The Irish standard., 1897-04-03


to town, making their homeward way
when the shadows had begun tolength.
en- and the air had grown cool. Now in
mid-afternoon nothing disturbed tho
sleepy calm of the place save few
children and chickens pottering about
in the thick dust of the street, the one
brood apparently as listless and void Of
purpose as the other. Across the way,
the postmaster, secure in belief that no.
body would come bothering him for
either mail or merchandise at this hour
of the day, smoked in dreamy content,
his thin form luxuriously telescopedin
a wooden armchair. his long legs dis
posed across an iron wheelbarrow,
which was evidently part of his stock
in trade. The saloon mum next, door
was visibly snoring. his mouth . very
cavern of escaping sound; while so long
time had elapsed since the doctor
had turned a page Of his book that it
would seem he might we'll have commit
ted the last to memory. There was a
soft. broken murmur from the creek, q
drowsy swish of leaves among the cot
tonwoods along its banks, and: the
stamp-mill at the far end of the place
went on In dull monotone, like. a
devils tattoo that would never stop;
but withal it seemed deadly quiet.
Dorothy Meredith yawned helplessly
as she turned from her outlook behind
the dusty lace curtains Of the Palace
hotel parlor to purposeless survey of
the large, bare room. She had brought
her book here in the hope Of finding
cooler place than her room on the floor
above; it was cooler, but the atmos-
phere seemed oppressively close while
there was that in the stiff arrange
ment, of the conventional parlor suit Of
cheap furniture which somehow con-
veyed the impression that the apart-
ment was not intended for everyday use.
Now that she. was here, Dorothy found
herself instinctively stepping about on
tiptoe, with a vague sense OF intru-
sion. very soon deciding that even as
choice of evils the place would not do.
She only halted while fretfully consid-
ering whether she should return to her
room and take a nap or shake off creep
ing lethargy by going for a walk, de-
tern1injng finally to take her chances
out of doors, although it seemed we'll
nigh like counting sunstroke.
But she loitercd by the window q
moment longer, now moved to idle curl
osity by the sound of hoof-beats com
ing down the4road, a small mischievous
hope stirring in her mind that it might
be somebody to poster the postmaster
for mail or rouse the saloon-man from
his dreams. But the rider had naught
to do with either of these, as it soon
appeared. He. rode straight on to the
doctors office, a man who sat his horse
with the easy, slouching grace Of one
accustomed to much riding, d young
man at sight Of whom Dorothy drew
back hastily behind her sheltering
curtain, her face all q warm, pink
glow. -
It had been three days since her adj.
venture in the storm, and, indisposed
to ride by reason of the lingering lame !:
ness of her wrist. she had kept rather
closely to her room, until now seeing I
nothing of Harvey Neil. She caught
: her breath sharply, the hot flush deep !:
elling upon her cheeks as she saw him !
sweeping the hotel with keen glance,
guessing That his thought might be of
her, and devoutly thankful for the
screen of lace which afforded her safe 4
covert to watch him undetected. He
bad exchanged his miners clothes for
Il well-titting suit of gray with russell
lcggings to his knees, wearing soft
gray hat by no means SO disreputable
in appearance as the one that had
framed his head the other day. He
had been good-lool1ing then, but he
was handsome now as ihe stood talking
with the doctor, his attitude instinct
with the unconscious grace of splendid
ly developed strength, as he slightly
leaned against his horse. with one hand
caressing' it's neck. Something was eyi-
IDENTIFY amiss with one of the animals
hind legs, at which the doctor was look
ing, the two men standing for several
moments in earnest discussion of the
trouble, after which they disappeared
within the shop together. !
Dorothy could hardly have told the
meaning of her sigh as after little
she saw him come out and ride away,
back over the road he had come. She
had SO far recovered from her rancor
that he no longer appeared to her the
unprincipled adventurer her unbridled
Indignation had first assumed that her
fathers enemy necessarily must be.
Her father had said that the young
man might we'll be honestly: mistaken,
even averring that in Neils place his
attitude might have been the same. /
She was glad to accept this justification
for him. 1t reinstated her worlds fair
hero in her respect, although she could
not feel that it narrowed the gulf which
circumstances had brought between
them. TO assume that he was the vic:
tim of error was to say that he held
honestly to the belief that her father
was no better than a common thief.
To call it misunderstanding could not
alter the fact of his actual attitude;
and so long as this was so, Dorothy
felt that amy friendship between them
must be out of the question. For her
fathers daughter, from his standpoint
Of belief, he could hardly have even
common respect to give; while, as her
fathers daughter, it seemed clear, to
her that she could show no favor to
this Harvey Neil without in away being
a traitor to her fathers cause. But,
while this conclusion appeared to her