Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-12-06
all? You never loved like that, did

yOuT
She looked ut him with startled. al
most guilty eyes. and HrtheringtOn had
a queer feeling of having entered un-
Willingly into II sanctiticd presence.
He rose and walked around the room
ninlcaSly for Il few minutes. Then he
said l,e had some nasty experiments to
make. and maybe she would not want
To stay. although he rather looked as
though he would have liked to have
i:td her.
But she left and then sat at her win
row watching his shadow move to and
fro us it fell against the trees OF the
garden Suddenly she heard Il Splutter.
ing explosion and Il strange cultural
cry For IL ghastly second she watched
The fitful leap Of lights on the trees. but
lis shadow did not come back. Then
she grabbed her water pitcher. full
happily. and the heavy rug on the floor
and ran into his room. She flung the
door open upon a thin blur Of flame ana
tliCkering tongues reaching like dane
Ing imps here and there in midair. and
through il all something like Il huddled
figure on the floor Up went the wnter
ahead of herself and over herself and
then the rug over the figure. and with
strength she hardly dared to think
could be in her tense muscles she
dragged ii out toward the hall. Then
wrapping her skirts around herself
with quick turn. she tore down the
burning pOrtiercs that screened the
laboratory from the den. and. finding
the hose attached to the hy'!rant. she
set the spray over herself and over the
room.
By this tim" the others had come.
But II WAS really all over. She stag
scrcd out to look 1T Hugh His eyes
were closed. his face hlackcnrd.
"Is he dead: Oh. is he d,ad:" she
said weakly
Then. covering her face with her
burned hands as if fearing the an
swcr. SHE S:'nk down in II white heap
beside him.
The next day Hugh. who. though
singrd and stunned. had been little
hurt. sat beside her and held her band
aged bands
lie watched the play OF her features
as he talked to her. and it seemed to
him like watching an unfolding flower.
lie caught himself wondering again
and again at some newly discovered
charm What deep. fine eyes. What
singularly sweet and unaffected smile!
What an intimate gcntlencss in her
voice!
Mrs UethcringtOn said one morning:
"IIow charming you are in that pale
yellow Wrapper. You are quite trans
formed" And she passed her hand ten
dcrly over the girl who had saved her
last child to her
Hugh said. "Shc is Cinderella. and
the fairy godmothcr has shaken the
agic tree over her"
And he did not know Just yet that
the magic which was touching her and
him. too. was older even than fairy
gOdmOthcrS.
He spent his spare moments now try
ing to please her. even as she had once
tried to please him. He told her over
aud over again that 1t WAS her wit and
her speed and her dear burnrA hands
that saved his life after his stupidity
Will lIit tiufl anu tllt
".Ah. no." she would say. 1T was an
inspiration am not II bit brave Of
myself"
"Do you remember" he said one day.
your ties, of lov,!''
She blushrd Il little this time. You
never told me-" he went on. whether
you ever loved any one that way or
not"
She did not answer.
"DO You think that you could?'
He thought he saw a smile fit over
the face. bent away from him though
it was. and he took her hands that
We're now healed. though still SCARED
little
She raised her head and looked Mt
him. and IIcthcringtOn suddenly knelt
down before her and kissed her hands.
and then he drew her head down to
him and kissed her Oh the lips,
An African Night.