The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-10-31
Playing With Fire.
BY Z. NESBIT.
COPYRIGHT, 1s94.1


a burning golden August afternoon
The Derbyshire moors were yelled Il
purple mists- In the disused ston,
quarry whose furze blazed golden, the
heat had baked the slabs of graystont
10 such heat that even the flies anC
little living things had ceased to craw
pver them. Only a lizard or two
peeped out from the cracks of the rocks
But in the shade little GOODNESS
sould be gathered from the faint
breeze that blew up the valley. In this
shade, hidden from the rough path
that passed down the middle of the
quarry by huge lump of rock, girl
ayas sitting. Her hat was off, her hair
was untidy-not picturesquely untidy
as heroine's hair should be, but I'M
tidy because she had lost some of her
hairpins in scrambling down the steep
bank-and one long, straight, lank,
black tress had fallen from the coil on
her head, and hung in a hard unbecom-
sng line behind one ear.
She sat there: silent. drinking in the
peace of the royal afternoon The ST.
1ence was unbr oxen, save now and then
by the fight of a grouse or plover,
and from far away across the valley
came the faint chime OF church bells.
The girls brown, ungloved hand
played gently with the delicate hare
bells and little yellow ladies' slippers
that nestled in the short, dry turf
The peace of the hour had entered into
her and her brow was smoothed and
her eyes sofcened by the spells of rest
fitness that lay all across the broad
noors.
Her broTys drew together and her
mouth hardened, as the crackle OF
gorse and the sound of falling stones,
tlislodged by a hasty foot, told her that
she was not alone. She kept perfectly
still behind her stone and hoped that
the footsteps would go by. They came
down the little uneven path. and just
on the other side of the big bowlder
they stopped She peeped round the
corner of her stone and saw that a man
was standiD g there, looking out over
the sunlit valley. Suddenly, even as
she looked. he raised his hand and
struck it violently against the rock
You fOolr~ he said. aloud: won
utter fool"' and threw himself face
downwards on the turf
The girl rose quickly and quietly,
gathered her soft draperies, and, pick
ing her steps noiselessly over the turf.
reached the path some twenty wards
above the spot where he Law Then.
treading rather heavily on the loose
stones, she marched down the path
towards linn. At the sound of her
footsteps he sat up, twisted hurriedly
his handkerchief around his hand,
which was covered with dust and
blood, and turned towards her with I
face which he tried hard to render as
as her own.
''Oh. how do you do, Mr.. Percival?-
she said. ''Who would have thought of |
seeing you, of all people, In this, of all |
places? And what have you done to
your hand?'
He had risen while she spoke and
held out his left hand to her
Il was clumsy enough to knock it,
he said, acknowledgement. But it's
nothing much Which way Were you
going?"
81 was going TO sit here" she said.
II often do. Don't let me disturb YOU"
She sank lazily on the turf within n
yard or two from him, and the Young
nan had nothing left bat to follow her
He was a tall. welI-knit
young fellow Of twenty-seven or there
abouts' with dark, curling hair and
light mustache. His eyes were of a
good blue, but they were small and i'll
set; and his face was SO heavily cut
hat nine people out of ten who met
him said to themselves or to their
friends: What an ugly fellow that
percival isr' But the tenth Derson
ound Percival by no means so ugly.
For wit showed in the sparkling of the |
blue eyes, intellect marked the broad
BROW, and sdelicacy and tenderness had
nellowed the corners of the rather
hin lips. His face was very pale now. I
Il didn't know your Sunday walks I
yer led you this way, Miss Helston"
lie said, with an evident desire To make I
Il come here sometimes when want !
o be quiet and think things over" she ]
aid.
There was a silence. His difficulty
4 finding suita small talk was now Z
o obvious that Miss Helston suddenly |
bandoned her half-formed determine
ion to act as though things were ex-
city as they ought to hc. She looked !
teadily at him for minute and then +
he said: c
DO You mind telling me why Won t
allied yourself an utter fool and why Y
on banged your hand against the v
ock just now?" 4
He flushed a dull red and frowned O
ngrily. a
ITS no use your being angry with
he, she said, because | happen +, n
ave seen You. If You behave in that 4
Tay in public quarry you must ex- n
Get an audience" Ii
Il don't see" he began stiflv
mo. You don't see what business !,
OF mine and you think il would have
cen more delicate and more Iadvlika, 4
Or me not TO have seen anything. or. at
ny rate. 10 pretend that | hadn't b
nd that's because I'm woman. If il 1t
az been man whom you like as well el
5 you like me, who had seen You this 1t
fternoon. You would probably have ca
Old him what was the matter ara e,
erhapS he could have helped you. Per W
APPS l could, If You told me" e
The truth Of what she had said came -
pom hlm for the first time. He raaI- f.
-ed that II She had been a man. and ono
nom he liked as well rs he liked tb;s h,