Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-26

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making love, in meaningless foolish sort Of
way, when O woman took his fancy and he was
brought for any length Of time into contact
with her.
And, surely. two months sojourn in q lonely
farm house, cut off from the world by that
great chain of mountains, without railways,
newspapers or oven kilograms to bring con-
tact with society, was some excuse for such
pastime.
George thought so at any rate. though he
might have been some What ashamed to own IL.
And Bronwen was SO entirely different to any
girl he had ever met; sine was so completely a
| child Of the mountains-wild, wayward
capricious and yet withal perfectly natural
with every emotion speaking from her eyes.
her face, her gestures, i'll the most irresistible
way.
Mr.. Beldon was what is called well-prnci-
pied young maE-respectable, decorous. moral.
and he would not willingly have harmed the
| girl. But it is quite possible to brush the
bloom from the petals of a flo wer without
| plucking it from its stem, and this was the
kind of amusement George most affected Only
a pastime, not a crime. And SO long no sin
| Is committed against the mans moral code
| what would you? The flower may be left
dropping. faded, scentless, but, then. it ought
| to be defended by thorns. Well. Bronwen at
least was no thornless flower. though the thorns
were not in evidence that sunny morning.
But she certainly possessed the fiery, ungov-
ernable temper Of hor race. Woe betide those
who ventured to hurt her pride or to rouse her
hatred
With no mother to guide her. only father
VINO spoiled her and allowed her TO do as she
| chose the cir! had grown up to believe that
she was perfect being, morally as we'll as
physically, and that her will ought in her little
| domain, to be law. Only one person ever
yentured to oppose her. This was Thomas
Gwynne, her half cousin, a young man who
| helped her father on the farm, to which, along
with Bronwen's hand. it was arranged that he
| should in time succeed. But now that Bronwen
had grown to womanhood, she thought that on
| this matter it behooved her to have say.
| There were qualities about Thomas which
| Jared upon her. Even his personal appearance
to which, to do HIM justice, he never gave a
| thought-did not please her. He was a typical
| Welsh mountaineer, long bodied, short limbed,
sturdy, with somber visage and a Calvinistic
| turn OF thought. II Bronwen found fault with
| him, she was by no means perfect in his eyes.
| Her views were dreamy and impractical In the
extreme, and it was therefore but fit and proper
| that she should be taken to task by the man
who was to have leave to guide her, and that
he should instill proper notions into her TO olish
| feminine mind. But BrOnwen did not wish for
| any such proper notions. She liked to be told
that her ways were the right ways, and that she
was the best as well the prettiest girl in the
district
Thomas did not approve Of the new inmate
Of the Carrig house, either, though he was too
cautious to express such an opinion, save by
dubious hints, when his uncle, old Gwylim,
first mooted the question OF the young botan-
lists sojourn at the farm. 1t was q question Of
money-of good round sum in return for
| simple board and lodging-and on question
| OF money a man like Thomas is ever prudent
But be was quite sure, nevertheless, that it
was not conducive to BrOnwen's growth Of
wisdom that she should be necessarily brought
into such familiar intercourse with this Mr..
vain and foolish notions.
Probably il the botanist had come in the
guiss Of some musty old specialized professor
IN place OF gOod-looking young fellow
Thomas would have felt easier In his mind
Besides this, however, he had all a practical
mans mistrust Of anything not Immediately
lucrative. 1t was stupid enough of these poor
devils of artists who sometimes came to the
farm, and who required accommodation at the
lowest possible rate, to go on spelling paper
and canvas in their vain attempts to reproduce
| the effects Of mountain and stream. Stupid
enough, because they evidently found it a poor
business. But this eternal grubbing and gath
ering of weeds and rubbish what profit was it
like to bring to q man? Therefore was botany
| intolerable to his storm common sense. 1t is
| certain that he would have disapproved more
| than ever Of Mr.. Beldon had he seen the ad-
miring glances and heard the factoring
speeches made by the botanist a. he lay at Bron-
wen's feet upon Noel CsrrIg that morning. 1t
the same.
Under the subtle influence of the hour the
girls eyes grew soft and tender and yelled
themselves shyly under their long lashes.
Mover had she felt SO diffidsnt, SO self-con-
scious. New feelings were coming to life
within her and causing delicious trouble in
her blood. Poor Bronwen! All IMMERSED in
the dangerous pastime. she was quite ready to
fall a victim to the voice that kept assuring
her-what in her heart Of hearts she believed
aIraa liz tt,att Ia a.
with her, that she was the sweetest and most
lovable girl in the world There was some
show of reason in her good opinion of her
charms, No means had she of pitting herself
against other attractive girls for the farmers
daughters in that scattered district were, for
the most part. coarse and commonplace. The
moments Hew with winged speed, and before
long Bronwen's hand was clssped in that of
George. and perilously near to her face was his
own. He did not know how it happened.
Of going to such lengths; but, alas! men are
ever weak when women are charming.
'.What is this?' he said, pointing to flower
decorating the bosom of her gray homespun
gown. why. Bronwen, it is white heather,
do declare! Does it also grow ON the noun
tain?"
Eyes. There is still a little of it left among
the purple. Will you have it?" she went on,
rather bashfully, offering it to him.
He noticed that her hand, unpinning it, shook
slightly. At this proof Of his power his eye
frightened.
You darlingw he said, in a voice SO low as
to be little more than a whisper. so you
would give me your luck? You see know the
superstition. No, Bronny dear, we will divide
it ratherr He parted the piece Of heather.
and putting one spray in his buttonhole, began
trying to replace the other in its original posi-
ton.
But now it was his turn to feel discomposed.
As he touched her his face flushed and she
shrank back involuntarily. In moment his
arms closed around her, she was drawn close.
and passionate kiss pressed upon her lips.
She gave n low cry Of bliss and shyness
mingled, and wrenching herself free covered
her face with her hands. George sighed
deeply and rose to his feet His passion was
as brief "a sudden. He felt more than little
ashamed Of himself already. What had he
done? Made a COMPOUNDED ass OF himself. he
feared! Why couldn't he have let the girl
alone when he knew, none better how inflam-
mable he was by nature2 Well. tho sooner he
ran away from temptation the better for both
Muttering Q lame excuse Of some important
letters which must be written before post time.
he went of homewsrd, leaving Bronwen to
follow at her leisure.
CHAPTER IL
II was to Beldon merely the folly OF the
moment; but it meant much more than that to
poor ignorant Bronven