The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-04-24

the air with that peculiar grace that | the poets ascribe to the gait of god desses. Though he could, if he wishV, | have scorched ahead and distanced | her with ease, he could not bear to | have her out of his sight. So 1t was soon evident that he would have to pay | for the refreshments. Up hill and | down they went without abating their | speed until the chaperone was proba- | bly, three or four miles behind. Pres- ently they coasted down hill into a | little valley where the road was wood | ed on both sides, and Fred saw that | the opportune moment had come, | Guiding his wheel until he was near enough to Florence he said:
 Wouldn't you like to rest for few minutes?"
 She made no response but kept right on.
 "We have both lost the wagers any how" he argued,
 Her only notice of this remark was a slight heightening of color,
 And there is something want very much to say to you"
 Her color increased,
 Miss Camden-Florence"
 "I mustn't" she half gasped, T did wrong to run away from aunt"
 Well, wait for her, and I will too"
 "No"
 The truth was that Florence's maid en modesty was beginning to assert It. self, and she had been thinking that in attempting to rush ahead with Freq, and then to fall behind, she had been too forward. Poor Fred! In his col | lege course he had been taught to deal with the laws of nature, but not With | the whims of woman, and he was al- most nonplussed. Already the others | of the party were passing over the crest of the hill, and they were in dan ger of leaving the little valley without anything being accomplished, But still Florence kept scorching along. Even despair adds to the resourceful- ness of some men, and suddenly the lines of Fred's face hardened and he raced past her up the hlll When he had gauged the distance and direction accurately, he turned and waved his hand at her as If waving goodbye, while his wheel went directly toward a log that lay by the roadside A mo- ment later he struck and whiried through the air entangled with his wheel with his arms and legs flying like a windmill. He was picking him. self up as she passed. She wavered, the wheels wobbled as if she were go- ing to alight, but she strengthened up and disappeared over the crest of the hill.
 His despair was complete. He didn't care if he had ruined his wheel, or shattered his anatomy. His heart, however, was the only part of him that was injured, and 1t was rapidly sinking out of it's normal position. He had certainly been mistaken She did not care for him. He hadn't had such a fall in his life, and yet she had left him there to die--for all she knew Of course he had intended to fall, but the next time he fell to attract the atten- tion of heartless girl, he would do it on bed of moss rather than on the side of chestnut log and the rough edge of a gravel road. Without look ing to see how much he had damaged himself, smarting inwardly and out wardly he sat down on the log, buried his face in his hands and felt utterly
 miserable. He was beginning to hate | HlII1StlI, FiOTGHCc, tlcT duHt anu thG
 whole world, when suddenly he felt a
 light hand on his shoulder.
 "Oh, Fred, are you really hurt?
 saw that you really intended to take
 that tumble, but 1t was horrid of me to
 go along without asking if you were
 hurt--when I knew you had done it for
 my sake'
 The hun1or of taking 8 header for
 any ones sake did not appeal to either
 of them just then.
 Are you hurt?''
 It was his chance to sulk, and what man can resist sulking when he has
 the most charming girl in the world to
 coax him into good humor? Speak to me, Fred. You are not hurt. are you? Oh, you must be, your
 jacket and-and knickerbockers are
 torn. and you must be. Shall I get
 you some water from the spring? Oh, do speak Look up at mev
 She pulled his hands from his face,
 and, as he looked up, he saw that there were tears in her eyes. Just then Florence gave little scream. "Oh. Fred, there Is auntie coming : over the hill!''
 That was all the tonic he needed. Seizing her hands, he exclaimed hur- riedly:
 ! Florence, you know why I wanted to be alone with you. love you-have
 loved you for months! And now that I am going away, I want to know if there is any hope for me. Will you be my wife?"
 , She looked down the road at the ap- preaching Nemesis.
 twill you be my wife? I know : don't deserve you, but will work; I will work Some day you may love me l little"
 She blushed. then glanced at the fig ure coasting down the hill. : Yes Fred! Yes! Oh, do let us hur- l ry away Aunt will be here in min- ute or two"
 linen you do love mel" 1 A moment later she was folded in his } arms. What the sun saw and the
 chaperone suspected need not be de- , scribed.
 A moment later they were wheeling , along side by side, utterly oblivious of everything on earth but each other When they reached the casino the rest I of the party had ordered their refresh. !, ments, and were piling up a goodly bil : for the loser-who was so infinitely 2 r winner He explained his loss by tht
 tumble he had taken and praised Flor