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

NAM 49, ~
Clever would fix the date. I ann sure, I Am
ought to explain how I came to be in soli-
tary possession of q randan that Wednes-
day In the latter part Of July. Clover
wanted it down at Datchet ON the Satur-
DAY following and was too busy to bring il
down himself. Would / go to Henley and
fetch it for himp ! had nothing to do-so
Clever said. l might take all the week
over ii if l chose. SO long as l reached
Datohet by the Friday night. I decided
that / ought to be able to manage the dis
tance in somewhat less than that, and in
fact l reached Monkey island by the middle
Of the second day of my blistering journey.
The sun had blazed upon me for a day and
a half. and ! had thoroughly enjoyed my
self, and had not broken anything rs yet or
scraped the varnish off the randan very
much either, which l considered to my
credit, taking into account the fact that l
had been absolutely unguided in every sort
OF way, and had not yet made up MY mind
whether I ought to sit on the stroke seat or
the middle one. It had not occurred to mo
to ask Clever about this previously, and l
did not like to ask any one else.
Monkey island did not attract me. Ithad
an off-dayish and lonesome look, and
thought like solitude. solitude in places
which are usually thronged is oppressive. I
thought I should prefer going on q bit and
eating my own cold lamb and salad out of
my W hamper. But l bought some bread
and a couple Of bottles of ginger beer, and
paid for the bottles for reasons which wee
unanswerable.
Lower down, however, the banks became
comparatively uninteresting. On the low
path side there was the tow-path, with
fields beyond, dusty and uninviting, and on
the other more fields, apparently private
property, which I was unwilling to desc
crate. I elected the tow-path side after
some elaboration, for I liked the sun even
in the middle of a blazing July day. l have
noticed that this liking is common to Lon
idoners. l LANDED my ham per with great
precaution. drew the randan half out of the
water with all the care and CONSCIENTIOUS.
ness which my inexperience and the re.
speot / bore toward it and Clever de-
mandod. and then spread a napkin on the
grass and put my lamb on a plate in the
middle and the salad on another at the
and fork at proportionate distances.
into the hamper dislike paper
around at a ~picnic-dipped my handler.
chief into the water and wrapped 1t round
one of the ginger beer bottles TO keep it
satisfaction. AS l said, 1 am fond of soil
and sun, and l was having as much of
both as is possible to a man on the river
Thames. So / sat down and said what l
hope was an appropriate grace. remember
ing what Ella has written on the subject,
and paused to give q look round me before
| began. never ate any of that lunch.
H. ~y. Aha knvueothL Uornfpy fNrpo,S raa
eyes caught u vision of a blue skirt sur
mounted by an enormous sheaf of red pop
pies clasped in front by two ~coarsely gloved
hands. Over the peoples ! had a glimpse
Of q broad-brimmed straw hat, but they
hid the face beneath, and their possessor
had almost passed me before her eyes met
/ do not know whether I ever want to see
that face again. Clever says l do. and, as
It was the most remarkably beautiful face l
have ever seen, I suppose he is right; but I
argue to the contrary. The face was
and flushed, and as she turned it toward
I noticed two little lines of perspiration
down from her temples to her
The beads had also gathered on
her upper lip. which was prettily parted
from the lower by the strain of her awk-
ward burden.
She did not see my admiration for q mo-
and then her eyes flashed down upon
mine. calm and gray and unfathonable, and
zine dropped On to the cold lamb directly
then rose again to her dusty shoes. 1
was sitting on the grass just below the tow
path.
She passed me and went on for ten or
fifteen yards,,a and then paused. She seemed
to be celebrating. Then she came back
and threw the bundle of peoples down be-
side me as ] rose. My hat was in the boat,
so all l could do was stand up, She did
not speak at once, but regarded my lunch
and then myself. The combination appsr-
emily pleased her; at all events / do not
think her satisfaction was attributable to
the cold lamb alone; and Clever allows that
| am not a vain man, especially when in
she neighborhood of the river.
Il am SO hot and hungry" she said
quietly, without Ii trace of ntfectation or
confusion. What will you dor"
l am usually struck speechless on emer-
g%encies, but something about this girl in
srired me with unwouted confidence. In
spite of her disarray she seemed 40 self-poE-
sessed and unembarrnssed that | could not
feel otherwise myself.
l replied. Everything Eve got is at your
service" This was comprehensive, but
strictly true, l can swear.
"What Il strange place you have choEep!'
she said. disregardinR my offer.
well, pethaps it ia," said |; but hardly
uD~lOrtCnete,' 1 Huueu, WIN u readiness
that amazed myself; and looked up at hel
face again, to find the great gray eyes txec
npon ne i~ntently, reading me through.
She did not smile; she bowed slightly aut
Bedately in Acknowledgment.
Thank you," she said. "There ia
little shade tho other side of the bank il
the field. Will you carry it over there fol
me?n
Certainly"
The change took about three minutes
during which she sat on the edge of tn,
Yandan and famed heraglf with her hand
keschief. When Icame and told her it wa
ready ut Inst. / found her looking at Tia
book had brought with me. 1t makes nj
ordinary man blush to be discovered wit!
n book OF poetry in his possession.
blushed and hoped the sunbu-n would hid
1t.
"You have been reading Lady Geraldine
Courtship,'" she said. my namo is Ger
aldine." My presence of mind began I
fail me. II always liked that piecs 81
we'll" she added.
Then she came and sat dow on the ban,
in front OF the cold lamb and looked at it
'There does not aeem to be very much q
it," she snid, and the first smile she ha,
given me broke around the month. ~ ca
eat all that mpseif."
"Aud why notI' ] answered.
what will you do?'
"Oh! there is the bread and some lettuce,
said. THAT is quite enough. Besides,
can 90 on TO Surley and lunch there"
II would have gone on there and nc