Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-08-11
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BY WILLIAM BLACK E
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"She did not say mo- o%utright?" he in
terrupted, eagerly; and there was a flush
of gladness on his face.
His sister glanced around.
81 thought there could be no harm If
| told her that Jim and l would like to
have her for a sister," she answered, de-
murely.
And she did not say no outrightT'
he repeated.
"Well," Mrs. Graham said, after a
second, 81 am not going to tell you any
thing more. 1t would not be fair. 1t is
your business, not mine. I'm out of 1t
now. l have intermeddled quite enough.
But l don't think she hates you. And
she seems rather pleased to think of liv-
ing in the Highlands, with her father
having plenty of amusement there, you
know; and perhaps she might be brought
to consider a permanent arrangement of
that kind not so undesirable; and-and,
well, you'd better see for yourself"
She could not say more then, at all
events; for at this moment Col. Graham
appeared on the upper deck with the
intelligence that the Governors barge
was just then coming down the river.
Mr.. Winterbourne and Yolande were in
stantly summoned from below; some fur
Their disposition of chairs and divans was
made; some boxes of cigarettes were sent
for; and presently the sound of oars
alongside announced the arrival of the
chief of notables of Merhadj.
The Master of Lynn saw and heard
little of what followed; he was far too
busy with the glad and bewildering pros
poets that his sisters obscure hints had
placed before him. And again and again
he glanced at Yolande, timidly, and yet
with an increasing wonder. He began
to ask himself whether it was really true
that his sister had spoken to her. The
girl betrayed no consciousness, no embar-
rassment; she had greeted him on that
morning just as on other mornings; at
this moment she was regarding the ar
rival of those grave officials with an in
terest which seemed quite oblivious to
his presence. AS for him he looked on
impatiently. He wished it was all over.
He wished to have some private speech
with her; to have some inquiry of her
~eyes-surely her eyes would make some
t~ell-tale confession?
After the dignitaries were gone, Yo-
lande betrayed not the slightest embar-
rassment at his sitting quite near her;
1t was he who was nervous and awk-
ward in his speech. She was engaged in
some delicate n~eedlework; from time to
, time she spread it out on her lap to
regard it; and all the time she was chat
ting freely with Mrs. Graham about the
recent visitors and their grave demeanor,
their almost European costume, their
wonderfully small feet, and so forth.
"Why do you not go ashore?' she said,
turning her frank eyes to the Master of
Lynn. ut is so interesting to see the
strange birds, the strange plants"
at is cooler on the river" said he.
The midday went by, and he found nc
chance of addressing her. His sister
and she sat together, and sewed and chat
ted, or stopped to watch some passing
boat and listen to the boatmen singing
a long and melancholy chorus to the
clanking of the oars. At lunch time, Mr.
Winterbourne and Col. Graham turned
up. Then, in the afternoon, the whole
of them got into a boat and were row.
ed AWAY to a long and fiat and sandy
} island on the other side of the Nile
which they explored in a leisurely way
1t was not until the end of the day
that the ~long-looked for opportunity ar
rived; indeed, nearly every one had gone
below to get ready for dinner; but Yo
lande had fingered above, to watch the
t coming over of the twilight. 1t was
) a strange enough sight in it's way. Fol
after the yellow color had died out OF
the bank of bearded corn above the riv
: er's edge, and while the strip of acacia
T trees over that again had grown solemn
> and dark against the clear, pallid, blue
gray sky of the south, far away in the
E northwestern heavens there still fingered
a glow of warmer light, and a few clouds
I high up had caught a saffron tinge from
g the sinking sun. 1t seemed as if they
5 here were shut in with the dark, Will,
far away in the north-over the Surrey
lanes, and up among the Westmorelant
waters, and out amid the distant Hebri
: dean Isles, the summer evening was still
r fair and shining. 1t led one to dream
; of home, The imagination took wings
1t was pleasant to think of those beau
tiful and glowing scenes, here wher,
4 the gloom of the silent desert was gath
4 ering all around.
d. She was standing by the rail of tn,
l deck, and when the others had gone h,
Qultliy Ntht ONcI " ueT anu began Talk
! ing to her-about the Highlands mostly
: and of the long, clear twilights there
. and how he hoped she would accept hi
sisters invitation to go back home will
them when they returned to England
And when she said something very pref
. ty about the kindness of all of them t,
her, he spoke a little more warmly, an,
J; asked if there was any wonder? Peopl,
I got to know one another intimatel,
: through a constant companionship Xix,
this, and got to know and admire an,
: love beautiful qualities of disposition an,
mind. And then he told her it would no
be honest if he did not confess to he
o that he was aware that his sister ha,
spoken to her-it was best to be frank
and he knew she was so kind she woul,
not be angry If there had been any indis
y c%retion; and he begged for her forgive
800. 20 che hnJ hoo, - oxu