Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-02-06
:ould9't have answered those question.

- suppose I guessed it." she answered.
efter = short pause, blushing stll NOR
4csPIy = the sudden way she had thus been
dragged into conversation with The pood-
LOOKING stranger. Elma's skin wa derk-
9 clear and creamy olive-brown com
Raex,on, such - n sometimes sees in
i Housnern huroRs, though rarely. in Eng
didn't pass unnoticsd by Cyril Warnings ar.
nsslc eye. He would have given something
TOT the chance Of transferring that delicious
eject to canvas The delicate transparency
OF the blush threw up those piercing dark
eYes n reflected lustre even on the
glossy black hair that fringed her forehead,
roI an English type Of beauty ut III. Elma
Ciin0rd's, he thought 70 himself q he eyed
ner closely; rather Spanish or Italian, or
say even Hungarian.
We'll, you guessed right ut any rate"
no Went on, settling down in his seat once
more, after boxing his snake, but this time
face to lace with her.
I'm working At q beautiful bit Of fern
and foliage-quite tropical in its way--in a
wood hereabout; and I've introduced
s5 slssroannd. just e0''s TO si Hp il If. the ss
the scene, don't you know. and an excuse
for Q title l mean to call it The Rajah's
Rest Behind, great ferns and q messy
bank; in front S~ardanapalus, after tifin,
rolled spirally round, and taking his
Here was q long wished-for occasion.
E.ma had never before me, a real live
painter. Now, it was the cherished idea
OF her youth to see something some
day OF that wonderful, n~on-existrnt,
fantastic world which We still hope
Tor and dream about, and call Bohemia.
She longed to move in literary and artistic
circles. She had fashioned to herself, like
many other romantic girls, q rose-colored
picture OF Bohemian existence; moi know
ing, indeed, that Bohemia is now.
Alas Rs an extinct province, since
lowed it bodily down, digested and
assimilated it. So this casual talk with the
handsome young artist in the second class
carriage, on the Great Southern line, was
to Elma as a charming and delightful
glimpse of an enchanted region she could
never enter. 1t was Paradise to the Peri.
She turned the conversation at once, there
fore, With resolute intent. upon art and art
lists, determined TO make the most while it
last ed ofthls unioueopportunity. And since
the subject Of self, with an attentive listener,
IL always an attractive one, even to mod
est young men like Cyril Waring--especial-
~ when it's a pretty girl who encourages
you to dilate upon it-why, the conse-
quence was that before many minutes were
ON"t NhV u0AASVAhV yVulA II6A W6S O10e
coursing from his full heart to . sympa-
thetic soul about his chosen art, its hopes
and its ideals. accompanied by q running
tiro of thumb-nail illustrations. He had
even got SO far in the course of their init
macy ~ to take Out the portfolio, which
lay hidden under the seat tout Of Difference
to his disguise az . stock broker, no doubt).
and to display before Elma's delighted
eyes, with many explanatory comments q
In LIGHT and shade OP TAPSnQctlvQ And
foreshortc eg, the studies for the picture
he had jusUehen engaged upon.
By and by. a. his enthusiasm warmed un-
der Elma's encouragement, the young
artist produced Hsrdanaralus himself once
more from his box. and. with deity per-
sussive fnger1 coilsd him gracefully round
on the oppaHe seat INTO the precise atti-
tude he wa expected to take up when he
sat for his portrait in the messy tore
ground.
Elma couldn't say why, but
that creature fascinated her. The
longer she looked at him the more in
tensely he interested her. Not that she was
one bit afraid Of him, as she might reason
ably have expected to be. On the contrary,
him up in her own hands and stroke and
fondle him. He was so 1.-the and beau
tiful; his scales SO glisteued. At last
she stretched out one dainty gloved hand
to pet the spotted neck.
'Take care" the painter cried in q warn
ing voice; don't be frightened il lie springs
at You. He's vicious at times. But his
fangs are drawn; he can't possibly u
you"
The warning. however, was quite I'M
necessary. Sardanapalus, instead offspring
ing. seemed to recognize o friend. He
darted out his forked tongue i'll rapid vibra-
ton, and licked her neat gray glove re-
spectfully. Then, lifting his tlattened head
with s%erpentine deliberation. he co led his
great folds slowly, slowly, with sinuous
curves, around the girls soft arm till he
lutione There he held up his face, and
trilled his swift, sibiiant tongue once more
with evident pleasure. He knew his place.
He was perfectly at home at once with the
pretty, olive-sEinned lady. His master
looked on in profound surprise. :.
"Why, you're q perfect snake charmer,"
he cried at last, regarding her with open
behave like that with a stranger before.
He's generally by no means fond of new
acauaintances. You must be used to snakes.
Perhaps you've kept one? You're accus.
toned of old to their ways and manners"
"No, indeed. "Elma cried, laughing, in
spite of herself, q clear little laughof TENT
nine triumph; for she had made q conquest,
she saw, Oh SaTualldisAlus, never ~ HUI
as touched II in all my life before. and l
thought | should hate them. But this one
seems quite tame and t%ractahle. I'm not
in the least afraid OF him. He is SO soft
and smooth, and his movements are all SO
perfectly gentle"
..Ah, that's the way with snakes al
ways" Cyril Waring put in, with an adj
miring glance at the pretty. fearless
brunette and her strange companion.
"They know at once whether people
like them or rot, and they govern them
selves accordingly. ] suppose it's instinct.
When they see you're afraid OF them, they
spring and hiss; but when they see you
take to them by nature. they make
themselves perfectly at home in a moment.
They don't wait to be asked. They've no
false modesty. Well, then you see" he
went on drawing imaginary. lines with his
ticket on the sketch he was holding up, ~
shall work in Sardanapalus just there, like
thar, coiled round in a spire. You catch
the idea, don't your
AS he spoke, Elma's eye, following his
hand while it moved, CHANGED to fall sud-
denly on the name Of the station printed on
the ticket with which he was pointing.
She gave a sharp little start.
.Warnworth!' she cried, flushing mp,
with some slight embarrassment in her
voice; '.why, that's ever SO far back. We're
long past Warnworth- We ran by It three
ar fn,ir stations behind; in fact, it's the next
mace 10 Chetwood, where I got in al"
Cyril Waring looked mp with q half
guilty smile as embarrassed as her own.
O--r $50 ~ ,-A.us -.rS \ tvS. s. IL = nvw IL = \