The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-03-19

troubled your generosity. but l have only
two renee in my pocket" sho said; "anu !
should have spent 4 penny In crossing"
ity," I asked. .
mo. / did not moan to- she said quickly.
II think ! would havs stoppsd anyhow, for
your lunch looked very tempting. and 1t "
n mile or more on TO Surly. You see !
crossed at Monkey Island and have been
to recross somewhere here. and 1t got later
than l thought. | have two miles to walk
on the other side"
"You must allow mo to ferry you over
aftet ward" l snid.
"Thank you."
AS she ate up my lunch l had the oppor-
tunity of looking at her more closely. She
recalled to my mind Tsnnyson's Maud, with
her full underlip and 'the least little deli.
cate aquiline curvo in a sensitive nose"
She was dressed in the plain blue skiit and
a full white blouse tied in at the waist
with n band Of broad ribbon. She was tail.
md her figure was us beautiful as Der face,
and the stately set of her head and the
grnoefulness of her slender neck most ad-
mirable. l am certain she wore no stays. !
coUid not understand at all who she might
be. Her hands belied the notion that she
was an artists model, as / was half in
clined to think her at first, 30 fine and deli
CHt0 Wel0 tEeys i Ihu t1IeOteu W pc Niou -
pointed there. but I had been prejudicsd.
pei haps by the coarse carden gloves. The
conclusion that | came TO WIS that being Il
Judy, in the most dignitied sense of the
word, she had been enabled to perceive
some traits of the gentleman about myself.
and having need Of me, had seen no reason
to conceal the fact. And ns this was u vs y
comfortable conclusion TO arrive at. l made
no attemp to construct another theory, but
rested satisfied with the good fortune that
Ind bsfallen me, and the absence OF lis.
Grundy. sensible old person though ! am
willing to admit her to be.
After u while / opened the bottle Of GIN
ger and poured the contents into the tum-
bier for her.
~ will not be responsible for it,"
laughed.
She put back the lock of brown hair that
WAS still moist with the dew OF her fore
head. with her left hand. and took the
tumbler in her right, and answered.
laughing, too, as she glanced gratefully at
me-
II must risk il; am too hot to consider
possible effects"
She drank it off daintily in two or three
little gnlps. and relieved me by saying that
it was almost as good as my coldl lamb. She
seemed to have a most excellent appetite.
as indeed l had expected from her healthy
appearance, and l watched her with the
greatest delight.
"You like Mrs. Browning, then?" she
asked suddenly.
Indeed l do" said L.
"And Lady Geraldine's Courtship' par
ticularlv?"
Particularly. That is the %favorite with
most people. 1t is SO captivatinRly senti-
mental and romantic that We can overlook
the improba5ility of the story.
What improbatility?"
II admit l form opinions on grounds
which seem insufficient when demanded of
me- with such suddenness." hesitated.
Perhaps you consider Lord Walters
Wife improbable" she went on.
had no hesitation now.
Yes" Her eyes dwslt on mine a mo-
ment.
Which is improbable-the lady or the
man?'
The lady" l answered.
I have never seen such a dignity of mer-
riment as her eyes displayed:at my answer.
You are hard n on him. she said, land
perhaps, by implication. still harder upon
her. No. that's not fair. But you must
believe in Lord Waits IS wife in future, or
at least only disbelieve in the man."
1 could not quite follow her; she thought
too fast for me, but l remembered what
she said afterwards, and thought over 1t.
she meant. At any rate l have certainly
believed in the lady. Clever laughed whom
l told him SO once, not an unkind laugh.
Clewer's laugh is never unkind.
SIZE had finished her lunch, my lunch,
and sat for u little while looking across the
folds. | do not think she minded my look
ing at her, in fact l am inclined to bs,ieys
and as a sort of recompense that she stayed
to allow Of my doing 30.
But she turned her head toward me sud-
denly and said:
II think Unjust ask you to take me over
now" So I fetched my hamper and packed
up my things, gathered up her peoples,
and put them in the bows of the randan,
II then with an effort which disposed me
to estimate the subsistence OF the Thames
since l Landed as at least u foot. forced the
boat out on to the water and drew it in
sideways.
My Lady Geraldine stepped in lightly
and sat down on the cushions. / decided
that the stroke seat was the right place for
me after all.
II think l see a road coming down to the
river" i said, pointing fifty yards down
stream to tho right bank. "Shall | land
you there?"
"If You please"
l proceeded to scull her along very care.
fully. l was anxious not to make an ex-
hibition OF myself, and my rowing is apt
to splash sometimes. In five minutes I had
put her ashore without disaster.
l bound up the sbeat of roppies with the
string from my hamper, having first COL
lected them out of the bows. 1t was dur
ing this collection that she remarked that |
nsed not be SO very careful! owe one or two,
and a slight smile fickered around her
mouth as she said SO. / have those odd
still, though l am not sure wheshef
l resolved express permission to keep them.
She put the bundle under her left arm
and her right hand into her pocket and
produced n penny.
my fare" ahe said, holding it out in the
palm of her glove.
/ hesitated n moment. ibid not see why
she should be particular about paving for
her ferrying over il coin of the realm, con-
that she had made no such return
for her lunch. Howcver, l recollected that
cold lamb WIS worth more than the
twopence she possessed, and was glad of 1t,
too. l took the penny; havs that penny
also still.
''As for the rest" she said, IT can only
thank you, and the best way to thank you
is to take You kindness as a matter of
course, isn't ity"
This was II wHv of looking at the matter
which took my fancy; il was 30 entirely
right and kind and womanlv. Why do not
more women treat us SO? / bowed my as
looked rather downcRst at parting. If |
did l looked what | felt. She consoled ms
with another con. plimeut.
And l think" she added. that. in spite
of my telling you that l have two miles to
walk. you will not offer to carry my poppiet
for me-"
Not a suspicion of mockery oame into
her eyes ia she said this. They were per
feotly steady, and the words and her man