The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-03-23
CHAPTER II.
Witt 4 ANIN II
INTRODUCES MY HEROINE.

Let me begin at the beginning. The
ampton before the fog cleared away.
On the afternoon of the third day
Warburton curled up in his steamer
chair and lazily viewed the blue Octo-
Der seas as they met and merged with
the blue October skies. do not recol-
lect the popular novel Of that summer,
but at any rate it lay tapping at the
side of his chair, forgotten.
At this particular moment this hero
Of mine was going over the monotony
of the old days in Arizona, the sand
deserts, the unlovely landscapes, the
dull routine, the Indifferent skirmishes
with cattle-men and Indians; the pa
gan bullet which had plowed through
his leg. And now 1t was all over; he
had surrendered his straps; he was
private citizen, with an income suf1l
cient for his needs: 1t will go long
way, $4,000 year, If one does not
attempt to cover the distance in
$4,000 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, | make
Paris the starting point of his some
what remarkable adventures. Besides,
it was in Paris that he first saw her
ward-bound. That phrase had
mighty pleasant sound; it was to the
ear what honey is to the tongue. Still,
re might yet have been in Paris but
for one thing: She was on board this
very boat.
Suddenly his eyes opened full wide,
Bright with eagerness.
1T Is she!" he murmured. He
closed his eyes again, the hypocrite!
Permit ~ to introduce you to my
heroine. f-'~a you, she is not my Gre
atioT; 60 Heaven may produce her
II I'D but once She is we'll worth
t"rrinS around to gaze at. Indeed l
row 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 incense
quent details. A tourist hat sat !
jauntily on the fine light brown hair
that color which has no appropriate
metaphor Cat least, have never
found one. and | am not IN love with |
her and never was.) Warburton has
described to me her eyes, so am DOS
tive that they were as heavenly blue
as rajah's sapphire. Her height Is
OF no moment. What man ever trou
bled himself about the height of a
woman so long as lie wasn't under
sized himself? What pleased War.
burton was the exquisite skin. He
was always happy with his compare
sons. and particularly when he likened
her skin to the bloomy olive pallor OF
young peach. The independent
stride was distinguishingly American.
All, the charm of these women who
are my countrywomen! They come.
they go, alone, unattended. courageous
being bold. self-reliant without
being rude; inimitable. In what an
amiable frame of mind Nature must
have been on the day she cast thesa