Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-20
SO


take his departure from Cairn CORN
on Christmas morning.
Into his uncle's (Michael McGroary),
where Dan was stopping While in the
country, just after nightfall on Christ
mas eve, the boys and girls of the
countryside came Streaming-to Dan S
dismay. He didn't at first recOllect it
for seven years of life in the Rockies
had driven from his head memories of
the old customs-but Uncle MichaelS
had always been a faVorite place with
the young people for holding their
Christmas festivities. This time, too
they came with double reason; it was
Christmas eve and it was Yankee
Dams convoy. That he had not been
sociabe with the boys and girls while
here mattered MOTT was ever the duty
of the countryside to cheer the depart
ing one; that he was unworthy did not
matter-they had a duty to do, and
always they did it faithfully In his
day Dan had helped to dance and sing
many a good boy and girl out of the
country. Now it was his turn to be
danced and sung out of it. The boys
and girls from far and near came
trooping therefor there was not soul
of them who would not have felt heart
ily ashamed if he or she had let even
1.-THE black stranger" out of the country
without coming to do him the courtesy
of dancing at his convoy.
Michael McGroary's was one of the
biggest, roomiest kitchens, not merely
in Cairn CORN, but in all the country
side-a kitchen built after a hddlers
own heart; and ere two hours OF the
night had worn in there were rows of
boys and girls lined around the four
walls.
Philip the fiddler was mounted upon
three chairs in the corner, bestowing
music from the bottom of his soul; and
the floor never lacked for a dozen sup
pie ones failing it, as they deity
capered in hornpipe and jig and
marched through the maZes of the reel
Brave boys they were who trod the
floor, and sprightly girls; but Dan, sit
ting apart all sullen, had no apprecia-
ton of one or the other in his heart
He was a good little bit startled, for he
had been in a dream, when, form
bending over him, the playful voice of
a girl said: Cant l have you for me
partner in this single reel, Yankee
DAM"
He heard the girls saucy invitation
applauded by an enjoying and delighted
house. He found himself on his feet
and following the girl to the center of
the floor before he had made up his
mind whether simply to refuse her in
vitation or directly snub her. In seven
years he hadn't danced seven times
and hadn't had the inclination to dance
twice, but now without rightly know
ing the reason why, without even hav-
ing given his own mental consent to
the action, he found his feet going to
the fiddler's music, as, before the hun
bred pairs of eyes of an enjoying
house, he timed the tune admirably,
bravely footing it in front of a cailin,
the brightness of whose face made him
widen his eyes in wonder. Though
Yankee Dan hadn't made much note of
womens looks, he had a very good
idea of what even the best of them
were, by-and-large. None Of them
ever compelled a second glance from
him. but the face of the calm who
now footed it opposite to him was
something the likeness of which he
hadn't seen before in al his travels; so
that. try as he would. he could not
lift his eyes from it. He hadn't words
to describe the face to himself, but he
knew that the blue eyes were the
brightest, most sparkling, he had ever
SEEM and that they lit up a heavenly
landscape. Yes, sunshine was the pre-
vailng characteristic in that face, and
it was forced upon this misogynist that
wherever that face went it must, willy
nilly, dispel all gloom The face looked
all the sweeter, perhaps, because the
oval of it was neatly framed in a slken
shawl of dark shade, which crossed
upon the breast and was tied around
the body. As the winsome cailin OBJ
served Dams wondering gaze smiles
more sunny still played over her coun-
tenance, for all the world reminding
Dan of beauteous Loeb Iasg on a GER
tain spring day, when, light-hearted
boy, he had fished by its banks and OBJ
served wonderful and mysterious little
ripples play here and there on it's
shimmerng surface.