The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-25
CHAPTER vi.

her for thousand years. The small
face was rarely and exquisitely mod
eled, but perhaps just now the salient
characteristic of her beauty (for the
salient characteristic seemed to be
different thing at different tines was
the coloring, delicate glow under the
white skin, glow that bewitched him
In its seeming to reflect the rich bene-
diction of the MONDAY sun that blaZed
overhead.
Once he had thought the way to the
Briscoe homestead rather a long walk,
but now the distance sped Indignantly.
Strolled they never so slow, it was less
than a young birds flutter from a
wood" With her acquiescence he rolled
q cigarette, and she began to hum light
y the air Of Il song, song of ineffably
gentle, slow movement
That, and reference of the morning
and perhaps the smell of his tobacco
mingling with the fragrance of her
roses, awoke again the old reminis-
cence Of the night before. a clearly
outlined picture rose before him-the
high green slopes and cool cliff walls
OF the coast of Maine and the sharp
little estuary waves he lazily watched
through half closed lids while the pale
smoke of his cigarette blew out under
the rail of a waXen deck where he lay
cushioned. And again a woman pelted
his face with handfuls of rose petals
and cried: up, lad, and at 'em! Yon-
der is Winter Harborr' Again he sat
In the oak raftered casino, breathless
with pleasure, and heard a young girl
sing the Angels Serenade," a young
girl who looked so bravely unconscious
Of the big, huShed crowd that listened.
looked so pure and bright and gentle
and good, that he had spoken of her as
"Sir Galahads little sister," He had
been much taken with this child, but
he had not thought of her from that
time to this, he supposed. He had al
most forgotten her. No! Her face
suddenly stood out to his view as
though he saw her with his physical
eye, sweet and vivacious child's face.
with light brown hair and gray eyes
and a short upper lip like a curled rose
leaf And the voice
He stopped short you are Tom
Meredith's little cousin
"The great Harkless," she answered
and stretched out her hand to him.
81 remember YOU"
isn't it timer"
"Ah, but 1 never forgot your he
cried. 81 thought had. didn't know
who it was l was remembering.
thought it was fancy, and it was men,
DRY. I never forgot your voice, sing
ing, and 1 remembered your face, too,
though I thought l didn't" He drew
deep breath. "That was why
tom has not forgotten you," she
said as he paused.
would you mind shaking hands
once moreW he asked.
She gave him her hand again. with
all my heart Whyw
I'm making a record Of it; that's
all. Thank you"
"They called me Sir Galahad's lit
tie sister all one summer because the
great John Harkless called me that.
You danced with me in the evening"
ibid II"
"Ah,' she said, shaking her head,
"you were too busy being in love with
pretty Mrs. Van Skuyt to remember a
waltz with only me! l was allowed to
meet you as q reward for singing my
very best, and you-you bowed with
the indulgence of grandfather and
asked me to dance
Like a grandfather! How young 1
was then! How time changes us!' :,
'T'm afraid my conversation did not
make a great impression upon you,"
she continued.
"But it did. l am remembering very
fast If you will wait a moment l will
tell you some of the things you said.'
The girl laughed merrily. Whenever.
she laughed he realized that it was be-
coming terribly difficult not to tell her
how adorable she was. Il wouldn't
risk it if 1 were you," she warned him,
because 1 didn't speak to you at ALL
1 shut my lips tight and trembled all
over every bit of the time l was dane
ing with you. 1 did not sleep that
night, and 1 was unhappy, wondering.
what the great Harkless would think
of me. 1 knew he thought me unutter-
ably stupid because 1 couldn't talk to-
him. l wanted to send him word that
knew 1 had bored him. 1 couldn't
endure that he shouldn't know that /
knew / had. But he was not thinking
of me in any way. He had gone to
sea again in his white boat, the un-,
grateful pirate, cruising with Mrs. Van.
Skuyt.'
"How time does change usv' said.
John. you are wrong, though. / did
think Of you. l have ar'-
eyes," she interrupted, tossing her
head in airy travesty of the stage CO.
quette, you think SOL mean, you say,
so-now. Away with you and your
blarneyingv'
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 katydid that
suddenly whirred its mills of shrillness
in the maple tree and sounded SO hot,
hot, hot; or that other that rallied at the
country quiet from the dim, cool 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 Briscoe's good
noon dinner-chicken wing and young.
roas'n ear, hot rolls as light as the fluff
Of summer cloudlet, and honey and
and apple butter favored like