The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-07
CHAPTER ~vII-CONTINUED

|tiThi iiN
The moonlight fell all about her. as it had
OH the first night of their arrival. a month
before, but now ii seemed cold
and cheerlcsR. and gave an added
sense CT loneliness TO the silent
house. She did not go inside TO read.
ss she had promised to do. bu, sat for the
next hour looking across the harhor. She
could not blame Alice. She considered
that Alice always moved by rules and pre-
cedents. like a queen in a game Of chess.
and she wondered why. 1T made life 50
tame and uninteresting. and yet people in
yariabiy admired Alice. and some one had
spoken of her as the nobicSt example OF
the modern g~entiewornan. She was s''re
she could not grow up To he anything like
that. She was quite confident that sil"
was going to disappoint her family. She
wondered II people would like her better
II she were discreet. like Alice. and less
like her brother Ted. II Mr.. Clay. for in
stance, would Ike her better: She won
dered II he disapproved Of her riding on
the engine with MaCVNilliamS. and or her
tearing through the mines on her pony.
and spearing with Il lance of sugar-cane at
the monErel cura that ran 10 snap at his
TANKS. She remembered his look of as
tcuished amusement the day he had caught
her In this impromptu pig-sticking. and she
felt herself growing red at the recollection.
She was sure he thought her a tomboy.
Probably he never thought of her at all.
Hope leaned hack in the chair and looked
I'D at the stars above the mountains and
tried to think of any of her heroes and
princes IN fiction who had gone through
such interesting experiences as had Mr.
Clay. Some of them had done 80. but they
were creatures in a book and this hero was
alive, and she knew him. ami had prob
ably made him despise her as a siily little
girl who was scolded and sent off to bed
like a disobedient child. Hope felt a chok-
Ing In her throat and something Ike n tear
creep TO her eyes; but she was surprised
to find that the fact did not make her
ashamed Of herself. She owned that she
was wounded and disappointed. and to
make It harder she could not help pictur-
ing Alice and Clay laughing and talking
together in some corner away from the
ballroom, while she. who understood him
so well, and who could not find words 10
tell him how much she valued what he
was and what he had done. was forgotten
and sitting here alone, like Cinderella. ~
the empty fireplace.
The picture WAS SO pathetic as Hope
drew It. that for a moment she felt almost
a touch OF self-Tity, but the next she
laughed scornfully at her own fooiishness,
and. rising with an impatient shrug.
walked away in the direction of her room.
But before she had crossed the veranda
she was stopped by the sound of a horses
hoofs galloping over the hard sun-baked
road that led from the city, and before she
had stepped forward out OF the shadow in
winch STo $1,000 Inc horse ndl TtHtIleI
the steps and his rider had pulled him back
on his launches and swung himself off
before the ~forefeet had touched the ground.
Hope had guessed that Il was Clay BIZ
his riding. and she feared from his haste
that some one of her people were III. So
she ran .anXiousiy forward and asked II
anything were wrong.
Clay started at her sudden appearances
and gave a short boyish laugh of pleasure.
I'm so glad you're still up" he said
NO, nothing is wrong" He stopped in
some embarrassment. He had been moved
to return by the fact that the little girl he
knew was in trouble. and now that he was
suddenly confronted by this older and state.
lier young person, his action seemed partic.
ulariy silly. and he was at a loss to explain
1t in any way that would not give offense
mo nothing is wrong" he repeated. 81
came after something"
Clay had borrowed one Of the cloaks ths
troopers wore at night from the same mar
who had lent him the horse, and as II,
stood bare headed before her, with TN.
cloak hanging from his shoulders to tn.
floor and the star and ribbon across hi.
breast. Hope felt very grateful to him 70,
being able TO look like a Prince or a her,
IN a book. and 70 yet remain her Mr.. Cla,
at the same time.
II came to get your sisters fan" Cha,
explained. She forgot it."
The young girl looked at him for a mo-
ment in surprise, and then straightenec
herself slightly. She did not know whethel
she was the more indignant with Alice foi
sending such a mar on go foolish an er
rand. or with Clay for submitting to sucl
a service.
oh. is that it," she said at last. IT VII
GO and find you one" She gave him a dig
niied little bow and moved away towar,
the door, with every appearance OF disap
pToyal.
"oh. ] don't know" she heard Clay say
deubtfully; II don't have to go just yet
do I? May / not stay here a little while? p
Hope stood and looked at him in som
perplexity.
Why. yss." she answered. wondsrlnEiy