The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-08-31
CHAPTER ".

heavy basket % flowers. walked off
with IL, with fine assumption Of alb
sOrption in her responsibilities as a
flower n1crh ant, she was consciously
posing for effect.
When a.. had found n stump com
pletely hidden from the grass grown
road. whose almost cffaced wheel marks
might have fore warned trcspasscrs she
planted her fragrant burden upon it
and seated herself on a neigh boring
stump, racing IN the direction rom
(which old Cato, her carrier, must pres
entity cone stumbling. OstcntatiOusly
opening her book, she spread it upon
her lap and fastened her eyes upon its
printed characters. They might have
been Greek or Hebrew characters for
all the meaning they conveyed. She was
still acting part Her smooth fore
head was ruRplsd by a frown.
The dog was sound asleep beneath
her feet, and to all appearances she was
reading absorbcdiy, when the lazy
shutting of Cato's mule along the road
way made her look up.
This way, Cato" sho called, in her
clear, commanding voice, and delivered
her basket of flowers with strangely
curt directions. This is packet day.
You must be there before the upcoun-
try boat gets H."
Then, seating herself once more, she
opened her book where her handker-
chief kept the place. Mechanically she
finished the interrupted passage. 1t
was one Of Goethe's sage aphOrisms.
She read it aloud in student voice,
somewhat rs if resolved to drown every
other voice in that of the sage:
THE thoughts we have had, the pic
lures we have seen, can be again called
back before the Imagination, but the
heart is not so obliging; it does not re-
produce its pleasing emotions"
She looked up. Cato was entirely out
of sight. The mask might safely be
thrown aside. While she drew one
long, half sobbing breath, with hyster-
1cal energy she turned, lifted the book
high in her right hand and sent 1t
hurting into the thorny, brambly
underground.
With sharp note of surprise, Step
nialt scrambled to his feet and sprang
to the rescue. Ida watched him with
glittering eyes. 1t would not be an
easy search. The thorns were thickset
where It had fallen. She laughed at
his frenzied zeal until she grew wearied
of it. Then she cabed out to him,
angrily:
Let it be, SIR! ! do not want it. |
am sick of 1t. 1t was written by n fool. !
Only fools try TO keep their brains and
hearts alive"
She was tearing her handkerchief into |
rags with nervous, trembling hands |
Whenever the embroidered edge offered |
any resistance, she brought her strong
white teeth to the task of destruction.
Her checks were a1ame, and her eyes
were dry and brilliant She was trem-
bling violently from head to foot. This
was not the first time that she had
yielded to the over-strain her nervous
system was perPetually enduring, out
there under the trees, with no breath
ing thing near but Stepnialz. Nature Is
fond of her own revenges.
Stepniak came back finally, triumph
ant. She had almost forgotten his ex-
istcnce. He laid the book at her feet
and looked up for some word of COM
mendation. She looked down upon him
frowningly, then stopped, and, fasten-
1ng one hand in his brass collar, struck
him sharp blow over the head with
the book. Then she sent it once more
spinning among the briers Stepniak
looked at her, but made no motion to /
go after the discarded volume a second |
time
you have learned your lesson, have
you, boy?"
The dog wagged his bushy tail acuuf-
escingly. Plainly, he disapproved of
the dlsrespect shown the sage, but did
not propose risking any more blows in
his defense. Ida reseated herself upon
the stump and drew him close to her bv
his collar. She looked him steadfastlv
in the eye. His glance quailed before
hers. She freed one hand from his col.
lar to pass it caressingly over his huge
head. There was an apology in it and
IN her next words,
: Don't drop your eyes before mine,
iStepn1ak. You are wiser than /, and
truer. You learn your lesson of sub
mission after one blow. 1t takes great
many for my teaching, and then the
lesson Is but half learned. You never
lie, Stepniak. 1, do. | don't do any,
thing else, in point of fact
A single clear bugle-note rang GU.
upon the quiet air. Another, and an
other! Stepniak wagged his tail ex-
pectantly, He recognized in it the sum-
mons for them to return to the house.
The master Of Glenburnis had himself
hit upon this device for curtauiag what
he was pleased to call '.the girls wan.
dering proclivities."
h.
STEP" said the girl "When we get
back to the house, you will stretch your
self in the sunshiniest corner of the
gallery-in peace When dinner is
over, you will crunch your chicken
bones-in peace. When night comes,
you will go to your kennel-in peace.
Come, let US go home, Step"
At the first tap of her boot-heels on
the hard marble floor Of the hall, a
withered, yellow face, surmounted by a
brilliant turban, appeared at one of |
the doors opening into it. The yellow
face wore q palpable look of anxiety.
Ida looked at her auestioningly.
well, Nam Dido?"
"a amt well. my baby. He's in q
way"
''He is always In way, Dido. Can't
you get used to thingsf-as have?"
She added this clause with dry laugh |
full of irony. ~-
Hes in worse way than usual, my
poor darling, and don't feel easy about |
your going up. Hunt says he believes
he's heard from Mr.. Sib. He got q let |
ter to-day from somewhere"
''From my brother Sibley?''
That's what Hunt thinks He's Just |
been a-charging up there, my child. 1 |
don't feel safe bout your going nigh |
hin" ,,
''Nonsenser Ida was smoothing her |
hair with her hands in front of the hat |
rack glass. She was Supremacy quiet |
outwardly. All the passion she had
displayed out there in the woods was
either expended or once more under
CONTROL She was trifle paler than
usual, but then Main Dido was not |