re-
suit of his scheme, Immediately wrote
a note to Miss L. Bernard that H. G..
would meet her at the Westminster
Bridge pier, at quarter past two
punctually, and that she must come up
and speak to him if she saw him first.
The next morning Crofton, having
undergone that dread ordeal called
collections" having been bullied
alternately by the principal, the dean
and the senior tutor, hurried off to the
station and just managed to catch the
md day express to town. On his ar
rival, leaving his traps at a hotel, he
rushed off to Westminster Bridge land
ing pier and arrived there within a
minute or two of the appointed time.
There were but few people on it when
he arrived, and certainly no one re-
sembling in the slightest degree the
photograph of Mr.. Methvens cousin.
He looked up and down, but no-there
was only one young lady there, and she
wasn't in the least like the photograph.
She was standing close to the ticket
Office, holding the hand of little boy
of ten or so-and she seemed to watch
CrOftoE with an amused smile as he i'm
patiently walked up and down, looking
now at her watch and now at the Parlia-
ment clock tower. The little boy, get
ting tired of waiting, had slipped away
under the protecting chains around the
side and began to play with little dog
that was vaguely roaming about. The
young lady did not miss him, and when
Crofton happened to turn he saw the
child, in trying to avoid a sudden bound
of the dog, stumble and fall over the
pier into the river. The child yelled,
the girl shrieked, and the dog barked
for sympathy, but Crofton, who FORUM
ately had plenty of presence of mind
and was a good strong swimmer. dived
quietly into the water, caught up the
child in couple of strokes, and in a
very short time had restored his drip
ping burden to the young lady. She
was of course most grateful to him for
having saved the life of her little
brotbor /fnr ca tho ob;1I <rrood ont +o
be-, and as Crofton put them into a
cab, she asked him to call On them at
home and give her parents an oppor-
tunity of personally thanking him.
Crofton at first pooh-poohed the idea
of being thus made hero of, but there
was pleasing look in her pretty eyes
which quite overcame his scruples;
and, having ascertained that her father
was Mr.. West, and lived at No. 1876
Cavendish Square, lie promised to call
there the following afternoon. And,
as there was still no sign of Miss Ber-
nard. and as he was dripping wet, he
hailed passing cab and returned to his
hotel
The next day according to his prom
Use, he called at No. 136 Cavendish
square, and was received most kindly
by Miss West, his acquaintance of yes
terday, and her mother, an old lady,
who thanked him most volubly for hav-
ing saved dear Bertie's life, who, she
added, was none the worse for the
ducking, and was at that moment in
bed, with a mustard plaster on his
chest and basin of Cruel by his side,
probably thinking the drowning would
have been infinitely preferable to the
doctoring.
OF course Crofton was invited to stay
to dinner, so as to meet Mr.. West, who
did not return from business till after
six. About that time he arrived, and a
fine CHEEKY fellow he was, and right
heartily did he welcome his new ac-
quaintance. After dinner, as he and
Harry were discussing pottle Of '34
port, Mr.. West found out from the
simple hearted fellow that he was a
native of Australia, and that, though
he was happy enough during term
time with his college chums, he found
it very dull during vacation, having
but few relations and friends in the old
country; and so MIR. West, liking the
honest, manly lad, and feeling, of
course, intensely grateful TO him for
having saved his child from
drowning, invited him to spend
a month with him at his shoot
ing-lodge in Scotland. Crofton, being
passionately devoted to sport, snapped
at the offer; and SO it was arranged
that he should 60 up to MIR. Vests
shooting lodge, in Cromarty. on the
llth of August. To this day he swears
that the month he spent at Balbriggan
Lodge was the happiest time of his life
good sport, nice men in the house,
and, ah! far best of all, the society of
Lillian West. At first it struck him
that she looked upon him for some rea-
son or other as rather a puppy, which
considerably surprised him, for what
ever his faults might be, conceit was
certainly not one OF them. But as time
went on, and she had plenty of oppor-
tunity OF seeing what a modest sterling
fellow he was (besides being the best
shot of the party) the feeling seemed to
pass away. and soon gave place to
sincere regard. Sunday afternoon
rambles through the heather, coy chats
in the cleaning after dinner, lessons in
the mysteries of "gobang'' and chess,
have brought together less susceptible
hearts than those of Harry Crofton and
Lillian West, and the day before he was
returning to England he plucked up
courage. proposed. and to his delight,
was accepted. The next morning, how
ever, just before starting home, Lillian
came up to him and said:
Harry dear, before you 60 l want
you to forgive me for the silly joke I
played you about that advertisement"