The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-08
oopYRsnL 1898. BY TIE AUTHOR,


the right of comment for its end.
"When I started out for my drive
this morning she said, settling to her
crochet work with the first sentence, 81
| concluded would drive down the old
road and see if things were much
| changed. :"
His intention not to interrupt failed
| ignominiously.
"Queer taste! I generally go by it
when I must take that road at full speed
and with averted eyes,
"You do? Well, that is because you
are sentimentalist and coward, and
it accounts for good deal"
ga good deal of what?"s
"Of your ignorance concerning vital
things"
$50 on, and for heavens sake don't
be all night about it. :"
"That will depend largely upon the
number of Interruptions have" Mrs.
Grosvenor answered composedly.
Whitney began to smoke resolutely.
81 had about got tired of riding
past old Mrs Clarkes chicken house
anu llUblS L ObtS WlCShCo CuOICJ 81 WdO
seeking fresh fields and pastures green.
I asked Lord Chesterfield if he knew
what was called the lower river road,
and, finding that he did not, had to
direct him without letting him suspect
that had many and many time trav-
eled that same road with basket of
eggs on the horn of my saddle, going
trading in Cloverdell. +"
"Insufferable!''
Betty laughed. SIT is great mistake
to call women the squeamish sex. Co.
ing back hurts you great deal worse
than it does me. -
$50 on, please"
sit really is a beautiful drive, and
such day and such team would have
been sufficient unto any woman. l was
driving along, not thinking of eggs nor
the overseer's old house in the quarter
lot at Bascom's, just enjoying myself
because had on good clothes and my
brother owned nice turnout, when
came across damsel in dire distress.
"a girl--a very pretty one, too, by
the way-was sitting on stump by the
roadside, crying as if her heart would
break. Of course stopped to find out
what the trouble was. | think she was
a little dubious at first about confiding
in me, as | was stranger, but coaxed
her to tell me the entire trouble. She
said she had started to go to Miss Bas-
CONS to ask permission to have her
wounded brother taken there, with her
yardman as escort; that at some fork
in the road about mile from town
three bluecoats from the gunboats in
the river had stepped out and very po-
litely informed her that they needed her
horses; that her old man must go
with them as far as the boats to prevent
his informing on them, SO that she must
find her own way home
s'It seems she didn't want to find her
way home, but persisted in her desire
to go on to her friends -
''My dear Betty, what on earth has
that girl crying by the roadside to do
with what you have to tell me?'
"That girl is the key to the entire
situation. I told her to jump right in
and I would drive her wherever she
wanted to go. She hesitated, and that
made me angry. / snapped her up pref
ty short by asking her if she thought l
was going to run away with her. Then
she gave me a surprise.
t'She blushed and said No. She only
hesitated because she thought maybe l
did not know who she was. I told her
that didn't have any bearing on the sub
ject; that she was woman. and a
young one, and I could not possibly
drive on and leave her there without a
soul within call.
"She got into the carriage and put
out her hand to thank me. She said she
was frightened nearly out of her senses
when she saw her old Toby riding away
with those men and knew she must go
on. I am Marianne Belknap, she said,
blushing like rose, and you are Mr..
Whitney's sister. Everybody in Glover
dell knows you by sight.
sI couldn't go back on you, Dennis,
SO I said, Yes, am Mr.. Whitney's sis
ter, and this is his turnout, but hope
you will make use of it as far as your
friends house
ssShe thanked me with considerable
warmth, said she just must go on and
began to cry again. I made out that she
wanted to go to Miss Bascosn's, and I
ordered Chess
Richards, if you please"
"Well, don't please. ordered your
man to drive straight to Miss Bascom's
gate, and there put my distressed
iamsel down. I declare, Dennis, it was
not an agreeable sensation to sit oppo-
site that child and remember that you
had driven her from her home. l hope
I will never set eyes on her again.
SIS your story fnished?''
eft isn't begun. was determined as
long as was that near would drive
through the old quarter lot.
"Bahl'
"No bah about it. It is well to get
the proper perspective of things. I
wanted to focus the old place through
new lenses. And [ am glad / did