The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-30

II took him through tangle of wood
bine and wild rose trails. He went
about and skirting the thicket came to
a little clearing. A tree had been cut
down and its branches Topped. And
here was the blue: il was a girls dress
and the girl herself lay on the ground,
her head on a cushion of green leaves.
one hand clenched on her breast and
the other by her side; her body thrown
there, with all the abandonment of
tired kitten that sleeps in the sun at
fiat full length. So still she lay he
could hardly believe that she slept He
stood and gaZed at her. Not "A move
ment- Ii was still there in the warm
wood; NOT a hair of her loosely bound
locks stirred. Was she asleep? Could
she have tainted. A keener question
pierced him suddenly. There were
crimes-eVen i'm England. One read
about them in the newspapers. He
came nearer-stooped beside her His
hand hesitated. Could one-dared one.
lay ones hand under the heart of a
strange lady, no matter what mad fear
suddenly caught one? And he did not
know her. All he remembered of her
was her eyes. and these were shut
Perhaps he would never have known
her If she had kept them shut. But. as
he. kneeling, stopped more nearly to
listen for her breathing. her eyes opened
and he knew her Her eyes opened.
she smiled sleepily. Then
1t was impossible. There he stood in
the wood, and there she lay. eyes closed.
motionless as ever. Could one have these
momentary dreams? Were woods some
times enchanted, as Old tales would
have one to believe? For il had GER
talnly seemed To him that she had
opened her eyes. smiled and then-that
she had put up an arm. soft and firm
through the sun-warmed linen of its
sleeve had caught him round the neck.
drawn his face down to hers till he had
kissed her on the lips. incredible. i'm
possible. And. further ii had seemed to
him that his kiss had only been given
as rejoinder, an unavoidable rejoin-
der.
80 ne stood. looking at her. and now
he saw that whether he had dreamed
this or not. she was not dead. not faint
ing. bat equally asleep. At any rate
the deep, soft breathing that stirred the
blue linen over her bosom. the eyelidS
deep dropped and with never a flicker
of awakening, the limp abandon of the
hands told OF nothing but sleep-deep
sleep. Only now the pallor of her face
was flushed with rose color.
He stepped back through the quiet
green and walked home through the
part of the wood which was not en-
chanted. The warm touch of her mouth
was on his all the way. But il vanished
when the aunts soft faded cheek lay
against his lips. and the brilliant patch
work of the Dutch garden shut out the
green woods Of magic happenings. The
glad dance Of the leaves i'm the greer
wood paled before the father full of
glad questionings and comments, his
trembling hands stirring deep drifts of
rustling leaves-notes for the new boot
on all sorts Of odd scraps of paper-it
was good to be at home where one was
so loved so desired. And he told him
self that he must have fallen asleep in
the wood. Certainly the girl from the
Museum could never have fallen asleep
there. Tea was served under the copper
beach.
Are you expecting any one?" Ne
vile asked, for the cups were four
only Phil-your fathers secretary. |
mean. said the aunt. All, here she
comes"
And, of course, il was the girl from
the Museum who came across the lawn
i'm her blue dress, with a hat that hung
from her arm by knotting strings.
Neville heard his aunt speak kindly
to the girl. heard his name and another
name, and found himself bowling to the
girl whose lips But ne heard nothing
distinctly. because of the horrible new
certainty that sprang to him. 1t was
true. 1t was no vision. This girl whose
eyes had haunted him among the Egyp-
tian tombs more than once and more
than twice-this demure girl had really
of her own free will drawn down the
head of a perfect stranger with that
arm now reached out for her tea cup,
had drown ii down till the strangers
lips lay on hers. lit was beautiful in
the woods" she was saying.
She was sitting there-talking to his
aunt and his father-quietly. as if moth
ing had happened. She, who had kissed
a stranger i'm a wood. She had never
thought TO meet him again. Just the
passing kiss. the moment of pale stolen
fire-and now she had met him. what
would she do? Nothing. she would
brazen the whole thing out. Horrible.
But she had not been able to help
blushing. IL was that deep. slow-fading
blush that had enlightened him-had
shown him that IL was no vision. that
she also remembered. burning Grim
son blush. over face and ears and neck:
and the aunt had said:
II hope you haven't hurried. dear in
this heat"
And she had said: II didn't want to
be late for tea"
He handed bread and butter to her
She Was not blHshing now.