The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-09-11

anyway she could not 80 back till she !
was told.
Mr.. Hale had to take a half-dozen
more steps before he was near enough
to say: GAS il is raining. miss, II it will
shorten your walk, have no objection
for this once
.sOh. / shall not do it again. Ruth
cried; I'D sooner 60 through wilder
ness"
..But that is not tho shortest way"
he went on; lit is much nearer by tho
coach-hOuse. Here-let me show you"
s.Oh, I couldn't think of troubling
you. Thank you, but you'll get wet
yourself"
s.Since 1 have undertaken il, an
swered Mr.. Hale, IS if apologizing to
himself for his concession; and with
the words he spread his neat umbrella,
and walked with her. 1t was only two
minutes. The path he took was shorter,
and Miss Bennett hurried all she could.
She spoke no word till she reached the
Alexander hedge; then she said, as
hastily: II am very much obliged
and shall not trespass again.
"A pretty GIRL Mr.. Hale said to
himself, as he watched her lying
toward the shelter OF the porch. ''Alrs.
Alcxander's gOverness! HUM But
what the last word meantin his thought
he could hardly have told Perhaps it
only reminded him that his three moth
eriess children would soon be needing
one.
Miss Bennett Mrs Alexander said,
a week later, "where did you meet Mr..
Hale? He seems to know You; and last
night at the garden party he delgned to
say that if it would save you time and
fatigue. you might go through the park
He has noticed You, perhaps, coming
up from the village" And when Ruth
had told her story, she lifted her eye
| brows little. ssIts a concessiOn--a
great concession from him. she said.
- But / don't want it, cried Ruth
- I'd rather go miles around now. You
can't think how his manner Inundated
me- felt rs though I'd committed the
objectionable SIM
Mrs. Alexander smiled ut her vehe-
mence, but She had her own reasons for
not encouraging it. ats quite on an
other footing now, since he permits
it" she said, ''and really | wish you
would. Since the hot weather came l
notice you are sometimes very tired
with the walk Anything that will save
your strength for your work, you
know" And to that Ruth yielded
She need not have been so fierce
about it, she said to herself after a
week She had the park all to herself,
/ and it was certainly pleasanter than the
/ dusty road At first she hurried through
rs if dragon haunted every bush; but
! gradually she moderated her pace, and
| at last she made it a gentle saunter, and
even stopped on the brink of the little
/ stream which crossed one end of the
/ park to cool her hot head in it's breath
/ of freshness, and soOthe her eyes in the
soft green depths of the wood beyond.
/ Once or twice she saw Mr. Hale's chill
dren with their French nurse in the dis
lance; once MIR. Hale himself met her,
touched his hat stilf1y, and stood aside
to let her pass. She wondered after
ward if he expected her to thank him
for his great concession. But the bur
den of gratitude was not overwhelming
to her proud little heart
But a few days later she met him
again, and this time she repented
| enough to give him a very frank smile
/ and greeting. She felt like smiling on
all the world that day, this poor little
! governess who had youth and hope rs
| her portion, and was content Herewith.
Perhaps n letter which she had thrust
into her pocket at sight of hima let
ter she had herself taken from the Of
flee and fingered under the trees to read
had something to do with her radiant
face Just then.
you find this way much pleasantel
than the road, Miss Bennett?" Mr.
Hale said, made afIable by that smile
Every much pleasauter, thank you. y
Ruth answered, demurely.
Il might perhaps allow others to &C
through" he went on, ''if l could be
sure they would not abuse the liberty
Sc 4 70
an inch; they take an ell instead. -
''Oh, I've no doubt you arc quite il
the right-frOm your side of the matter, y
Ruth answered, and if there was the
/, faintest touch of irony in her limitation
Mr.. Hale did not see it.
Certainly I am in the right" he de-
clared, in his most magisterial manner
, but having thus, so to speak, asserted
, his d entity, he sought To unbend and b.
properly gracious to so discreet n per
son as she had proved herself. Rutl
answered all his remarks with prOpe
modesty, deepening the good impress
sion she had already made, and fOrgo
: all about him when she had crossed tn
hedge.
But the next day, as she saunteret
= along the path, a sudden sharp CT,
startled her-a child's cry for help.
4 came from the river-bank, and as sh
ran toward it she understood its mean
, ing. The youngest of the children, tn
little heir of the house, had slipped an,
fallen into the stream. The nurse wa
I running up and down wringing he
a hands, and the two children wer
p screaming for help. The water was no
r deep, but child can drown in yer
q little, and when she reached the ban
= he had gone under for the second time
'Run to the house for hel0,' sh
+ crfed to the children: but even rs sh
o spoke she had herself seized the readi
est means OF aid, and was climbin,
\ down the bank. 1t would ruin he
= dress even then she thought of that
but she waded in braveIy, half support
{ ing herself by elinging to vine tina
curtained the slope. 1t might Civ
! way-it certainly would if the bo
, struggled and she lost her balances; bu
il was the best she could do. She wa
q not conscious of any special herOssm
: Other people would doubtless come t
: pull them both out later, but the me
ments were precious. and the child
b; And here he came up again, just out {
f her reach. She dropped the vine, too
the step needed to catch him, and fe
!. with him TO the muddy bottom.
4 Ruth Bennett was chiefly consciou
of her ruined dress and mud-b espat
+ tered face when, minute later, sh
! climbed UP the bank with her burden
a The gardener and goodman wer
4 there; Mr.. Hale was there too; but h
let the other help her up, and hi
I pateUnal raptures did not extend {
4 taking his dripping son and heir in hi
y arms.
\ Garry him up to the house, Bates,
he said, after z ance had assured hin
4 that the child was uRhurt, land pu