Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-01

over earnestly and piercingly, some one word of
what had gone before.
"a title clearing with buttercups around" Eth
eldreda said "And there is path. Nobody
knows where 1t goes And where 1t goes is the
only thing about path that doesn't matter. we
might have picnic. Linnie If we had something
to eat"
"Cookie?" Linnie suggested politely, and went
down in the pocket of his roundabout and brought
up eight or nine crumbs.
Etheldreda was looking across the clearing and
up the path.
"Linnie.' she said shall we tie Itty Bitty colty
and go explore?"
The child threw himself headlong from the
seat And Etheldreda. interpreting, alighted and
tied Itty Bitty Coty which also being interpreted
meant Little Bit of Colt and was Linnies name
for the pony; but they usually called him the l. B.
c., for short
ga go, wear no hat" announced Linnie, cast
ing his sailor into the phaeton. Jaw gone hat"
sNeither will l." Etheldreda assented, and Linnie
beamed In his little heart he loved her because
Ethedreda was deiciously likely to with him.
Aunt Cecil would certainly have said: Indeed
you are. Pick up your hat and put 1t on---at once,
Iinfeld." He folded his hand about two of her
fingers and hoped joyously beside her, suspending
from those two fingers at each hop, much of his
own weight was possible
'Stand Just where you are, pease!" called
voice
That voice--it a disconcertingly peremptory
voice. with no little modifying uplifts of intona-
ton to reassure the hearer. 1t not certainly.
an unpleasant voice. 1t had ring of authority
that was magnetic as is all true authority Cor is
not If you believe the other *ay) 1t was, in
short a kind of robber-voice-voice of a real rob-
ner In cloth-of-green and green-laced doublet-oh.
a voice Of robber In wood
She stood still obediently and instinctively, and
Lfnnfs gave gasp of dreadful joy, and cung about
her skirts The sun which fell upon her hair
also in her eyes and dazzled her. But up the lane
of light along which the voice had she OWNED
q man under butternut tree
Just as you are, please-what thought to
bring the child" he said
Then she saw the easel and checked her laugh.
Not that she would have laughed at robber,
either; but the easel made the situation even more
grave One run from robber; one hardly
run from an artist, even If one wished. And with
the sun falling gloriously through the leaves of
the wood. in morning of spring. why should one
run at all?
1T isn't the light wanted" said the Artist,
'but it's most bully light"
Under divided tree whose trunk curved out
ward in the perfect half of Gothic arch she stood
quietly. her heart beating just pleasantly enough
not to beat any harder. And the dress that had
made Linnie happy and the bright hair that he was
not tall enough to see were manifestly not missed
by the Artist
"By Jovel' he said once, softly, UP at the other
end of the lane of light
Then Lnnie took courage Nobody who Is not
four knows the tragedy of being motionless He
looked up at Etheldreda doubtfully, one eye show
ing.
Keep the child as he was, please!' said the
Etheldreda spoke under her breath.
"Lnnie," she said edo you care to drive Itty
Bitty Colty home? All the way?"
Linnie took courage. and hoped
Dear" Etheldreda promised 'stand still until
tell you Perfectly still. and you shall"
'Itty Bitty Colty?" he pressed her suspiciously.
"All the way" Etheldreda repeated firmly.
For answer the one eye disappeared and Linnie
snuggled his cheek against her blue skirt The
Skirt was very sweet to smell, just the air was
sweet whenever she kissed him. Linnie fixed that
one nodding harebell at the foot of another
butternut tree, and fell very quiet
1t took the Artist an uncomfortable time. A
robber would, in the exercise of his profession
have been much quicker. And every three or four
minutes, for full twenty minutes, Linnie wrikgled
distressingly or doubled up fat knee lost his
balance outright But Etheldreda stood quite STILL
with mirth and misgving in her heart
And when Linnie wrggled "The l. B. G. all
the way" she kept saying, softly, to him "And
you may ride him to pasture, dear. And we'll have
picnic tomorrow she recklessly piled up the
nsury, if you'll only stand STILL
picnic tomorrow, with cake with nuts on
Etheidreda whispered when he showed signs of
hopping
An nuts in all through" he inquired hoarsely.
All through" Ethedreda continued steadfastly.
An false face? An a live mud-turtle with
long string in? An.-an buzz beetle"
MOI" said Etheldreda as sternly as one may spealr
below ones breath. with an Artist SO near ons q
lane Of light mo. And now you are Linnie
Litt1e-Boy. You are not Hnnie-Man at ALL"
With painful catch OF recollection Ldnnie SUBJ
sided. How were you to remember to be a man in