Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-25

''AHoao me to assist you"
 AS 1 looked at her, she raised her ham mer and struck it on a nail she was hold ing in place; the nail glanced from its position, and she drove it through the flesh part of one of the fingers of her left hand. uttered an exclamation, and en- deavored to take the hammer from her hand. She smiled little strange smile, and clenched her fingers over the handle to prevent my getting it-then she drew the nail from her bleeding fin gers and pounded it in it's place with an energy that had something of spite in it.
 "What can one do with such woman as that?" almost burst from my lips, SC impetuously did it. cross my mind.
 She rose from her knees and began binding up her hand with her handker chief very tenderly, and with an expres- sion of soft, self pity on her face. took the hand in mine and swathed it in the gossamer handkerchief; as I did so I saw name marked in it's corner. Thinking that if I wanted to know her I must take advantage of every circumstance 1 scru- tinized the marking and read aloud ''Viviane Clare"
 "Excuse me, Miss Clare,' I said: II know l am very rude. but l wish 10 be- come possessed of the right to speak to you, and you see 1 am bold enough to seize the first opportunity of learning your name"
 She withdrew her hand with a sud- denness that was almost jerk, and in stantly became absorbed in tending it again.
 ,x-icl, I ho,1 ,,arcicta1 i,to of doing your carpentering for you," said.
 II suppose you think if you had per sisted you would have succeeded, don't you?" she asked, with laugh that was very musical, while it was slightly sa- tirical.
 q realize now that should have been defeated in my humane desire,' l re- piled. ''You have not yet pardoned mo for discovering your name by stratagem, continued. "In atonement let mo tell you that the name by which men know me is Jarl Perrom." I bowed as ceased speaking; she did not look up to perceive it; she only said: Thank you, MT. Perrom," with an in describable accent of polite derision, that l pierced me like sharp steel.
 
 II hope you will experience no evil effects from the wound," said, lower ing my eyelids to hide my vexed eyes. "With your permission, will lead my horse from the stall, as he wants groom ing"
 I thought she would go out at that: 1 but she said:
 "I don't mind it." and turned to her boards and nails again.
 There she crouched, graceful as a couchant leopard, fumbling with her bandaged left hand, and making quick, telling strokes with her right. 1 never groomed horse with so distracted a mind before. Under my hands he grew pettish and fractious, and narrowly es- capped being kicked several times. At length in a pet, tied him up to his crib, and was turning to come out, when Miss Clare spoke. Apparently she had not | looked at me before since took the horse out.
 She said, with mirthful voice: 1 "You have given that horse rope enough to get tangled about his fore legs if he is so inclined, and cause a catastro- phe."
 With burning face I saw my blum der, and rectifed it, feeling very much like chopping off my hands for having been so awkward
 'I confess am not used to being my own groom" said; "your knowledge is as useful as it is uncommon.a
 She did not reply; and as had no pretense to stay longer, stalked out of the barn, with frivolous, secret wonder in my mind as to whether she was going to transplant her heliotrope, for she seemed now preparing. to fill her box with earth. 1 settled the question, how ever, with a grunt of sarcasm, by nut tering to myself that "she was going to have another womanish plant to dawdle over"
 I had to admit, though, that she did Bot look like q woman to dawdle about anything.
 With this admission in my mind went into the house, and looked round for the heliotrope. found it by sunny window For some reason I liked this plant, l To be continued.