The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-09-14

certain bright devices OIL uOWeTS duOuI
it everywhere, and she wore a peasants
hat of straw, twisted into a very coquet-
fish shape, and bound about with a rich
silk handkerchief, in which was set a
silver brooch.
O'Rourke absorbed the charming vision
as whole. He leaped to the broad
grass-grown top of the low wall and
raised his hat with a smile. His wavy
reddish hair and his beautiful beard and
mustache shone in the sun like gold. and
his handsome face was as gay as a boys.
1t is not improbable that he looked as
charming to the pretty widow as the
pretty widow looked to him. She came
tripping and blushing and smiling over
the stones of the river-bed, and O'Rourke
ran down the slope with so excessive an
alacrity that he failed to notice that it
broke suddenly away at the foot. Mrs.
Spry screamed family, but O'Rourke,
who was too late to stay himself, made
the necessary leap in safety-it was but
nine or ten feet deep, and he had soft
turf to alight on-and advanced smiling,
with his crisp hair shining and his right
hand outstretched toward her.
Good morning." he said, this is q
delightful encounter-for me-"
Mrs. Spry had bouquet of wild flow
ers in her right hand and book in her
left, but she set the flowers in the hol-
low of her arm and accepted O'Rourke's
proffered hand. He held hers longer than
the absolute necessities of morning sa-
lutte demanded, and Mrs. Spry blushed
and dropped her eyes before his ardent
gaze.
'You have been gathering fowersY
he said, mastering himself by an effort,
but even then hardly knowing what he
said. Quite a charming little nosegay."
She held it toward him and their hands
met again. The small bouquet was not
tied, and lest the flowers should fall he
put both hands to it, taking her right in
his left whilst he gathered the blossoms
together. She felt that his hands we're
trembling a little, and he bungled with
the flowers. just then their eyes met,
the little widows expressive orbs looked
almost frightened, and O'Rourke was as
white as if he were about to faint or to
be hanged, or to lead forlorn hope. He
dropped the flowers and took the hand
which held the book. The little widow
let the volume fall beside the fallen BIOS
SONS. She dropped her head, and the
bosom of the pretty morning dress 1ut-
tered visibly. O'Rourke said not a word,
but he gave a great slow sigh and drew
her toward him by the hands. Then he
simply put both arms around her and
stopped and kissed her hot cheek. Still
he said not a word, but his heart beat
10 hou ho hor fC
him as if to stife it's outrageous riot.
''Am I too insolent ?" he said at length.
The pretty widow did not seem to think
so, for she stood upon her fallen blossoms
with her cheek upon his breast, and made
no effort to escape. II have loved you
from the minute 1 first saw you. Can
you-can you love me little?"
His tremor was like the tremor of
lover to the little widows mind. He
played the part better than he knew.
'Ye-es," said the lady in a whisper,
shrinking into herself as she spoke. Then
there was another lengthy spell of 81
lence, broken by the near clash of a
horses bells and the crack of a carriers
whip. At these sounds they started guilt
lily apart, and O'Rourke, falling upon
one knee, gathered up the dropped posy
and the book, and they walked side by
side, silently, by the dry water course
until they came upon a spot hidden from
the road, where the remaining stump of
great felled beach made a convenient
seat.
'Shall we sit here for little while? ?"
O'Rourke asked. The lady seated herself
in silence, and seeing that she had taken
a place too near the center to allow room
for her companion, moved little, and
drew her dress on one side. O'Rourke &C
cepted the invitation thus dumbly con-
veyed, and placing one arm around her
waist, drew her nearer toward him.
do you think" he said, not being able
to find anything more original to say
just then, that you will be able to learn
to love me just little?"
The pretty little woman began to trem-
BILE, and searching blindly for her hand
kerchief, found it at last, and hiding her
face behind it with both hands, began
to cry.
I'll knew" she sobbed, that it was
wicked, but IL loved you when 1 saw
you at Boston. I've al-always thought
about you since, and when l came to
Eu- Europe I hoped that 1 should meet
you"
The ways of the human heart are
strange, but at this confession the fas-
cinating patriot experienced twinge of
shame. For one feeting second he felt
genuine hate of humbug.
II will love you very dearly" he said,
| a moment later, and he meant it.
What was to prevent him from loving
her? Nothing, if she could always fiat
ter his self-love as well as she had done
just now.
But he had to go back to his pre-
| lenses. Nature and culture between them
had done SO much for him that he had
forgotten how to walk straight.
II haven't much to offer you," he said.
Il am poor, and can't give you grand
home"
She was in such a futter at the ac-
| complishment of all her hopes, SO glad
and so shaken to think herself this hero's
heroine, this handsome, eloquent, famous
devoted patriots chosen, that she was
half hysterical. She dropped her hand
kerchief from her tear-stained eyes, and