People's voice., 1899-07-20

over of unrestained merriment that
made him think of happy children and
singing birds. Didn't you know, sure
enough, that you were on the wrong
sideS she asked, naively.
Honestly, l didn't at first" he con-
fessed, "but l began to suspect some
such dreadful thing before you spoke.
Then it occurred to me that Pluto was
unreasonably particular about such
small thing, and l thought it might be
well to convince him of the fact"
81 think you've succeeded; but I'm
afraid you have hurt his sense of the
proprieties beyond recovery. He is al
most as conventional as l used to think
you were"
81 hope you don't think It any more,
after seeing my Interpretation of boots
and saddles, he protested. "And while
we're on the subject Of horseback rid
ing, let me make an open confession;
know less than nothing about it, ex-
perimentally, and shall be deeply in
debted to you if you'll teach me how to
behave in becoming manner"
She leaned over and disengaged her
skirt from its ENHANCEMENT in his stir
rup. y MAY II" she asked.
Il shall be very grateful"
"Well, then, IL believe it is custom
ary for gentleman to ride on the other
side," she began.
Ringbrand had quite recovered his
Self-possession by this time, and he
pulled Pluto around to her right. "0f
course. should think that would sug-
gest itself naturally to anyone but a
book worm like myself; assure you |
shouldn't have made my hero in a story
guilty of such awkwardness. Now,
how about these stirrups? they seem
to me to be too short, or too long, or
something"
She looked at them critically: ~
think they are little too short. Shall
hold Pluto while you dismount to let
them DOWN."
NO, thank you; think can manage
it from the deck" he replied, slipping
his feet from the stirrup irons and ad-
justing the straps to a more comforta-
bic length. There, how is that?"
That looks better. Now, shall we
try little gallop?"
IF you please. I'll do anything you
tell me to-"
They swept along the level road at an
easy canter, and Ringbrand profted by
Hester'S suggestions as well as he could
in the short intervals which his furtive
admiration of her graceful carriage and
radiant beauty spared him from a
consideration of his own shortcom-
ings. The road led them finally
to the western brow of the noun
tain, and they pulled up at the
edge of the cliff to enjoy the view
spread out before them.
Your surroundings are a perpetual
inspiration, Miss Hester" said Ring
brand, feasting his eyes with the keen
appreciation of an artist upon the mag
nifcent panorama of the mountains
and valleys and forests stretching away
to the westward.
81 am glad you like Tennessee" re-
piled the girl, with touch of pathos in
her voice. $50 many people-especial-
ly northerners-seem to think it an un-
profitable wilderness"
"Who could be so unappreciative as to
say that?"
Miss Bradfern, for one. She is from
Boston, and she visited friends in Dun
bar last summer. She was continually
pining for New England in general and
Boston in particular. I'm sure can't
understand how she will be able to live
here"
rs she coming here to live?"
"Yes; as the wife of our rector in
Tregarthen. tell him he's setting
bad example by going so far from
home"
Then | presume he is southerner?"
"Heis; he's a Georgian; but l believe
he was educated in the north"
Am | to understand that you think
one ought not to marry out of his Sec
tion?" he asked, making the rector's
case a possible opportunity for ascer-
tanning his own standing.
"0hl wouldn't say anything so
radical as that she replied, stroking
her horses name; only, it seems to
me, there are many reasons against it.
You don't understand-you can't un-
derstand-how much sectional feeling
there is in the SOUTH"
81 know there used to be, but l
thought it was thing of the past,
since the war"
ut is, in some senses, suppose, and
in others | think it is as strong as ever.
My father fought for the south; and if
you could know how strongly my SYM
pathies are enlisted upon the side Of
some of the things which you think are
dead issues, there would be only one
word in your vocabulary that would fit
mean ugly little word OF five letters"
Il hope am broad enough not to ap-
ply it, Miss Latimer. l think l can put
myself in your place sufficiently to un-
derstand that there may be many and
honest differences Of opinion"
Its right kind of you to say that
especially as your side has the better of
the argument; though I'm not so sure
about that, either. It's one thing to