The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-08
CONTINUED from Last Sundays News.5
CHAPTER VIII.
GLAD AFTERNOON; THE GIRL BY
THE BLUE TENT POLE

pike toward the brick house. The
white-ruffed fenneI reached up its dus-
ty yellow heads to touch her skirts as
she passed and then dropped, satisfied
against the purple iron-weed at the
road side. In the MONDAY silence no
cricket chirped nor locust raised its
lorn monotone; the tree shadows mot
tied the road with blue, and the level
fields seemed to pant out a dazzling
breath, the transparent "heat-waves"
that danced above the low corn and
green wheat.
He was STOPPING very much as they
walked; he wanted to be told that he
could look at her for a thousand years.
Her face was rarely and exquisitely
modelled, but. perhaps, just now the
salient chara cteristic of her beauty (for
the salient characteristic seemed to be
a different thing at different times)
was the coloring, a delicate glow I'M
der the white skin that bewitched him
in its seeming a reflection of the rich
benediction of the MONDAY sun that
blaZed overhead.
Once he had thought the way to the
Briscoe homestead rather long walk;
but now the distance sped Indignantly;
and strolled they never so slow, it was
less than a young birds futter from
a wood" With her acquiescence he
rolled a cigarette, and she began to
hum lightly the air of a song. a song
of an ineffably gentle, slow movement.
That, and a reference of the morn
ing, and, perhaps, the smell of mis-
tobacco mingling with the fragrance of
her roses, awoke again the keen rem
iniscence of the previous night within
him. Clearly outlined before him rose
the high, green slopes and cool cliff
walls of the coast of Maine, while his
old self lazily watched the sharp little
waves through half-closed lids, the
pale smoke of his cigarette blowing out
under the rail of a waxen deck where
he lay cushioned And again a woman
pelted mis- face with handfuls of rose
petals and cried up lad and at 'em!
Yonder is Winter Harbor." Again he
sat in the oak-raftered Casino, breath
less with pleasure, and heard a young
girl sing the Angels Serenade," a
young girl who looked so bravely I'M
conscious of the big, hushed crowd that
listened looked so pure and bright and
gentle and good, that he had spoken Of
her as ''Sir Galahad's little sister" He
recollected he had been much taken
with this child: but he had not thought
posed; had almost forgotten her. No!
Her face suddenly stood out to his
view as though he saw her with his
physical eye-a sweet and Vivacious
Childs face with light-brown hair and
gray eyes and a short upper lip.
And the voice
He stopped short and struck his palms
together. You are Tom Meredth's
little cousin!''
THE Great Harkless!" she answer
ed, and stretched out her hand to
him.
81 remember your
isn't it timer"
"Ah. but 1 never forgot you" he
cried. Il thought l had. l didn't know
who it was l was remembering. I
thought 1t was fancy and it was mem
DRY. l never forgot your voice, singing
and 1 remembered your face, too;
though l thought I didn't" He drew
a deep breath. That was why"
Tom Meredith has not forgotten
you, she said, as he paused.
Would you mind shaking hands
once more?" he asked.
She gave him her hand again. with
all my heart. Why"
I'm making a record of it. Thank
you"
They called me Sir Galahad's lit
tie sister all one summer because the
Great John HAIRLESS called me that
You danced with me in the evening"
did II"
"Ah,' she said, shaking her head.
you were toe busy being in love with
Mrs. Van Skuyt to remember a waltz
with only me! was allowed to meet
you as a reward for singing my very
best, and you-you bowed with the in
diligence of a grandfather, and asked
me to Dance
Like grandfather? How young I
was then! How time changes us!''
I'm afraid my conversation did not
make great impression upon you,"
she continued.
But it did am remembering very
fast. If you will wait a moment, l viii
tell you some of the things you said"
The girl laughed merrily. Whenever
she laughed he realized that 1t was be-
coming terribly difficult not to tell her
how adorable she was. II wouldn't
risk it, if were you" she warned him.
because l didn't speak to you at all.
] shut my lips tight and trembled all
over every bit of the time l was dane
ing with you. l did not sleep that
night, because / was so unhappy, Won
dering what the Great Harkless would
think of me. l knew he thought me
unutterably stupid because 1 couldn't
talk to him. l wanted to send him
word that knew / had bored him. |
couldn't bear for him not to know
that l knew had. But he was not
thinking of me in any way. He had
gone to sea again in a big boat, the
ungrateful pirate, cruising with Mrs.
Van Skuyt."
How time does change usi" said
John. you are wrong. though; I did
think of you; i have al
Yes, she interrupted, tossing her
head in airy traversty of the stage CO.
quette. you think SOL mean you say
so-now. Away with you and your
blarneying!"
And so they went through the warm
noontide, and little he cared for the
heat that wilted the fat MULLEN leaves
and made the barefoot boy, who passed
by, skip gingerly through the burning
dust with anguished mouth and watery
eye. Little he knew of the locust that
suddenly whirred his mills of shrill-
ness in the maple tree. and sounded so
hot hot, hot; or those Others that rail-
ed at the country quiet from the dim
shade around the brick house; or even
the rain-crow that sat on the fence
and swore to them in the face of a
sunny sky that they should see rain
ere the day were done.
Little the young man rocked of what
he ate at Judge Briscoes good noon
dinner; chicken wing and young roas'-
n ear; hot rolls as light as the fluff
of summer cloudlet; and honey and
milk and fragrant, f1aky cherry pie:
and cool, rich, yellow cream. Lige
Willetts was lover, yet he said he
asked no better than to just go on eat
ing that cherry pie till sweet death
overlook him; but railroad sandwiches
and restaurant chops might have been
set before Harkless for all the differ