The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-19

grass for colts, plenty of water, enough
arabic land and artificial grasses for
their purpose, and a grand sunny slope
for their fruit trees, fruit bushes, and
Strawberries, with which last alone they
paid the rent.
Hope lived by himself, but not far
from his child, and often, when she
went abroad, his loving eyes watched
her every movement through his
binocular, which might be described as
an opera-glass ten inches long, with a
small field. but telescope power.
Grace Hope, whom we will now call
Mary BARLEY. since everybody but her
father, who generally avoided her name,
called her so, was a well-grown girl of
thirteen, healthy, happy, beautiful, and
accomplished. She was the germ of a
woman, and could detect who loved her.
She saw in Hope an affection she thought
extraordinary, but instinct told her that
it was not like young mans love, and
she accepted it with cOmplacency, and
returned it quietly, with now and then
a gush, for she could gush, and why
not? Far from us and from our friends
be the frigid philosophical girl who
can't gush.
Hope himself was loyal and guarded,
and kepthi affection within bounds:and
a sore struggle it was. He never allow
ed himself to kiss her, though he was
sore tempted one day, when he bought
her a oream-colored pony, and she flung
her arms round his neck before Mr..
BARLEY and kissed him eagerly; but he
was so bashful that the girl laughed at
him. and said, half pertly, Excuse the
liberty, but if you will be such a duck,
why, you must take the consequences"
Said BARLEY, pOmpously, you must
not expect nflddle-aged men to be as
demOnstrative as very young ladies; but
he has as much real affection for yOu as
you have for him."
Then he has a good deal, papa" said
she, sweetly. Both the men were silent,
and Mary looked to one and the other,
and seemed little puzzled.
One morning Mary BARLEY and her
gOverness walked to a neighbOring town
and enjoyed the sacred delight of shop
ping. They came back by a shortcut,
which made it necessary to cross a GER
tain brook, or rivulet, called the Lyn.
This was a rapid stream, and in places
pretty deep: but in one particular part
it was shallow, and crossed by large
stepping-stOnes, twO-thirdS of which
were generally above water. Thevillage
girls, including Mary BARLEY, used all
to trip over these stones, and think
nothing of it, though the brook went
past at fine rate. and gradually widen
ed as it flowed, till it reached a down.
right fall; after that, running no longer
down decline, it became rather a Ian
guild stream.
Mary and her gOverneSs came to this
ford and found it swollen by recent
rains, and fOaming and curling round
the stepping stones, and their tops only
were out of the water now.
The gOverness at once objected to
pass this current.
well, but" said Mary, "the other way
is a mile round, and papa expects us to
be punctual at meals, and / am, oh, so
hungry Dear Miss Everett, l have
crossed it hundred times"
But the water is so deep"
at is deeper thar usual; but see, it is
only up to my knee. | could cross it
without the stones. You gOrOund, dear,
and I'll explain against you come
home"
Not until I've seen you safe over"
THAT you Will soon see, said the girl,
and. fearing a more authoritative inter
ference, she gathered up her skirts and
planted one dainty foot on the first step
ping-stone, another on the next, and so
on TO the fourth; and if she had been a
boy she would have cleared them all.
But holding her skirts instead of keep
ing her arms to balance herself. and
wearing idiotic shoes, her heels slipped
on the fifth stone, which was rather
Shiny, and she fell into the middle of
the current with little scream.
To her amaZement she found that the
stream. though shallow, carried her off
her feet, and though she recovered
them, she could not keep them, but was
alternately up and down, and driven
along, all the time laundering Oh,
then she screamed with terror, and the
poor gOverneSs ran screaming too, and
making idle clutches from the bank but
powerless to aid.
Then, as the current deepened, the
poor girl lost her feet altogether, and
was carried on toward the deep water,
flinging her arms high and screaming
but powerless. At first she was buoyed
up by her clothes, and particularly by a
petticOat of some material that did not
drink water. But as her other clothes
became soaked and heavy, she sank to
her chin, and death stared her in the
face.
She lost hope, and being no common
Sp1T1I, she gained TeSlSQdllO0. Sic lell
screaming, and said to Everett, Pray
for me-"
But the next moment hope revived
and fear with it-this is law of nature
for a man, bareheaded and his hair
flying, came galloping on a barebacked
pony, shouting and screaming with ter
rOr louder than both the women. He
urged the pony furiously to the stream;
then the beast planted his feet together
and with the impulse thus given Hope
threw himself over the pony's head into
the water, and had his arm round his
child in moment. He lashed out with
the other hand across the stream. But
it was so powerful now as it neared the
lasher that they made far more way on
ward to destruction than they did acrOs:
the stream; still they did near the bank
a little. But the lasher rOared nearer
and nearer, and the stream pulled then
to it with iron force. They were close
to it now. Then a willow bough gave
them one chance. Hope grasped it,anC
pulled with iron strength. From th'
bough he got to the branch, and finally
clutched the stem of the tree, just a.
I. L