Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-03-25

walked to rancher's shanty, quarter or mule away, in quest of his own breakfast
 He found the family just sitting down to their own meal. explained to them that he had ridden late the night before and had camped out, and was given a cordial invitation to ''draw chair up to the table and help himself, which he very promptly did.
 Breakfast eaten. he offered to pay, but was refused; gave thanks instead of money, and hurrying back to the place where he had left his horse, fastened h 8 blanket to his saddle, placed both upon the roan, and mount ing. resumed his journey.
 Just before noon he stopped at a lttie town. put up at the hotel, fed and rubbed down his steed, got his own dinner; and did not mount again un il the greatest heat of the day was over. Then he pushed on at a rapid pace untl an hour after sunset, when he again tethered his horse and slept upon the ground, as he had done the night before
 The day following was repetition of the one which preceded it, but its close found him well up in the foot hills, and he put up at the cottage of a rancher. with whom he had stayed over night when on his way to the Slough the year before.
 In the morning he arose with one thought throbbing in brain and heart, "to-night l shall see her; tonight shall know my fate"
 He fed and groomed his horse as usual. but could scarcely wait for breakfast. which was not yet prepared when he returned from the stable. lie had eaten cold lunch for supper, but hls lmpatienca conquered all desire for food. He was count ng the hours now, and the moments would drag them selves so until he was in the saddle : again.
 Rather than app pr discourteous or strange, he wal ed for the morning meal to be prep red, but was off almost before his host had arisen from the ta- ble.
 He had ridden se"enty-tive miles the day before. and had feared the Ioan 1 might feel Little stiff and sore at start | ing, but when he saw h,m come out of the stable with head up, apparently as anxious as himself to be off, this fear van shed. and he determined to push through the remaining forty miles wi h. out halting. But he found the roads not SO good as he had anticipated. He was now in part of the foothills l with which he was unacquainted, for he no longer followed the road over which he came the year before, but strurk across the country by route | which left the old home of to the left. and threw him further up towards the mountains, and when noon came ho was still, from the best information he ] could get, fully fifteen miles from John | Parsons shanty, and compa sion for his horse induced him to stop at ranch 1 CTS for feed and rest; so that with this delay and the trouble which he expe- r:enced in learning exactly where the shanty was. even when within a few miles of it, the afternoon was we'll nigh worn away when he reached the point where tle by-road wh oh led to 1t turned off from the main track; and even then he was not certain of this be- ing the place.
 He had stopped his horse and was debating with himself whether to turn off or follow the main road yet further, when he saw coming around the spur i of the mountain, and into the road over which he had just passed, her for love : of whom he had come. and the sight
 
 l to his heart, and for the moment he could neith 1T have spoken nor moved,
 Evidently Lucy had not seen him pass. and was not now aware of his ] presence,
 She had gone to find the COWS and drive them home to be milked, and was following along behind them as they lazilv moved homeward
 She was dressed as Erastus had seen her oftenest in the olden time, in a light print dress and sun-bonpet. In her hand she carried little crooked stick, which she had picked up to drive the cows with, but was paying very lit tle attention to them. Instead she was gazing of upon the hills which stretched away and away, one above another, until they became snow capped peaks that in the light of the falling sun looked like amethysts set into the cerulean blue of the heavens.
 Had not the cows paused at sight of the man and ho SC standing in their path she might have reached his side before becoming aware of his presence, with their great eyes staring with the least bit of surprise at what was not & very common sight to them in their mounta p pastures. she ra sed her stick and bid them "go-long." Then seeing for the first time gentleman standing by the roadside hold ng hjs horse by the bridle, she blushed little beneath her sun-bonnet. and dropping her eyes, followed closely after the cows. which had again lazily taken up their line of march.
 The blush which suffused her cheeks was not. however, owing to her having recognized the horseman, for she had not done so. She had only glanced at him and then dropped her eyes with s feeling of embarra -sment, for she sell dom met gentlemen now, and however much poets may sing the charms of never be able to convince any member of the sex that they look their best in that role, any more than can be taken from them their Womanly desire to an-