The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-07-20

CHAPTER ".

women translate so readily, Miss Lee
conveyed to Miss Molloy wish to
speak to her alone.
Come upstairs, dear and take your
hat off," said Belle, and the two dis
appeared together. Bob studied Miss
Lees portrait in the lady's absence,
and arrived at the conclusion that the
master passion of his life had fallen
upon him. He was used to it. 1t was
an experience which befell him at
most ports of call, and it generally
endured from port to port, or very
nearly. But he felt that this was 60
ing to differ from the rest, and that
the image on his heart was inefffface-
able
1t had always been going to be in
effaceable, because he was young and
ardent and Irish, and built that way,
but there was one reason why he felt
himself to be more permanently hit in
the present case than he had ever
been before. Hitherto it had been his
habit to fall in love with ladies of
comparatively mature age, and most
OF his inamorati had already bestowed
their hearts and hands elsewhere. He
had always despised mere girls, but
as he grew older the object of his
worship became younger. For the
first time in his history he found him
self in love with lady who was not
separated from him by gulf of years,
and was still free to bestow her af-
fections where she pleased.
He spent an hour over the portrait
an hour of rapture-and at the end
of that time he began to feel little
bored. He strolled on to the lawn and
threw gravel from the footpath which
divided it at his sisters window. Belle
appeared and motioned him indignant
ly away.
care you girls going to leave me to
my own devices all day long," he
asked
He felt horribly impertinent in ap-
plying this form of inquiry to Miss
Lee, but his sister afforded him a kind
of shelter, and he had experience
enough-gained from the converse of
others-to know that the taking it for
granted that a man had by nature the
oh n h. nt1
carried an advantage with it.
go away" said Belle. I'VE are in
the very middle of highly interesting
confab, and we sha'n't have done for
hours"
Millinery" Bob suggested.
"Yes,' said Belle. 1--WE are design
ing a wedding outfit. Go away. And
don't come back until it's time for
luncheon"
Gall right" said Bob, and, going
back to the house for his cap, strolled
away into the fields and lanes, not car
ing in which direction he went so long
as he was left free to indulge the re.
Elections which floated about the i'm
age of Miss Lee. He sat upon stile
and smoked. He engaged himself in
many desperate enterprises in many
foreign waters. He volunteered for
some scores of forlorn hopes, from
some of which he emerged covered
with glory. From others he came out
SO broken that he had but time to
hand a sealed packet of protest and
farewell to a sympathetic comrade ere
his spirit fed
He was buried with naval and mill
tary honors several times over, and
lived to be the youngest admiral in
the service and to sink the entire Ger
man navy in the North sea. Then he
bethought him that the day was hot
and that they kept good beer-uncom-
mon good beer at the Stag hotel. That
admirable little hosiery was at the
waters edge, and the river looked in
viting. He put himself into a skiff
and took a racing pull two miles up
stream, padded back again, had more
beer, and strolled homewards.
Suddenly gay voice called him by
name, and, pausing, he saw the figure
of a man who, from a little elevation
in the fields, was waving a stick at
him in greeting.
"My rival" said Bob, waving his
hand in return Zone of the crowd.
wonder how many of EN- l shall
have to cut out before the games
over?" The figure came leaping down
the green hillside, and vaulted the
stile at the bottom. Another followed
ut q distance of hundred yards. The
earlier arrival of the two slapped the
midshipman on the shoulder before
he shook hands with him.
Why, Bob" he said, 81 declare I
hardly knew you. You've grown al
most beyond recognition. I've come
down on purpose to have a look at
you. You have shot up amazingly"
$s1 Have II" asked Bob, rather ungra-
/ fiDusly. Had It been anybody else he
would have found q sort Of satisfac-
! lion ~ carr ying q the idea Of rivalry.
sWhich had ~ dignity 81 its own, but
sthe eyes that laughed into his own
.,arn - NorAiaI y amA n in1l,r anA f1,o