The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-11-30

IudO MdrlOu Was LuuCu 1uClln6u TO Dc
pleasant she nodded to her, said some
Indian words hastily and spread out
her hands toward the water. AS she did
so Marion noticed again the beauty of
those hands and the graceful character
of the gesture, so much SO that she for
got the fiat hair, and the unstayed body,
and the rather broad feet, and the deli
cate duskiness which had so worked ON
her in imagination and in fact the even
ing before. She put her hand kindly on
that long slim hand stretched out beside
her, and because she knew not what
else to speak and because the tongue is
very perverse at times, saying the oppo-
site of what is expected, she herself
Numbered out, "How, how, LaliP'
Perhaps Lali was as much surprised
at the remark as Marion herself and
certainly very much more delighted.
The sound of those familiar words,
spoken by accident, as they were, opened
the way to a better understanding as
nothing else could possibly have done.
Marion was annoyed at herself and yet
amused too. If her mind had been per-
fectly assured regarding Captain vi
dali, it is probable that then and there
peculiar, genial, comradeship would
have been formed. AS it was, Marion
found this little event more endurable
than she expected. She also found that
Lali, when she laughed in pleasant &C
acknowledgement of that ''How' had re-
markedly white and regular teeth. In
deed Marion Armour began to discover
some estimable points i'll the appearance
of her savage sister-in-law. Marion re-
marked to herself that Lali might be a
rather striking person if she were dress
ed, as her mother said, in Christian gar
ments and could speak the English Ian
guage well-and was somebody else's
sister-in-law
At this point Mackenzie came breath
lessly to the bridge and called out
sharply to Lali, rebuking her. In this
Mackenzie made mistake, for not only
did Lali draw herself up with consider
able dignity, but Marion, noticing the
masterful nature of the tone, instantly
said: Mackenzie, you must remember
that you are speaking to Mrs. Francis
Armour, and that her position in Gen
eral Armour's house is the same as
mine. I hope it is not necessary to say
anything more, Mackenzie.
Mackenzie flushed She was sensi-
BILE woman. She knew that she had done
wrong, and she said very promptly: 81
am very sorry, miss. l was fustered,
and expect haven got used to speak
ing toto Mrs. Armour as I'll he sure
to do in the future
AS she spoke two or three deer came
trotting out of the beeches down to the
lakeside. If Lali was pleased and ex-
cited before, she was overwhelmed now.
Her breath came in quick gasps. She
laughed, she tossed her hands, she seem
ed to become dizzy with delight, and
presently, as if this new link with and
reminder of her past had moved her as
one little expects q savage heart is NOV
ed, two tears gathered in her eyes, then
slid down her cheeks unheeded and dried
there in the sunlight as she still gazed
at the deer. Marion, at first surprised,
was now touched, as she could not have
thought it possible concerning this wild
creature, and her hand went out and
caught Lalis gently. At this genuine
act of sympathy, instinctively felt by
Lali-the stranger in a strange land,
husbanded and yet a widow-there
came flood of tears, and dropping on
her knees she leaned against the low
railing of the bridge and wept silently.
So passionless was her grief it seemed
the more pathetic, and Marion dropped
ON her knees beside her, put her arm
round her shoulder and said: "Poor
grill Poor girlP'
At that Lali caught her hand and
held it, repeating after her the words:
Poor girl! Poor girln'
She did not quite understand them,
but she remembered that once just be-
fore she parted from her husband at the
great lakes he had said those very
words. If the fates had apparently given
things into Frank Armour S hands when
he sacrificed this girl to his revenge,
they were evidently inclined to play a
game which would eventually defeat
his purpose, wicked as it had been in
effect if not in absolute motive. What
the end of this attempt to engraft the
Indian girl upon the strictest conven-
ton of English social life would have
been had her introduction not been at
Greyhope, where faint licensees to her
past surrounded her, it is hard to con-
lecture. But from present appearances
it would seem that Richard Armour
was not wholly false prophet, for the
savage had shown herself that morning
to possess in their crudeness some strik-
ing qualities of character Given char
acter, many things are possible, even to
those who are not of the elect.