CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1904-03-03


Her face was lifted in grateful pleas
ure. and she began to pin the rose to his
lapel Her hands were large and red
and tremhlcd. She dropped the flower
and. snying huskily. Il don't know as |
could do it right" seized violently upon
a pile of dishes and hurried from the
room.
Harkless rescued the rose. pinned it
OH his coat himself. with the internal
observation that the red haired wait
ress was the Queerest creature in the
village, and set forth upon his holiday.
Mr.. Lige Willetts. stalwart bach
elor. the most eligible in Carlow. and
a habitual devotee of Minnie Briscoe,
was seated on the veranda when Hark-
less turned In at the gate of the brick
house. "The ladies will be down right
on" he said, greeting the editors cool
hnery with perceptible agitation and
the editor himself with friendly shake
Of the hand. mildly says to wait out
here"
There was faint rustling within the
house. the swish of draperies on the
stairs, delicious whispering, when
light feet descend. tapping, to hearts
that beat an answer. the telegraphic
message: 1--WE come! We come! We
are near We are near!' Lige Will
let's stared at Harkless. He had never
thought the latter was good looking un-
til he saw him step to the door to take
Helen Sherwocd's hand and say in a
strange. low, tense voice. Good morn
Ing" as If he were announcing, at the
least Every one in the world, except
us two. died last night. 1t is a solemn
thing, but ! am very happy"
They walked, Minnie and Mr.. Will
let's. little distance in front of the
others. Harkless could not have told
afterward whether they rode or walked
or fioated on an airship to the court
house. All he knew distinctly was
that divinity in pink shirt waist
and hat that was woven of gauZy
cloud by mocking fairies TO make hin
stoop hideously to see under it dwelt
for the time on earth and was at his
side, dazzling him in the morning sun
shine. Last night the moon had lent
her a silvery glamour. She had some
thing of the ethereal whiteness Of
night dews in that watery light, a
nymph to laugh from sparkling foun-
tain at the moon. or, as he thought, re-
membering her courtesy for his pretty
speech, perhaps little lady O. King
Louis court wandering down the years
from Fontainebleau and appearing to
clumsy mortals sometimes of IL summer
night when the moon was in their
heads.
But today she was of the daintiest
color, pretty girl whose gray eyes
twinkled to his in gay companionship.
He marked how the sunshine danced
across the shadows of her fair hair
and seemed itself to catch luster
rather than impart 1t. and the light of
the June day drifted through the gauzy
hat to her face, touching it with deli
cate and tender flush that came and
went like the vibrating pink of early
dawn. She had the divinest straight
nose, tip tilted faint. allurlng trife.
and dimple cleft her chin. the dead
liest maelstrom in the wOrldr' He
thrilled through and through. He had
been only vaguely conscious OF the
dimple in the night. 1t was not until
he saw her by daylight that lie really
knew it was there.
The village hummed with life before
them. They walked through simmer
ing airs. sweetcr to breathe than nectar
is to drink. She caught butterfly
basking on jmson weed. and before
she let 1t 20 held it out to Lin in her
hand. 1t WIS a white buttcg'y. He
asked which was the butterfly.
"Bravo!' size said. tossing the captive
craft above their heads and watching
the small sails catch the breeze. "And
so you can make little batteries in the
morning too. 1t is another courtesy
you should be having from me If it
weren't for the dustiness of 1t. Wait
till we come to the board walk
She had some big pink roses at her
waist.
Indicating these, he answered, In
the meantime, know very well lad
that would lie blithe to accept pretty
token of any lady's high esteem
But you have one already, a very
beautiful one" She gave him genial
up and down glance from head to foot,
half quizzical and half applauding, but
% quick he scarcely saw it. and he was
glad he had resurrected the straw hat
with the youthful ribbon and his other
festal vestures. "And very becoming