Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-06-21


afraid you will think me terribly stu
pid, but l never could understand ell
ther maps or railway guides. I am
afraid shall have to give 1t up"
Then the bicycle mender looked up.
Margaret smiled. ~ don't care II l
am forward" she said to herself.
Somebody must Improve our acquaint-
ance-and he certainly won't"
But at her smile he grew suddenly
bolder.
do you always ride alone" he
asked.
Margaret sighed. II have no one else
to ride with" She hated herself for
saying 1t, and waited for his response,
knowing that II 1t was what she feared
she had only herself to blame, and yet
half hoping that her fears would be
justified.
There was only one thing for him to
say, and he said It, almost certain Of a
rebuff. yet feeling that If she gave II,
she had certainly not played fair.
II wish you would let me show you
the way" he said, and Margaret gasp
ed. She turned over the leaves of
Omar's Khayyam nervously, and for
minute she did not answer. The book
opened at the flyleaf, and half uncon-
sciously she read the name of the own
er, Miles Leighton, e. Coll. Magd. All,
she had known all the time that he was
gentleman. Why, her brother Dick
was at Magdalen; most likely he had
known hint was as good as an In
PRODUCTION. She would go. What did
1t matter about the bicycle business?
No doubt he had the very best reasons
for keeping shop. The young man
was watching her anxiously-waiting
for the indignant refusal which must
come.
1T is very kind of you," she said
sweetly. II shall like to very much
1t will be pleasant change to have a
companion"
The bicycle mans face was burning
by this time, and when she spoke he
could hardly believe his hot ears. Then,
somehow, the face Of the situation
changed. They forgot the bicycles, and
everything else they did not wish to re-
member, and talked of the many things
they had in common-he as an Oxford
man, she as Girton girl.
He knew her brother quite well, he
of ho
details Of their ride to Merf1eet Mar
garet went home, her mind in a whirl.
II ought to be much more ashamed
Of myself than 1 am," she said wonder
ingly. II must really be much less
proper person than / thought. At any
rate, whatever else l may be, shan't
be bored any more"
The ride to Merfeet seemed very
short. On the return journey the BIZ
cycles, as If Of their own accord, went
more and more slowly. Yet the way
seemed shorter than before.
The bicycle man had remembered an
| other pretty village. Why should they
not ride over to see 1t some day-say,
tomorrow? Why not, indeed.
They did. A deeply incompetent
young man was left in charge of the
shop, whose owner thus lost many GUS
toners and some sixpences. But, as he
said, one can earn money all the year
around-and, If one can't earn it, one
can always do without it. But there
are some things one cannot possibly do
without.
When you have ridden for two whole
afternoons with young man, why
should you not ride for third2 And
a fourth and fifth?
During the rest Of Margaret's stay
the two rode together every day. And
now the last day had come, and they
were resting by the roadside, looking
out through the gap In the hedge at the
hideous country.
1T doesn't seem 30 hideous now"
she said. II suppose one has got used
to it."
He was silent. Margaret felt, in a
sudden flash of illumination, that he
was silent because for him, as for her,
the world had changed so much In
these two weeks.
And now she was going away. And
this, the pleasantest companlonship her
life had ever known, was to end here.
He sat beside her, silent, pulling dusty
leaves from the hedge and twisting
them In his hands. Margaret knew
that he would not speak. How could
he? A man -Magdalen notwith-
4 standing-kept bicycle shop.
And If she lost him now, he might
see someone else-she might lose him
forever.
I'm going away tomorrow, she
said abruptly, and her voice was hard
and cold. We've had some nice rides
/ n.-A