The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-07-19

keen enough to read, if a little vaguely,
behind tho scenes, and her mind was
Weakening slowly to the popularity of
the position she occupied. The place
awed her and had broken her rest by
perplexing her mind, and she sat down
to the breakfast table with a strange,
hunted look in her face. But opposite
to her was window opening to the
ground, and beyond it were the lines
and beeches and-a wide, perfect sward
and far away little lake, on which
swans and wild fowl fluttered.
Presently, as she sat silent, eating
little, her eyes lifted to the window.
They flashed instantly, her face lighted
up with weird kind of charm, and
suddenly she got to her feet with Indian
EXPLANATIONS on her lips, and, as if I'M
conscious of them all, went swiftly to
the window and out of it, waving her
hands up and down once or twice to the
trees and the sunlight.
"What did she say?" said Mrs. Ar
mour, rising with the others.
'She said," replied Mackenzie as
she hurried toward the window, "that
they were her beautiful woods, and
there were wild birds flying and swim
ming in the water, as in her own coun-
try"
By this time all were at the window,
Richard arriving last. and the Indian
girl turned on them, her body all quiv-
ering with excitement laughed low,
birdlike laugh, and then, clapping her
hands above her head, she swung round
and ran like deer toward The lake,
shaking her head back as an animal
does when fleeing from his pursuers.
She would scarcely have been recognize
ed as the same placid, speechless wom-
an i'll q blanket who sat with folded
hands day after day ON the Aphrodite.
The watchers turned and looked at
each other in wonder. Truly their task
of civilizing a savage would not lack
in interest. The old general was better
pleased, however, at this display of &C
tly1ty and excitement than at yester-
days taciturnity He loved spirit, even
1T it had to be subdued, and he thought
on the instant that he might possibly
come to look upon the fair savage as an
actual and not a nominal daughter-in-
law. He had keen appreciation of
courage, and he thought he saw in her
face, as she turned upon them, look
of defiance or daring, and nothing could
have got at his nature quicker. If the
case had not been SO near to his own
hearthstone, he would have chuckled.
AS it was, he said good humoredly that
and Marion should go and
bring her back. But Mackenzie was al
ready at that duty. Mrs. Armour had
had the presence of mind to send for Col
vim, but presently, when the general
spoke, she thought it better that Marion
should go and counseled returning to
breakfast and not making the matter of
too much Importance. This they did,
Richard very reluctantly, while Ma
rion, rather pleased than not at the
spirit shown by the strange girl, ran
away over the grass toward the lake,
where Lali had now stopped.
There was little bridge at one point
where the lake narrowed, and Lali, evil
IDENTIFY seeing it all at once, went to-
ward it and ran up OH it, standing
poised above the water about the mid
die of it. For an instant an unpleasant
possibility came into Marion's mind
suppose the excited girl intended sui
cide She shivered as she thought Of it,
and yet She put that horribly cruel
and selfish thought away fom her with
an indignant word at herself. She had
passed Mackenzie and come first to the
lake. Here she slackened and waved
her hand playfully 70 the girl, so as not
to brighten her, and then with forced
laugh came up painting on the bridge
and was presently by Lali's side. Lali
eyed her little furtively, but seeing
that Marion was much inclined to be
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 dusziness, which had so worked on |
her III 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 tho tongue is |
very perverse at times, saying the oppo-
site of what is expected, she herself |
blundered out, "How, how, Lalip'
Perhaps Eali was as much surprised |
1T the remark as Marion herself and |
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-
Pectly assured regarding Captain vi
dali, it is probable that then and there q
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 ac-
of that "How" had re-
white and regular teeth. In
Iced Marion Armour began to discover
,Ome oStimablo nOints in tho aDnoarance