Mower County transcript., 1906-01-10
i ~, (, CHAPTER II. z:: ID
;, INTRODUCES MY HEROINE.

On the afternoon of the third day
Warburton zcurled- up in his steamer
chair~and lazily viewed the blue Octo-
her seas as they met and merged with
the blue October skies. / do not reco1-
lect the popular novel of that summer:
but at: any rate it lay Tapping at the
side of his chair, forgotten. .' IT,
AT this particular moment this hero
of mine was going over the monotony
of the old days in Arizona, the sand
deserts, the Sunlovely landscapes the
dull routine, the Indifferent skirmishes
with cattle men and Indians; the pa
gan bullet which had 4plowed through
his leg. .lAnd now it was all over; he
had surrendered his straps; he was a
Ifprivate citizen, with an. income sufti-
cient for his needs: 1t will go long
! way, $4,000 year, if one does not
attempt to cover the distance in a
IS 900 motor-car;; and he hated ,all
locomotion that was not horse-fesh
For nine months he had been wan
dering over Europe, if not happy, at
least in a satisfied frame of mind.
Four of these months had been delight
fully passed in Paris; and as his no
mad excursions had invariably termin-
ated in that queen, of cities, l make
Paris the starting point of his some
what remarkable adventures. Besides,
it was in Paris that he first saw her.
And now, here he was at last, home
| ward-bound. That phrase had a
! mighty pleasant sound; it was to the
ear what honey is to the tongue. Still,
he might yet have been in Paris but
for one thing: She was on board this
very boat 49,.
Suddenly his eyes opened full wide,
bright with eagerness.
TT. is she!" he murmured.5 He
closed his eyes again, the hypocrite!
Permit me to introduce you to my
heroine. Mind you, she is not my Gre
ation; only Heaven may produce her
like. and but once. She IS we'll worth
turning around to gaze at. Indeed l
know more than one fine gentleman
who forgot the time of day, the i'm
portant engagement, or the trend of
his thought, when she passed by.
She was coming forward, leaning
against the wind and inclining to the
| uncertain roll of the ship A gray
raincoat fitted snugly the youthful,
rounded figure. Her hands were
| plunged into the pockets. You may
be sure that Mr. Robert noted through
his half-closed eyelids these inconse
quent details. A tourist hat sat
| iauntily on the fine light brown hair,
that color which has no appropriate
metaphor. CAT least. have never
found one. and I am not in love with
her and never was.) Warburton has
! described to me her eyes, so I am DOS
1tlve that they were as heavenly blue
as a rajah's sapphire. Her height is
OF no moment. What man ever trou-
~bled himself about the height of a
woman so long as he wasn't under
sized himself? What pleased War
| burton was the exquisite skin. He
was always happy with his compari-
sons, and particularly when he likened
her skin to the bloomy olive pallor of
a young peach. The independent
stride, was distinguishingly American.
/ An, the charm of these women who
are my countrywomen! They come,
they go, alone, unattended, courageous
without being bold, self-reliant without
being rude; inimitable In what an
a.siable' frame of mind Nature must
have been on the day she cast these
molds! But I proceed. The young
woman's chin was tilted, and Warbur-
ton could tell by the dilated nostrils
that she was breathing in the gale
with all the joy Of living, filling her
healthy lungs with it as that rare
daughter of the Cyprian Isle might
have done as she sprang that morn
from the jeweled Mediterranean spray
that beggar's brooch of Neptune's. !.
/ =Warburton's s >heart hadn't thrilled SO
since the day when he first donned
cadet gray. There was scarce any
lrco,l Tor her to pass; between his choir
and the rail; and this knowledge filled
the rascal with exultation. Nearer
and nearer she came. He drew in his
breath as. the. corner Of his foot-rest
(aided by the sly wind) caught her
rain coat. :s. >>5 l.. : ,.=,s es !.
:. Z beg your pardonH he said, sitting
up H. 81 7.s-. II s2. S. ~ > $ .s
She quickly released her coat, smiled
family, and passed on. # xE {:zz- .s
/ II Sometimes the most lasting impress.
ci oy,c Jo,.og those wh nh q ro nrinfod u,0c1
Tightly on the memory. Mr.. Robert
says that he never will forget thai
! first smile: And he didn't even know
! her name then. 8s n 81 S s3& # # "a }ss
was. about to. engage your. atten.
4 ton with a descrip ption Of the william
hut Oh second thought 4 have decided
that 1t would be rather unfa F'o1
&C atS moment he was at 9 di9adyan:
AZ Nature was punishing Vim 10