Mower County transcript., 1897-06-16

claim to any fixed place OF abode"
"No?" he returned, interestedly, the
tone courteously interrogative.
II was born in Colorado" she ex-
planned, with an air of friendly conf
dence; "but the altitude never agreed
with my mother, and when was twelve
years old she took me east, partly that
I might be educated there, and partly
for the sake of her own health. Since
then I have only been back for OCCASION
al visits; but have always called COL
orado home. And d'now suppose shall
be here more" Her face clouded over,
as after brief hesitation she added:
my mother died last spring"
"Indeed," he murmured. Seeing that
he seemed casting about in his mind for
further comment, the girl hastened to
add, with kindly garrulity: 1--WE were
to have gone abroad this summer, papa
and I, but just at the last minute we
were stopped by a wretched lawsuit
here at Windy Gulch. Perhaps, by the
way, you know my father, Col. Mere
dith?"
Eyes; I know him." the young man
admitted, rather dryly as it seemed,
dragging his box little farther from
the fire, which brought his face moro
into shadow; irrelevantly adding, in
tone which somehow struck the girl as
odd: "And so it was this lawsuit which
brought you to Windy Gulch, and gave
me the pleasure of meeting you again ?"
Eyes. 1t is strange how things turn
out, is it not?" She looked at him with
rather baf1ed feeling, conscious of a
vague sense of irritation. For her own
part, she had been so cordially frank;
there was even ranking suspicion in
her mind that she had been more friend
ly than the conditions might warrant.
Only by reciprocal confidence could he
relieve the situation from awkwardness
now. "And do you live here-at Windy
Gulch?" she went on, curiosity in her
glance.
"That is my post Office address," he
said, devoting himself to putting mora
wood on the fire, with rather an inscru-
table smile. II live-so far as it can be
called living-up at my mine. Which
reminds me-" starting up abruptly,
contrition in his air, II promised you
I would ride over to the Grubstake and
let your father know that you are all
right. had almost forgotten it; but
would you like me to go now?"
"What! and leave me alone here -
Dorothy cried, in tone of sharp pro-
test.
"Not unless you like, of course"
"The fact is, I have been thinking
papa might not be there himself" she
went on. "He rode over to Tomtown
this afternoon to see a surveyor there,
Mr.. Brigham. 1t is a bad road, you
know, and, with storm and all, it
seems as though he might have been de-
tanned, does it not?"
II should think it quite probable" i"
the yotng man returned, looking at her
with an expression of keen interest.
''He rode over to see Brigham, did you
say?" And then, the odd. shamefaced
look upon his face, he added, prefacing
the hurried explanation with a note OF
laughter that seemed strangely forced,
'cBrigham is rather a friend of mine,
you see."
"Is hep" Miss Meredith returned,
looking at him in vague surprise. 81
fancy papa does not know him very we'll
In fact he"
"Don't, Miss Meredith! You must
not!" he brusquely interrupted. "Iwas
a cad to let you say word about him
but" He rose hurriedly, leaving the
sentence unfinished, while he went to
the door and looked out with an air OF
seeing nothing. Il beg thousand
pardons," he said, gently, presently
turning back, seeming very big and
broad-shouldered as he stood looking
down at her, ''but the fact is, your ia
Their has a lawsuit on-you spoke of il
= moment ago; and in such cases even
trivial things-admissions that might
seem almost nothing-might really
make grave mischief. Especially un.
der the circumstances-we I should
be very sorry to take an unfair advan
tage by letting you say anything you
might afterward be sorry for, you
know"
But have not said anything:" the
girl protested, looking wholly bewil.
iered.
mo; you have not said anything"
he said, soothingly, his eyes seeming tc
her entreat forgiveness. "Only-pardon
me for offering advice-if were you
Miss Meredith, l would never speak tc
u stranger of your fathers movements
OF course, in nine cases out of ten nc
harm might be done; but then, again
you might regret it,"
Il think my error in the present case
was in assuming that you were not-e
stranger" her face flushed an angry
red, frank modification in her eyes
"But has it not stopped raining?
thought as you opened the door that j,
seemed almost clear"
"Blupdering chump that am, I have
made you hate mel" he impetuously ex
claimed.
"Oh. by no MEANS" her chin very
much in the air. II never trouble t,
hate strangers"
But it was a mere question of time
I suppose" he gloomily went on, hard
ly addressing the remark to her. "Soo1