The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-10
A Creature of Impulse
b G. b. d u r @ ~


nearly sprained my wrist pulling that
The girl stopped suddenly for Home had
risen to his feet. his handsome brown eyes
agiow.
so you're not French after all.' he
cried. Il knew it; knew it,
The girl looked at him doubtfully. mo.
! am not French" she said. slowly. May
1 ask the reason Of this sudden accession
of patriotism your part?' Her cloak
slipped to the floor as she spoke. and she
stood revealed in all the beauty of sweet
one-and-twenty.
To his great delight. Home noticed that
she no longer wore the dishguring Knockers.
A soft. filmy blue dress set of her etheteai
beauty. She had exquisite blue eyes. yell
low hair, sweet lips, even. white teeth.
straight nose. not to small. and shoulders
such in dreams. Mamma. be-
hind her. was the same. with the portliness
of twenty additional summers. She had a
frank, handsome face. and surveyed Home
with sympathy as an Englishman in a
strange land who had been wounded by I'M
sympathetic steam engines. He was even
handsomer than the girl. Tall. dark. ath-
letic. with clear brown eyes and a mus
tache which had not long encountered the
vicissitddes of the world; IL seemed to need
support
Il think" said mamma, that my daugn-
ter had the pleasure Of She paused
The girl ruefully looked at Home And
so 1 can't get my glove on tonight.
Mr.. -
Douglas Home
"W-what" cried mother and daughter
together. The Douglas Homer" Here the
girl added. softly: 1.-The hero."
Home blushed beneath his tan. "Of course
I'd no business to-" he said lamely Il
was only correspondent. 1t was like my
cheek TO interfere"
Tin glad / interfered with that en-
gine." said the girl. 81 really cannot get
this glove on by myself"
And you carried Lieutenant Feather
stones body out of the thick OF the fight.
with Boer sharpshooters pinging at you
all the timer" said the mother.
please don't talk about it, pleaded
Home Il in a terrible funk
The girl made a little movement of her
wrist just as Home had nearly succeeded
in buttoning her glove. He had to begin
all over again. Somehow, his hand shook
"Have 1 hurt yod?" she asked
''Yes-youre hurting me now'' stam-
mered Home. THAT isl mean" He
the girl did. for a still lovelier color stole
into her cheeks. ''Come in when you have
rested she said; and mother and daughter
left him.
Home fell into a reverie. whats my
pulse going like this for?" he murmured.
Dashed silly nonsense. It's only graft
tude TO her for looking so beautiful
A sudden chill ran through him Another
girl-this time dark one-stood regarding
him from the doorway OF the ballroom.
She evidently Russian. tall. salIow.
black-eyed. with that inscrutable look
which from dwelling snowy
steppes. And there was a sheer upon her
handsome lips.
Monsieur is>seeing paradise with the
aid of his countrywoman?" she asked
Homes shoulder twitched. With rustic
of black and amber draperies. she foated
toward him.
oh you don't know me, You don't
know me, And yet also saved your life"
Home was politely incredulous. Pardon
me, but we have never met before"
''Oh, yes, we have. Mr.. Home. You were
in st. Petersburg when there was a plot to
blow up the Gar.
The Car is always being blown up"
said Home, in tired tones
HE would have died had ii not been for
you"
why. what had to do with it?''
The girl sat down on the sofa beside
him. 81 was going to throw the bomb when
1 caught sight Of you close TO the Cars
encourage" she said, composedly.
"Well?"
You were so handsome that II didn't
throw
had I ~ 10 wit
1T was an unusually powerful bomb.
You would have been shattered into little
pieces"
II am very much indebted TO you for
your forbearance."
You ought TO be- she cried passion
ately. II knew you were coming here, and
and awaited your arrival"
Why
why? Oh mon Dieu, You ask me why,
Why does a woman follow a man 10 the
ends of the earth?'
The overwhelmed Home murmured that
he supposed a woman followed a man TO
the ends of the Garth because she ought
not to.
The woman gazed at him with gathering
fury.
bah, / ought to have blown you TO
pieces. you cold. insensible Englishman-"
1T might. perhaps. have saved certain
amount of trouble acidly agreed Home
81 see how il is. Now that have made
myself known to you"
Pardon me. you haven't"
"oh, 1 forgot She looked round and
whispered: 81 am Vera Gotschakof. Now
90 you know me?"
Home rose frigidly. You should never
allow personal considerations 10 interfere
with your work. Didn't you get into
trouble for not throwing that bomb?'
'.Oh, yes. a knife thrust i'm the side from
one OF our committee. He's In Siberia now.
poor fellow"
The young English woman hosted past
the open door. steered by dexterouo