Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-07-25

1t shocked and panied him to think
that WomanhOOd was so near at hand,
that many girls married at her pres
ent age.
Il BE had enjoyed the tomboyism and
daring and frank carelessness of the
merry little madcap quite as much as
she had; he had been her tutor in
many an athletic feat.
And he had found her such q CAV.
glad, apt pupil, such an ever-interest-
Ing companion.
He had taught her many things that
would have shocked his naughty SIS
ter, more even than her expert riding
and fence leaping, among them to
shoot on the wing with a pretty little
rifle he had given her, or a revolver,
and to play ''poker" many an evening
just for fun-and skillfully enough
to many a time relieve him of pocket
money.
Yes, he saw it now; this was wrong,
all wrong.
Ernestine would soon be a woman,
and, though he never meant that she
should earn her own living, on any ac-
count, she would have to go out into
the world and mingle with other Wom-
| en.
If she felt lost and out of place
among them; if she could not equal
them in refinement, knowledge, accom-
plishments, would she not blame her
guardian, and justly?
The thought haunted him all day
and unpleasantly.
When Ernestine asked him to Join
her in ride to the trout stream, he
answered her shortly, so shortly that
! she looked at him in amazement.
Had she displeased him? How? Well,
she couldn't go riding now; and tears
OF pain and resentment blinded her
eyes while she hunted up fishing
tackle took the eager Newfoundland
into the secluded June woods, where
dwelt the timid trout under the shad-
ow of tangled underground.
Mrs. >Devereaux had been at Darke-
wood but two days, when she became
so terribly bored with loneliness, that
she spoke to Philip, about asking some
people down from Madison, some tlir-.
l3ty miles distant.
He carelessly assured her that she
was welcome to ask whoever she want
led whenever she wanted them; but
there was no one for whose coming he
especially cared; he had been her.
NIT, so long, etc.
So she asked number of society
people-people supposed to be wealthy
cultured and all that was desirable;
yet Philip Drake had never been 80
bored in all his life.
How languid and inane all the wom-
en- were, painted, fashionable dolls,
who were shocked at the Modernism of
Erpestine because it required physical
daring. Their daring was all moral,
they firted scandalously, married and
single: and the men
Bah! there was nothing manly about
them. They were mere followers Of
the pretty butterflies of fashion; all,
except one.
Gerald Graham was not character
to be despised by man or woman;
there was something so frank so no.
BILE, and manly about him that he was
instead, one to. be admired even by
his enemies-a handsome young fell
low of thirty, with lots of brains, lots
of daring, physical and moral, and
plenty of money.
After week at Philip brakes rural
home, during which Mrs. Devereaux
dressed and smiled ravishingly for his
benefit, while he attentively studied
her bette nofre, the young madcap,
while Philip went modify about his
farm, feeling lost and lonely, Gerald
Graham became Elnestine's shadow
A gay cavalier in all her rides, q COM
panion in her walks, he boated with
her, fished with her, talked with her
until he fell madly in love with the
unconsciously beautiful young tomboy,
who interested him as no society
woman had ever done or ever could.
Jealousy made Mrs. Devereaux very
bitter of tongue. She never lost q
chance to taunt Ernestine with her
dependence, or scott at her daring, and
put misconstructicns upon her most
generous and disinterested acts.
Ernestine was by nature quick Of
temper, and passionate of blood. She
controlled herself as long as she could
las long as self-respect and respect
for Phil, dear old Phil, who had some
how grown so moody and out of place
under his sisters taunts-would let
her.
She sought her guardian, and found
him in the library one day.
His head was bowed on his hands,
and when he lifted his face, the eyes
were haggared with painful thought.
Gerald Graham had just left him,
and what had he said to bring that
look upon the face she had learned to
look upon as the noblest. the best. the
skindest ON earth?
+ She had come to speak of her own
tell him she must 60 away
to earn her own living, that she could
no longer bear this dependence on him,
with which she was so often tainted
by his sister; but she forgot her troub-
les In the sight of his.
81 "Oh. Guardy Phil, what Is it," she
cried. dropping on q hassock at his