El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-02
A BIT OF BRAID,


and the fitting of her rounded chin.
Clumsy" she said in a voice ringin;
with scorn. She caught up her skirt, jus
raising it from the ground, and hastenet
on. But she threw n few more or less &C
| cepta BILE home thrusts over her shoulde
| as she went.
They had reached the landing stag,
where the boat was moored. The CIR
| proceeded to take her place in it with the
| calmness and ease which only come e
her sex through practice and long suffer
| ing. She was seated, with the ropes in
her hands, before she really looked up al
| the man who had followed her-into the
boat by this time.
| You might at least apologize she
said.
Il do apologize he replied, very
| humbly" His manner and the laughter
| in his eyes did not, however, accord who'll
" with such an attitude.
"Well, really she began, but he in
terrupted her.
Il will go further-ycu will grant it is
long way further 1 will explain"
''There seems room for it,
He was quite a genius at Selling his
chances. He took her words as a con-
cession and dipped his SOULS into the wa
ter at the same time.
Il shall be able to talk so much better
when we are moving" he said artfully.
II fancy my stroke may prove as worthy
of comment as your brothers" he added.
He was still smiling. and he noted. with
growing satisfaction. that SO was she
well, of all the
"And you do not even know who l ami
Check? Oh. don't be hard. Luck, il you
like. ! am proverbially lucky. ] am not
to blame for that. am I? Your brother
told you he was expecting his college
chum. Charles Dean? I was just coming
along. Neither of you saw me. l heard
you send him back for your cape He
paused. with sudden conjunction
You are not cold?" he questioned anx-
iously. II forgot. and 1 have nothing in
the way of a wrap to offer you"
mo, I am not cold" she said as stiff1y
as she could.
"You walked on. you know, and then
temptation seized mean evil spirit dis
guised. most charmingly disguised, as a
piece of braid-and ! could not resist it.
/ was only afraid you would think l had
been suspiciously quick for a brother"
Il just wasn't thinking" she admitted.
dimpling.
The mood for confession grew on him.
"Or that you might look round" said he.
81 wish
mo, don't say it, Hear me out first.
Honestly, / was not entirely actuated by
motives of mere selfishness, as might at
uTSt dppeir. L put IL 10 myself like tn1S.
Here is a charming girl going to spend a
most perfectly delightful summer after
noon on the river with no more exciting
than the brother she has
known from her earliest days. whose |
thoughts are as open to her as her own; |
who hasn't a popularity, or even a vir- |
tue, left undiscovered 1 argued with my !
self about it Should l let such a paltry |
thing as the lack of an introduction pre-
~
''Oh," she cried, you really are
Yes" he said, "it stands to reason
even as a study-a sort of unexplored
so to speak. strange young
nan in such case must present himself
n the light of an acquisition"
Her eyes were dancing. why don't
Tou say such an exceedingly nice young
nan while you are about it?" she asked
nockingly.
81 will go one better" said he with
-our permission. Such an exceptionally
lice pair!'' And he bowed.
"Oh, you are dreadful-dreadful" But
the did not say it as a fact to be de-
'lored. She looked away from the soft
ummer landscape down to the edge of
Ter serge skirt, with its trimming Of
raid and the fateful loop. /
''They do sew these so insecurely." she
aid. You haven't a pin to spare?"
'" 4
he busted herself over it. "but ] suppose
will be just as well now"
The afternoon was. as he had said, de-
ghtful and his swift stroke left nothing
D be desired. 1t was not cold. after all. |
nj she never gave another thought to
he cape until she saw it. when at last |
hey got back. hanging deserted on the |
oathouSe door. where her brother had
1T it when he arrived there. to find her
anished.
The brother and sister were very alike
disposition and took things lightly and
: they came. So he never openly re- {
auted her desertion. Perhaps. as her
cw friend pointed out. he. too. had his
lore than adequate compensation.
This is just story of the inevita BILE,
n the man of resource was something {
a character reader. and he had looked
the girl before he stepped.
She called it. in her kindeSt moods. an
adaptation. hut he maintained that he
I'VE the incident its most appropriate I'll I
e when he named it "forerunner."
nd this il was
The weather favored them. and his
sit Heightened from a weeks end 10 a
eek and morc-ample time for a man
such ready methods to win for himself
girl not indiSposcd to be won. Thus his
sit 10 the brother ended in his marriage
it'll the SiSter-an old tale, but often
,ry pleasant one .
1t was later in the season, and boating
terests had given way to the necessity
stocktaking in fashionable wearing
,parel and discussions on the relative
erits of new and antique furniture.
81 could almost WISH" she said sweet
that it was possible to trim a white
tin wedding dress with braid in a sort
squiggly pattern of loops and turns"
IF you contemplate having one loop
.ndent to trip me up during the cere-