The Portland daily press., 1895-09-07
THE NARROW WORLD.
Something had happened!

so bright gleam IN her eye, anu oH his
face such an utter abandon of joy, that
eny one. even a man, could have guessed
the truth.
Fortunately they had chosen the hill
road. the least Travelled of all the ways
that lead down from the Montecito valley
into Santa Barbara, and for the first half
hour after the event they met no one.
1t was what the inhabitants of the
Channel City call genuine Santa Bar
bara day." The sun shone warm and
bright and soft perfumed breeze came
out of the west. There was June in the
air, although the calendar was set for mid
winter. The birds sang in the trees above
them, the squirrels chirped from the hill
side. and their horses, wandering at times
from the road. sank to the knee in a wav
ing sea of flowers.
First of ALL she said, breaking the ST.
lence of whole minute, "you must tell
my father"
"Who's afraid?"
"You have never seen papa do the role
of the cruel parent, )" said the girl. He
can be quite dragon. AS you are kins-
man, however,
"a fifth cousin,'' cried the young man.
with a laugh.
"Well. ffth cousins are better than moth
ing, aren't they?"
HTrulv: how else should we be here to-
day?" Then the young man added with
peculiar and significant emphasis, II am
Inclined to pride myself on that little
scheme"
The girl brought her horse to sudden
stop and turned her clear brown eyes, half
opened under their long lashes, upon her
companion.
"Ihat little scheme" she repeated slow
ly. 81 don't understand.
The young man laughed uneaslly.
why, Catherine" said he, "you don't
mean that you have believed in the enter
tanning fiction about our great-great-et-
cetera- grandfather"
"Old Ebenezer Strong?" exclaimed the
girl. Chow dare you call him fictitious,
when saw his portrait at my own grand
father's.'
LAS your ancestor, my dear one, ne Is
an undoubted reality, but as mine, re-
greet to saw. he is merely Pigment of your
worthy fathers imagination In short
would fain break it to you as gently as
possible-we are not fifth cousins at all,
but just plain ordinary
"Not fifth cousins"
mo, darling and if you are going to
faint please fall on this side, with your
head right here on my shoulder"
"Iwon'tl Wretched boy, how could you
deceive poor papa SOP"
at didn't deceive him. He deceived him
self. From the very beginning OF our &C.
ouaintance he seemed determined to locate
me somewhere on the Weston family tree.
and YOU aided and abetted him in the at
tempt"
"Richard Strong, how can youP
"I have a sweet and gentle disposition,
and when he asked me if was not de-
scended from Ebenezer Strong Of West
brighton Center, and you looked at me sc
appealingly-
why shouldn't assent? I have doubt
less had several hundred ancestors named
Strong, and took the chances that some
ons of them rejoiced in the prenomen OF
Ebenezer 1t is just the sort OF name
that my forbears were given to puttsng
upon themselves, as an effective and con-
tinuous modification Of the flesh. A horse
hair shirt, now, would be nothing to II"
"You may laugh, if it pleases you, said
the girl severely, "but if papa had knows
you were not'a relative we should not be
riding alone together. He generally disap'
proves of the eastern people who spend the
winter at the hotel
"Nyou really feet that I have been guilty
of false pretenses. :" said the young man,
drawing his horse little nearer, suppose
we begin all over again.
"Keep your distance, sirP' exclaimed
the girl steering to the opposite side OF
10, cta rf; afr
be from the very beginning, three weeks
ago" -, y,
youne man. at think I understand him
pretty well. because NY one and only par
emf thu governor himself. is constructed
onmxuh the same plan. Wherever he goes
he is continuaI4s in search of the lost tribes
of the SSrong genealogy. The last letter
had from hima'in Colorado, where ne is
spending the winter contained the an
nouncernent that he had unearthed four or
five new cousins-choioe specimens, l
doubt not that he will expect me to meet
and embrace on my way home
PERHAPS it Yves wrong" he continued
after Il. molaent Of reflection, ito play upon
that little popularity of your fathers, to
get into his good greces, but you must
consider the extraordinary proyocation,
dear. 1t seemed like my only chance--are
you sorry took itP''
She looked her answer, but did not speak
1t, and then, avoiding the hand extended
to seize her own, she struck her horse
hight blow and dashed down the road
ahead.
A long even canter in silence followed
and they were well into, town before the
conversation began again. Then, fearful
of observation, they spoke III common
places.
They turned into State street and stop
ped at the postofice, the morping's mail
having constituted the chief cause for the
trio to town. Richard Strong dismounted
and presently appeared with letter in his
hand.
''None for you," he said. "This is for
me, from the governor. I'll wager it has
something in it about cousins
"Let me see" said the girl. holding out
her hand. He tore the letter open and
gave it to her Then he swung himself
into his saddle, and they started slowly
down the street
Suddenly the girl gave faint cry.
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