The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-15

surrounded by the masterful atten
tons of a young man. She was pleas
| ed With his busness-like devotion to
/ her conee-cup and was amused, yet
a little startled, when he piled a monu
4 nent of cake upon her plate and cali
! ed on every one to pass things down
his way as Miss McCray was very hun
| CRY. 1t was a new sensation to find
| herself part of the merriment. Here
tofore, she had been only a spectator
at such scenes. And now that it was
all over, she felt herself still specta-
| tor, and in the mood of a spectator
she smiled deprecatingly as she
thought of the courteous attentions
of her fathers friend. And thus, with
mind isolated from the vain world
| by such reflections she started with
Howard on her homeward ride.
1t was a clustering, cloudy night.
| The freakish wind scurried across the
fields, pirouetted around corners,
scampered through hedges, and inn
pishly pulled the dry, scraggly grass
Of the roadside till the bald old earth
WINGED and shivered with pain. How
ard was the last to leave, and as he
got into the buggy, after closing the
! last gate, the rollicking wind tugged
Viciously at corner of the laprobe
like playful puppy. The girl shiver-
| ed as Howard leaned over to tuck the
|
| slipped gently from her attitude of
| passive placidity to one of uncon-
| sciouS, yet active interest, in what ap-
| peared to be the strange, new face
| her companion seemed to wear in the
darkness At first they chatted on
about the commonplaces of Willow
Creek Flora McCray tried again and
again to associate her recollection of
the familiar face of her fathers part
ner with the smooth-shaven face so
near her in the night. Her repeated
efforts were tantalizing. Little by lit
| tie, did the wizard of the night weave
her fancies and then herself into the
wool of his uncannX spell. 1t may
| have been the utter lonesomeness of
| the night that drew her close to him.
| but she came, and was not afraid.
| Again he reached over her, and
again tucked the wraps closer than
| ever about her, and the fumbling
| touches of his hands awakened the
| girls new self to a delightful realiza-
| ton of the fact that a new being had
| come to her out of the darkness. She
came even closer to this new-found
presence, and almost cuddled against
: the mans great coat, and snuggled
! under his arm, that rested loosely
upon the cushions behind her. Their
talk, which had been growing more
and more serious, gradually stopped.
| The horses logged on in the night,
and the rattle of the harness and the
wheels beat a broken tattoo, muffled
at times by the complaining wind,
while the wizard of the dark worked
| his grotesque enchantment
| "Are you cold-dear?" the young
| man asked. when he felt her come
close to him. His words and his tone
startled the girl and almost broke the
spell. Flora McCray struggled a mo-
!
| shuddered in despair as a voice from
the Girl who felt a strong arm quiet
her, answered: "A little
Scott your noisy outlaws with the
| Tapping curtains, whistle your sneers
| in the dead weed stalks, and humble
your pious warnings among the tele-
graph wires by the roadside, wind Of
| the Willow Creek prairies; you cannot
| break the spell. Throw yourself upon
| the hillside roll over and over in your
commissions of derision. The charm
you would dissolve is only sweetened
when the Sorcerer of the night turns
your antics into uncouth mysteries
and your ordinations into Wordless
passion songs.
AS the lights of the town came in
sight the young couple grew silent. A
| turn in the road brought the buggy
under the white glare of an electric
| light. Flora McCray was sitting up
right with her hands folded under
| the robe, and Howard, with the whip
and the lines in his hands, was con-
sciously clucking at the horses. Each
| saw the others face clearly, and as
they crossed the circle of light the
man spoke:
ut must be 2 o'clock
The girl did not reply, and the
YOUNG man leaned over to look out of
the buggy as if to scan the clouds
The prospect did not altogether salts
| fly him and he said:
Its going to be a pretty gloomy
Sunday, | guess"
| AS Howard put out his arms to help
her from the buggy she barely touch
| ed his outstretched hand, and her de-
| cided shyness surprised him. In
| bewiderment of confusion he said:
"You have made me very happy to-
! night-Miss McCray. Shall speak
to your father when l come out TO
dinner tomorrow
The girl did not reply, but went up
| the steps and into the house, while
the young man climbed into his bug
gy and beat time with the whip to
the tune he was whistlin~ as he gave
the horses the rein for the stable.
Flora McCray locked the door and
slipped the bolt as quietly as she
could. She blew out the light in the
parlor and stole noselessly up stairs,
avoiding, as was her wont in using the
stairs at night, the creaky step at
the landing. that always wakened her
mother. After entering her room she
turned up the light and at once began
taking off her outer wraps.
This prim, shy, old-fashloned Slrl
had, from her earliest childhood, OBJ
served habits of precise neatness. This
evening she went about her room,
hanging up every garment that De-
longed on a hook, and folding away
every one that belonged elsewhere. 10
outward view she was a placid, me-
thodical, emotionless 'being-perhaps
she herself did not notice that she
avoided facing the mirror as she TOOK
down her hair-yet strong feelings
were working within her just before
going to bed she started to put away
her hat. She picked it w. The vel
vet and the ribbon seemed crushed.
She put out her hand to smooth them
A hot flush of recollection swept over
her, and she put the hat down. She
did not look at it again, but blew out
the light and went to bed with her
face turned from the guilty reminder
| And al long Flora McCraY