The Worthington advance., 1896-03-19

away. Belinda took q little step Tor
ward.
.u amt never considered the ques-
tion," she sad, grimly.
Then Belinda did an unheard-of and
unexpected thing; she went over to her
sister and kissed her, and then went
quickly out of the front door. Sarah
looked after her to i've sure it was Be-
linda. ~.
''Well, I never" she declared. P'r'aps
I have been too domineering." '
Belinda started on her ride along .
quiet road uway from the village. It
was not quite so har;i to assert herself
us she had supposed; she almost wished
she had told Sarah about her bicycling
then and there.
III tell her tonight" Belinda said.
as she rode on, and she sighed as she
thought of her long-deferred declara-
tion of Independence; a year ago it
might have made much more difference
in two lives.
1t was q beautiful day, but Belinda
did not once look at the clear sky and
autumn woods as she rode along, for
she was not sufficiently expert rider
to view the scenery and kept in her
straight course; so she did not see the
bare blue black trees that cast a gen.
tie, dark haze over the later autumn
colors of russet-brown and dull-red.
She did not even dare to steal a glance
at the long plcbald line cf leaves that
lay curled by the fences. She kept her
eye on the wheel and her hand on the
brake, and a pretty picture she herself
made-prettier than any wooded slope.
this bit OF dainty womanhood, whose
fashion of bygone days seemed to har-
monize with the autumn time. She had
on the little t,ght-htting black silk
basque with the crochcted buttons
down the front, and there was bright
blue bow at the throat, little over
shadowed by the black velvet bonnet
strings, fol- Belinda had worn bonnet
ever since she was 21.
She was going on well. and feeling
happier and more confident every mo-
ment, when she came to a sand hill,
down which the wheel began to &C.
scend a little more rapidly; but she had
her little black-mitted hand on the
brake, and all would have been well il
the barge had not just turned into the
road. Now a barge, being a large two
horse conveyance, was a very formida-
BILE thing Tor this inexperienced bicy-
clist to pass, and Belinda's breath came
fast and her cheeks grew very red in her
determination not to lose her self-con-
troll. She had almost passed the dread
full threatener, when she CHANGED to
glance up 1T the vehicle. There was but
one passenger i'll the barge, and that
passenger Was-John Baker. Belinda
saw his face looking down on her in
genuine surprise, ana then she felt her
wheel turn and slip, and a pain ran
through her wrist.
The driver stopped his horses and
climbed down from, his perch, but oe.
fore lie could reach Belinda; John was
holding her up and tenderly wiping the
dust from her face, while Belinda
moved not at all, only looked at him
through tears Of mingled joy and pain.
''The bicycle amt broke" said the
driver, but neither Belinda nor Jchn
heard him.
"Why, your wrist is bleeding" John
said, and nc tried to fasten his hand
kerchicf about it, bnt, either because
Belinda looked at him SO hard or be-
cause he wished to prolong SO pleasan:
task. 1t took him many minutes.
Better git in, Miss Belindy," invited
the driver, lifting the bicycle to the
front seat, you can't ride home if
you've hurt your wrist"
"Oh, it isn't much,' Belinda protested.
But John helped her into the barge, and,
perhaps because of an almost impcr
ceptible motion of hers, perhaps be.
cause of the look he he'd seen in i.er
eyes, he sat down just beside her.
"Perhaps I'll better not sit down
here" he ventured.
"Oh, yes!" Belinda said.
I'm glad we ran into each other"
he whispered, adding, gallantly, ''but
Id rather we'd been the ones TO be
hurt.''
"Oh, moi" Belinda cried, lifting
frightened eyes to his; and John moved
little nearer.
Il didn't know you was ridin'' a BIZ
cycle, Miss Belindy," said the driver,
from the front seat.
"I've got one, too," John said.
Belinda turned to him with a sudden
radiant smile, then her face clouded q
little.
SARAH doesn't know about my rid
ing" she whispered.
John looked at her in amazement.
you're braver than you used to be,
Belindy."
There was sad significance in his
voice, and Belinda looked down.
eyes," she answered, tremulously,
then added, brightly: GIVE grown
u good deal braver since I learned to
ride. III was going to tell her about
it tonight" she ventured, after little
pause. +,+
It was impossible for John to move
any closer, but instead he bent over to
whisper: T..
Suppose we tell her together?'