The San Francisco call., 1903-12-20

nam," she begins. But more suddenly
than is consistent with her tone she
sinks back. william sits upon the
grass shaking with laughter.
You looked 80 awful funny. so awful
funnyi" he gasps The Child hangs for
q moment between tears and laughter.
Then she accepts the situation and
laughs as merrily as the chore boy.
'I was pretending was princess"
she explains. 7"
"HoI" reJoins William. you amt Ike
n princessI You don't look Ike the
ones you tell about, anyway; why
as she EIares at him over the apron
'your hairs red, redl An your eyes
ars kind o. green, they arel An you're
1ust jam-packed full o. freckles! 1
gueess I know well enough how they
look, and you amt like 'emI"
The tears stand in her eyes, but she
WIN not let them fall.
"I don't care, William searies," she
eays bravely, IT may look freckled' but
I don't feel sol And It's better to know
how they look Than" But mol She
IA an honest Child, with all her inagin-
inTs- She knows that 1t is better to
look like them than to know about
them; better for the maiden ana the
prince, at least William waits Ror tne
sentence. She begins again
civilian Eearles," she says solemniy'
f" vouldn't you rather could tell you
about those princesses than look IKE
tnem4" williams eyes sparkle greed
ny.
.You beti" he replies with fsrVor.
The Child sighs with relief.
"All right" she says, then dont
complain
She Is alone again. and only WI
Hams faint and fainter invitations TO
the chickens break the silence. The
peas fly into the pan. Suppose sne
should be kept from Miss 5alome'si
But no, that shall not be. She looks
ahead to the happy afternoon, singing
as she works.
And now-and now the time has
coma. The dishes are wiped, the cat
fed and the fennel picked for the long
sermon tomorrow. She. her very SELF
in her new dotted lawn walks carefully
up the hill to the big house. terraced
and Rravel-pathed. She knocks timidly
at the brass ring and the tall colored
butler lets her In he IL the only IN
door man servant she has ever seen.
and she reverences him greatly. He
-
smiles not upon all the country people
IF miss win walk up" he says She
goes up the soft-carpeted stairs into
the upstairs drawing-room- She draws
a long breath of happiness and wonder
ever new, and makes her little cour-
tesy 10 Miss salome.
Out Of the dim, delicious dusk cf the
room come slowly the familiar treas
ures-the high polished desk. the great
piano, the marvellous service Of delft
that nlls a monstrous sideboard In the
distance; the chairs, all silk and satin
and shining wood: the great pictures
In gilt frames. In the largest chair sits
Miss 6alome VIII the child ever tire
Of looking at her pale-lined face, her
silver high-dressed hair, her beautiful
hands sparkling with rings, her
naughty mouth, her tired. troubled
eyesf She must have been almost as
lovely as the Princess Angelica once.
But she smiles so seldom. She puts out
her hand.
"And what has happened since last
Saturday." she says.
The Child laughs for pure Joy. To
talk, to describe. to venture at analy-
sis, TO ask the why and wherefora, to
illustrate by gesture as vivid as her
speech-these things are her happiness
To be suffered this Joy In snatches is
much, to have 1t demanded, and for one
whole afternoon. Here Is no one to
reprove, no one to blame the idle
hands, no one to question the propriety
of rninicry or to insist on her sitting
In her little chair.
Miss Salome watches her fitting
about the dusky parlor, her reddish
gold hair cleaning now against the
delft blue, now against the polished
mahogany desk She tells OF the
chickens that lost their mother. She
wanders about clucking for her brood
and cooling over the returned prodigals-
She walks across the room as William
does-her slouching gait, open mouth,
drawing voice, irresistibly perfect She
describes the shooting star. that SEEM
ed to her like lost spirit, gone to
sorrow and the earth.
'Tt makes me think Of Lucifer, son
Of the morning. how art thou fallenI' F"
she says, solemnly. II wonder how
Ehat star felt, Miss 5alome7"
There II . long pause. The lady
nighs.
Then, ''You may read. II you like"
she says at last.
The Child's face nushes for Joy. She
runs to the bookcases and brings out