El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-23


She stood fitting and smiling.
'Now you've got them, 1 suppose
you're satisfied"
She withdrew her glance, which was
becoming a little musing, from his face
to her skirts, and it lighted up.
eyes," she said fervently; planning
dresses, wearing them, making an i'm
preston in Them She broke off with
q laugh. She twirled her parasoL
"When you look at me like that" she
added, "what are you thinking?"
81 am thinking that 1 used to know
you"
'T am beginning to think that never
knew you or any of you until now"
Her eyes flashed and then roved away.
"Look, Rufus. 1 can see the tops of
Mrs. Halls sparkleberry trees. Don't
you remember how we used to climb
them when we went to play with Sc
rena Hall? Sometimes" she said.
when am sitting at my window look
ing out at the horses and people 1 can
see in my minds eye the Halls wood
yard and those sparkleberry trees. The
leaves were so shining, and the berries
were such big ones"
"You had lot of fancy notions then.
said Rufus, more genially.
"Why," she asked at once, "did you
let me stay here three weeks without
coming to see me"
Rufus smiled as if the question pleas
ed him, and his square figure settled.
"Have many Of your old friends been
to see your
"Why, Miss Percival came-and-and
cho ole ,oir
away.
"Miss Percival told my mother that
she thought it was her duty. The
opinions of the world and the opinions
of Little Britain don't agree about
you" Rufus leaned easily against his
stick. ''You took the worldly road
when you left here, and the world ad-
mires it's own, but the people you were
born and raised with have to disown
you"
She looked from RuSfuS' firm cheek
ed face up at the sky, around at the
trees and up and down the empty.
weed grown street with the glance Of
restless bird. Then she nodded her
head at Rufus.
cit is a very easy thing to be single
minded here in Little Britain. Who
would suppose, to see the cows grazing
around, that-oh, lot Of things. Take
my word, Rufus, the world is compli-
Gated. You may be right, or / may be
right, or we may both be wrong. At
any rate" she said earnestly, ''credit
me with trying to do right, and meet
me on that ground"
Rufus did not move, though she part
ly held out her hand.
"Thats a loose way" he said. ga
things right or it's wrong. There isn't
any use talking between"
81 took pleasure in the thought of
coming home, but nobody wants to
see me-" said Mrs. Richie suddenly.
"Please, Rufus, let me keep one friend.
do care"
Rufus leaned easily against his cane
again.
ct would have been better for you,
he said consideringly, eff
you had staid at home"
''Well, don't think-maybe so. Just
shake hands. 1 want to shake hands
like old friends"
'That's just like you," said Rufus
after a pause, trying to wheedle peo-
pie into what you want
Mrs. Richie looked at his settled fig
ure and important face until her look
from wiStful to musing and
on to comical.
you've got to be an old man." she
said. There's no moving you. The
world is big and liberal, Rufus. It's
q pity you couldn't have gone round it
some"
81 don't want to go round It," said
Rufus angrily; 81 don't want to go |
round it." He caught her smile and |
took off his hat abruptly.
"I'1l say goodby." |
He did not look back at her, though |
she watched him walk stif1y away. |
When he turned the corner, she moved |
forward, smiling, with tears in her |
eyes.-New York Commercial Adver- |
tiser.