The Portland daily press., 1895-08-16

instead of crying she blazed out at him in
anger:
"What business is it of yours" she
cried, chow 1 am dressed? You are moth
ing to me, and 1 am sure don't care
penny for your opinion one way or an
other
II don't suppose you do, said Jack,
striking match and lighting his pipe.
81 used to be under the impression that
you knew how to dress. / am not any
longer. l used to think that you could
not put on anything that would be unbe-
coming. Now l hold no such opinion.
once had an idea that nothing you put on
would mako guy of you, but now, Cissle,
that idea has fed. Still I must say that
admire your bravery in coming out in the
daylight where people can see you in such
a rig. 1t is utterly futile for you to pull
together the skirts of that coat. The hard
things you have said to me when you had
on pretty lawn tennis costume, for in
stance, do not affect me bit when they
are said by one who merely looks like
saucy, impudent boy. You see, Ciss1e
look down upon you as you once looked
down upon NO."
'tHow dare you say you look down upon
me?" said Cissie.
because it's true, answered the young
man calmly. "This bank is ever SO much
higher than the one you are sitting on, or
rather were sitting on, for now you are
trying to crouch out of sight, and don't
wonder at it. | take back all those numer-
GUS offers of marriage l made to you"
"You wretchr' she cried, springing to
her feet. "You take them back, do you,
when you know very well they were all re-
jected and scorned?"
ooh, Cissie!'' cried the young man,
turning away his head. ''Sit down again.
Do sit down. The costume doesn't look
so bad on bicycle, but it is simply awful
when a girl stands up"
When he looked around again, Cissie
had sat down and had drawn her bicycle
up on it's wheels crouching in a measure
behind it, as if with its spindly tires it
could hide the awfulness of the costume.
"Well, Cissie" cried Jack, "when are
you going to get at mending that tire?'
"I-I-I don't know anything about
tires, !" sobbed Cissie.
"Ah," said the young man, with long
breath, II thought chat was the case. A
woman never knows how to do anything
well except scold. Most things in this
world man can do better than woman,
and that fact never becomes SO apparent as
when a woman tricks herself out as a man.
Then her general futility becomes appar
emit, even to an infatuated fool like my
self.''
Cissie had bent her head upon her hands,
which rested on the saddle of her cycle. 1t
was quite evident that she was in tears,
and Jack, waiting for reply, smoked on
in silence
At last he said in gentler voice:
"Look here, Cissie, if you ask me very
nicely, will take off that pneumatic tire
and mend it in five minutes by the watch. !"
Cissie looked up again with something
like her former indignation in her eyes.
"I'll throw the machine into the
stream" she said, "before / will ask you
to mend it,
"Just as you please, Cissie," replied
Jack, clasping his hands behind his head
and leaning back in luxurious enjoyment
of his pipe. Just as you please. The day
is my own, and 1 suppose you will wait
here till night before you venture back
home again. Out of the kindness of my
heart l will stay here with you, not to look
at you, for | shall gaze at the tops of the
trees as much as possible, and not to talk
to you, for if there is anything in this
world abhor it is an impudent, cheeky
boy. But this lane is great place for
tramps and gypsies, and it becomes very
dark at night, because of the overhanging
trees. 1t Is a grewsome thoroughfare and
a nasty place in which to meet villain
after the sun has gone down"
II have already met villain and a
brute, :" sobbed Cissie, who had now let the
bicycle go and had buried her face in her
hands.
eff you refer to me, Cissie," said Jack,
"this is simply like most of the things
you have said-not true. am only too
pleased to be of any assistance to anybody;
but, at the same time, although you might
not have thought it by my former conduct,
am too proud to offer any assistance I'M
asked
Jack smoked on, gazing ur as he had
promised, at the tree tops i silence
was broken only by the sweet singing of
the birds and now and then by a quick
catch of the breath OH the part of Cissie.
Five minutes elapsed and then ten.
"Jack?" said Cissie, without raising her
head.
"Did you speak?" inquired the young
man.
coOh3 o1io sbi,i, dill pSF16CVlY help
less, and think you have been very hor-
rid to me-"
CAN right, said the young man, rising
to his feet. "I will go away. But do try
to get out of this lane before darkness
comes on"
"Don't go away" cried Cissie. "Please
forgive what 1 said, and Won't you be so
kind as to mend my tire?"
Jack picked up the bicycle, took off the
dripping lamp, turned the machine quick
ly wrong side up, took the materials out
of his own cycle pouch, had the tire off
and on again and pumped full in an in
credibly short space of time Righting the
machine and putting the lamp on once
more, he held out his hand
Cissie reluctantly got on her feet.
There, - he said, "you see how quickly
thing is fixed when the time is not vast
ed In foolish conversation Least said,
soonest mended. Are you going any far
Their, Cissie? If you are, would advise
you to walk your machine over these
stones.'
"No," said Cissie, with deep, CULVER
Ing sigh, 81 am going home as quickly as
can, and then I viii burn this awful cos
tune. I did not really want to put it on.