Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-03-23

at Los Angeles. 1t must be confessed.
however, that I told the young sales
woman from whom purchased the af-
fair all about Hulda, except her Chris
tian name. Some women are blooming
fools about names, and l suspected
that this one didn't have enough every
day common sense TO know that llulda
was a wholesome, sensible name that
fitted my donee much better than
any garment or bit Of millinery she
had in stock, not excepting kid gloves.
l even showed the young woman
photograph Of Hulda, and So Well,
the Easter hat was success.
Easter Sunday came, and as promis-
ing day as ever dawned in the citrous
belt. rode horseback with Hulda
over to Riverside that morning to
church, and l was as proud of her as If
I had been cavalier OF the olden time
and she the ladylove 1 had won in the
tourney. On. how she could ride. She
was a Kentucky girl and sat her be-
loved flly as If she belonged there and
didn't depend upon the cinch of her
saddle for her life, as do so many
would-be horsewomen | see now and
then that make me shudder. They
ride for fad. and don't know enough
about a horse and his trappings to
even be careful.
Ny ffty-fve years had not affected
nv horsemanship. But we wont speak
of that further than to say was raised
on horse; yet l was never raised on
bucking bronchO. They are not horses.
They are only poor limitations, and l
never mounted one-never shall while
the walking is good.
We went 10 church at Riverside, ad-
mitted ourselves publicly to be ''miser-
able sinners" several times, heard the
sermon and-Hulda's hat simply
eclipsed the aggregation. Then we
started home.
How Hulda's FLY got into that
quicksand in crossing the creek is
something l have never entirely set
tied in my mind, bat she went clear
out of sight for a minute, it seemed,
and Hulda with her, but made a grab
at her-HIlda, l mean-and got the
Easter hat arst. That was not what 1
mostly wanted, however. wanted
Hulda so l threw away the hat, and
somehow we landed on the bank, all
there, except the Easter hat. That
floated off down the stream like any
other wreck. The FLY came out, too,
aud stood dripping and trembling on
the shore.
Hulda first looked decidedly fright
ened, and puckered up her mouth to
cry, but thought better Of it when
she saw | had mud in my whiskers and
was ridiculously disheveled one way or
another, and more or less disposed to
say things that would have emphasized
the miserable sinners" confession!
But did you ever notice how quickly
\ woman can shake herself out and
look presentable? Well, that was what
Hulda did. She had been with that
dlly in the quicksand and water and
was as wet as a drowned rat. But
blest if she didn't give herself a few
touches some way, and in five minutes
looked as pretty as before, only little
older and somewhat more graceful and
dignifed.
Femininity seems to partake OF this
characteristic all the way through.
The filly had given herself few
shuddering shakes and fixed her toilet
nearly right. l gathered punches
Of eucalyptus leaves and wiped the
side-saddle some, spread big ban
danna handkerchief over the seat and
in twenty minutes from the time the
accident began Hulda and | were can
tering over the mesa, within twenty
minutes ride of George Deans house,
Huldas blue eyes sparkling with fur
beneath the white scarf that was tied
over her nut brown hair, some tresseS
of which were flying in the spring
breeze with the ends of the silken tur-
ban that had taken the place of the
Easter hat. K.