Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-08-28
Continued.

plCdodhLs o4NSo
was quite impossible for her happy
nature to keep up even the faint
semblance of annoyance with which
her words had begun. She was feel
ing in her purse, with her head bent
over it, by the time the young York.
shireman had reached her side and
had recovered breath enough to speak,
Just as he was raising his hat, and
holding out the handkerchief, the
ponies started off; and the few PAGES
it travelled before being pulled up by
a quick hand on the reins, brought
the sleigh within the light from the
cottage-windows, which flashed upon
the faces both of the lady and of the
stranger who stood beside her.
The Yorkshireman held his breath.
By some odd result Of this sudden
revelation of her beauty to his dazed
and dreamy mood, it seemed to him
that not a fiesh-and-blood handsome
woman of the nineteenth century, but
the incarnate ideal of the Italian paint
ers of the Renaissance, looked straight
into his eyes with the frank and fear
less gaze Of a pictured goddess, and
flashed upon his dazzled sight the
rose and ivory tints of her skin, the
CLEAN of her blue eyes and of her
pearl teeth, the shining coils of her
pale golden hair. Lady Kildonan's
beauty was of that incontestable,
triumphant, sort which at
tacks and subdues at first sight, need
ing no wiles of subtle allurement, no
attractions of intelligence or amiabil-
What sort of mind dwelt in that
beautiful body might become, when
longer acquaintance had dulled the
first impression produced by her face,
a question of interest; but in a crea-
ture of so much loneliness it was of
necessity a secondary matter, and al
though every woman of her &C
q~uaintance beWailed what one called
a lack, and another a meme of
expression, and united in %regrett1ng
that this variously-described defect
quite spoiled a face that would other
wise have been good-looking," the less
discerning sex overlooked this blem-
ish with generous unanimity, md
yielded her that unquestioning hom-
age which has been mans tribute to
royal beauty, n the thorn in good
plain women's sides, since the world
began. The young stranger was con-
quered at once, n the words he had
had ready failed him. On her side,
however, the lady seemed to be as
much struck with the appearance of
the supposed tramp as he was with
hers; the pink color in her cheeks
grew a little deeper, and she held out
her hand for the handkerchief with
head bent as if in humble apology,
while her full blue eyes looked up in
his face with a d~eprecatory express
sion which would have washed away
the memory of a hundred insults.
Il beg your pardon. Pm SO awfully
sorry. | made a dreadful mistake"
she said, in a low winning voice that
had a strangely moving quality.
Not at all, madam" answered the
stranger, recovering his voice, but not
all his s~elf-control. "You were quite
right. The times are very hard, and l
am in search of a nights lodging,
though it is true | had no intention
OF waylaying you for the means to pay
for it. You dropped your handker-
chief, and | picked it up; that is ALL"
ooh, but it's not all. I'm so much
ashamed of myself" broke III the
lady, who seemd to enjoy the adj
venture with all the zest of a young
girl. you are a stranger here, |
see-for | know every face in the
n~eighbOrhood. Let me offer you the
hospitality of my home-The Crags-
for the night. My husband, Lord
Kildonan, will be delighted to welcome
the amende honorable for his wife's
esc~apades," she ended with another
peal of the bell-toned laughter which
seemed to be a more natural express
sion CT her happy, sanguine tempera
ment than the colder medium OF
words.
The doctor noticed, even as he ex
cused himself from accepting this
headstrong offer of hospitality, thai
the groom appeared strangely sensible
of the want of dignity betrayed by his
mistress's rash invitation to a strang
er; for the man gathered UP the reins
which the lady had let fall, as if re
spectfully to remind her that the time
was slipping by.
You must at least call upon us to
morrow-ah but | insist uDon that ,
h said, after hearing his answer. sc
can't insult people and forget all abour
it in a moment like that; | must be
allowed to make amends my own way
If you are a visitor to Conismere Vol
have no idea how much an old resi-
dent a help you to make the yer,
most of your stay"
The groom gave an ]admonitorv Dul
to the reins. but Lady Kildonan lait
an imperious hand upon them Will,
h listened to the strangers answer
"Io are very kind indeed. and Vol
have nothing in the world to apologiz
for, madam. I am a visitor. but
visitor who has to count even the min
utes OF his stay; | have a business
appointment of the highest importanc
to me to keep in Glasgow tomorrow
upon which my hopes of getting
practice rest"
"A practice! Are you a lawyer. CT
doctor them" the beauty asked wit
ingenious interest.
I'm a doctor, or at least l shall b
when get any patients"
"Well, | hope"
But before she could get any furthe