The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-07-13
HE ~
BraIlgW Mystery

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young Molloy. j.,s
''But he will,' declared his sister.
Il know why he's coming. I'll tell you
now. A child Of nineteen is likely to
care little about such things, but at
any rate you can understand. The
mans fve-and-thirty If he's day. II
there is darling girl in the world, as
good as she's lovely, and as lovable as
she's good, it's Lillian Lee"
Whats that mean?" asked young
Molloy, rolling over idly in his chair.
Suppose he be five-and thirty, and
Miss Lees good and pretty, what's the
one thing to do with the other?"
"Oh, the density of it," said Miss
Belle. "Amn't telling you? He's in
love with her, and he pesthers the life
out of her to marry him." In her anger
the sweet musical hint of Irish in her
speech broke into a most decided
brogue. "And I'd invited Lillian to
spend month with me here, and now
she'll be afraid to come. I'd been
lookin' forward to 1t so. and now me
pleasures clean spoiled"
eff she doesn't like the fellow" said
Bob, "why doesn't she send him about
his business?"
''That sounds like sensible ques-
tion," Belle answered. 81. don't sup
pose that yell understand word of
what I'm saying, but I've had it on me
mind for more than year, and now
hot ha
that he's made up his mind to lay a
regular siege to poor Lillian. She's
afraid of him. She doesn't like him.
Butt could kill him for it-he has
some kind Of fascination or power or
charm don't know what you call it."
"He can't make her say Yes while
she means No suppose" said Bob
sitting up in the lounge chair and tap
ping his pipe against his heel.
That's the misery of It," said Belle.
'That's why he frightens her."
"Then," declared Master Molloy, ris-
ing for his tobacco pouch, "she must
be little chuckle-head."
Indeed she isn't" cried Belle, We
! hemently. "She's as level-headed a
gyurl as ever We met in your loife. And
she's plenty of courage and spirit and
determination and all that. Ye've
never seen her? I'll show We her por-
trait, an We shall tell me if she looks
the kind of girl to be affected that
way"
| She pumped the work on which she
was engaged into little fancy basket
beside her, and walked into the next
room. In a moment she returned with
the portrait, mounted on a bevelled
and gilt-edged plaque of cardboard,
some ten by eight inches in size, and
thrust it into his outstretched hand
Give seen ths,' said Bob. Il was
going to ask you who it was, but I for
got. say, Belle, she is ripper and
no mistake. BY Jove, wish thought
| there was nice young gal like that
growing up for me-"
The portrait had been tinted by an
artists hand. It represented giM of
| twenty or Whereabouts in winter cos
tune in the open air, with back
ground Of snow-laden trees. The fig
ure was little and we'll posed, and
through its furs revealed no more than
that. The face was very beautiful,
with eyes of an innocent childish blue,
the lips not actually smiling, but look
ing as if they were about to smile, the
whole countenance radiant with a
gentle intelligence, and framed in hair
| 0fo i,% ~ 81, MI,
fault of the face was that it was too
ethereal, too sensitive. 1t was not a
weak face either, though any expert
enced observer, bearing Miss Bellies
statement in mind, would have had no
| difficulty in understanding that it's
/ owner might very we'll be susceptible
to influences of kind which would
leave other women of her years and in
telligence untouched. The midship-
man looked at it long and seriously.
Perhaps because Of his Irish blood, he
(! had an intuitive unconscious under
standing of it.
Il know what you're driving at,
Belle" he said, at last; II can. feel it,
though ! can't say it. There are
snakes, ye know, that'll look at, a little
bird till the poor thing grows bewild-
cred, and will take a header into the
jaws that are waiting for it. He's a
snaky kind Of Johnny, is Mr.. Alloy.
sius Brangwyn, and this is just the
sort of little bird for him. Poor little
bird!''
Z. He kissed the picture with a boyish
impulse. and handed 1t back to his sis.
ter. n.
Il didn't think you'd understand,
Bob" she said as she received it. But
4 We see exactly how feel, and We know
now what it is that makes poor Lillian
afraid Of him. d
Marry her off to some nice fellow
i that will take care of her, Bob coun.
selled, sagely. There ought to be
lots who'd be willing to carry of girl
. like that. Has she got money? ss.s
i She's not rich, but she has enough
!. and to spare, and there's more coming
4 Ei,f& No fnr oIioih1o ,.sx,r <l,a% n,,.x 4,,1.l