Western news-Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1898-1900, 1900-03-15

Where did all the armies come from that
were in the Wars of the Roses?'
Now the spectacle of a young mind in
eager quest of knowledge is, as has been
observed before, a pleasing sight; but it
has to be pointed out to Miss Peggy that
the study of English history ought to re-
main prohibited during the remainder of
this trip, to avoid misconception, and for
the better ~silencing of s~candalous
tongues.
"Ah, now" she says, plaintiYely, "isn't
it hard that We should be subjected to
such cruel taunts and suspicious? And
so unjustly, too; that is the shameful
part of it; if there was the smallest atom
of foundation for the things they say
of us, l shouldn't mind. l do really be-
~lieve," she continues, with an air of sol
emn conviction. that you and 1 are the
two most absolutely perfect characters
the world has ever known. l have never
met with any one just quite so good as
we are. And, of course, that is the ex-
PLANTATION. Perfect people are never PRO
perly comprehended. The only comfort
is" adds Miss Peggy, complacently,
that you and | understand and appre-
ciate each other; and they are welcome
to say all those things about us as often
as they please"
This was all very well; and indeed it
was satisfactory to think that one had
Won the commentator CT a being so con.
hdent Of her wv moral worth. But
there was this to be considered about
Peggy, that you could never be very sure
OF her. Indeed, when she was most anna
bic she was most to be diStrusted; when
she held out both hands to you in the
frankest fashion, you had to beware lest
they should turn out to be the two knobs
of an electrical machine.
The next instant, with immoyable face
and inscrutable eyes, she remarks, in q
casual kind of way:
Mr.. A'Becket is coming to Warwick"
"What..'
Eyes, he is"
well, you are-I declare yo1 are"
"I?" she says, with a blank stare of
innocence. what have l to do with ir?''
Then how did he tell you and no one
else of his coming?'
"Oh, as for that" she says. in n care
less fashion, she only mentioned it in go.
ing away as a kind of possibility. If he
had spoken Of it to you, it might have
looked like asking for an invitation. And
perhaps he mayn't come, after all. I'm
sure, if 1 were he, 1 wouldn't take the
trouble"
Probably not"
Just at this moment we were ~unexpcct-
interrupted. There was a barge
along, drawn by two donkeys,
each with a nose-tin slung at its head;
and along with them was q tall young
bargeman, as handsome as Apollo, but
with a sun-tan N his face and a mild
fire in his eyes unknown to the marble
in the UfiZi corridors. After a
preliminary and rather difiident glance at
the young lady, he made bold to ask us
whether we were going on that day?
eyes, certainly was the answer.
'"Then you'll have to make haste" said .
The sun-browned Apollo. "for they're go
ing to repair Clayton Lock, and unless
you get on at once, you won't get through
until tomorrow"
Now, this was most unwelcome news;
for, though it was we'll enough, once il
awhile, to spend a whole twenty-four
by the side of a meadow, with
'peedwells, dandelions, pollard-willows.
;wiftS, water rats, and an occasional
as our only companions, still we
that we had not beer making sufi-
.ient progress, and we had certainly cal
on reaching Warwick that night.
80 there was nothing for it but to sum-
non Murdoch forthwith, and bid him
a breakfast alone and go scour the
country in search of Captain
Columbus and the Horse-Marine.
Well, we got through Clayton Lock
asilys enough; and thereafter entered
Ipon a long stretch of eleven miles with
ut any lock at all. This was by far I
he most lonely district into which we
ad as yet penetrated; and as the canal '
here on a high level, we had Il sulf-
iently spacious view of the richly culti-
but apparently u~ninhabited coan- l
~. Far as the eye could reach there
as nothing visible but fields, hedgc-rows /
nd upland heights, with here and there
clump of trees, or perhaps q solitary L
arm, a bit of red showing pleasantly
nough among the prevailing green's. The V
ay was frightening up, too; sweet, mild +
lrS were blowing; there was even, now
nd again; a ray of watery sunlight strik- =,
lg on some distant slope. We began to =
'onder whether we had at last escaped "
ON the rain that had pursued US so in
essantly; for, of course, we did not want o
II pretty Miss Peggy to so away back o
America with the impression that Eng
nd was a land of perpetual mists. C:
Go be c%ontinued.) Z