Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-06

have understood her simplicities, and who
would, WITHOUT any real disrespect to her,
have hugely enjoyed the joke that she must
nave furnished to them Jones had inter-
Vened successfully, but it had been to his
own undOing.
1t was a caddish trick to play upon her:
he was cad to be amused by the child's
gullibility The success of the
any doubt of his good faith Jones might
have convinced himself of Justification But
she swallowed his silly, theatrical pre-
lenses with a whole-hearted credulty; no
stage trick, 1t appeared, was too patent
for her. He was an unutterable cad
"a coarse, sneering, underbred bOunder-
and he kicked himself mentally at every
epithet.
Which was bad enough. But there was
worse to follow-for Jones the groom. 1t
had only needed the advent of the visitor
10 rouse IN him rage of jealousy, and to
show him, clearly, beyond all thrusting
aside or suppression. the fact that he had
learned one subject at their lessons, and
learned it all too thoroughly. There was
no longer any Disgusting the truth from
himself. He loved her.
Ill
Eight hoofs sucked in and out Of The
greasy track from the Seven Tree Gully,
and the noise of their oncoming was as a
dismal squefching. The rain poured more
steadily than before and made the night
pitch black, horribly cold and dispirting
There was no sound of voices when the
riders came up with Jones; the uncertainty
OF their fortunes had nipped conversation,
and they were plodding forward silently
wrapped, as he guessed, each in apprehen-
sions that were worth concealing from the
other. Jones challenge, therefore, brought
with it relief and lightened the mental fog
as cheerily as his lantern twinkled upon
the physical darkness that encompassed
them. Miss Aliin, indeed, laughed outright
at the joy of her rescue
1--WE should have had to camp all night
in the plantation at Gum Tree Corner
we should, indeed" she said. I'm a BUSH
mans daughter. but I could no more have
found the way beyond the end of this lane
than | could have fown-and Mr.. Danger
field doesn't know it. Oh, Jones it is good
of you! 1 feel safe now you have come
Three minutes ago / was beginning to
wonder whether I ought to confess to Mr.
Dangerf1eld the quandary I had led him
into. But you must be drowned, Jones
And what are you doing? Not dismount-
ing, surely? We have ten miles yet to go"
Jones took the bride of her horse and
slipped the reins of his own his arm
He let Dangerfield cross behind them to
her near side, and he tramped forward
afoot, with his eyes on the circle of lantern
! light
You're not going to run any more risks,
| miss if 1 can help it, he said. "This is
| not the place to allow a lady to find her
| own course How are you going to see
| where Babette plants her forefeet. I'm
walking miss, thank you, this Journey
| The tone of his remarks was not calculated
to soothe the other man. already rain
soaked and faded. He said angrily:
eff Miss Allin and 1 choose, you mean
| Your mistress will do she pleases. and
! I'll trouble You not to dictate to her.
Il am quite content with Jones plan,
though I am sorry he should be put to so
| much trouble on my account. 1t is very
kind of him to come out after u.s. said Lu-
| Giles voice with a ring of dignity in it,
| and Dangerffeld was crushed for the min
ute. Jones smiled at the mud and his heart
| thumped.
THANK you, miss" he said Don't
bother your head about me; I'd sooner walk
| than ride"
They toiled on Dangerfield recovered
from his rebuke after quarter mile of
! silence and began conversation that
would exclude Jones from Miss Allin's at
! tention. He rode very close to her; he had
| it seemed an intuitive knowledge of how
| best to punish the groom's impertinence and
| he leaned toward the girl at an angle of
| confident familiarity.
"You asked me to tell you the reason for
| my coming out here" he said. IT under
| stood you were good enough to be interest
| ed in my doings. Am I right in surprising
! that?"
why, yes, of course; I should like to
hear all about the mission that you say has
| been intrusted to you" Miss Allin said
1T must be an urgent one to make you
| leave the England you describe in such
| glowing terms for-Australia."
The young man laughed rather doubtful
ly.
..Englands the place to live in, no mis-
take about that" he said But Australia
has it's good points, too; only a fellow
doesn't realize them just at first. And the
best things In Australia would bear trans
planting; they would shine better in ar
| English setting. / know one
But that is not telling me about your
mission" Lucille said sweetly, and again
| Jones grinned to the puddles.
There was another silent space Danger.
field must have swallowed some mixed