Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-01-22

i've I4BlL, Out IL was lot the size, Dut
the attitude Of the rider which struck
her and chained her attention.
She could not see his face, but the
. figure was that of a young man, tall
and stalwart, and full of a strange.
masterful grace which displayed it.
self in the easy, reckless way in which
he sat on the great animal, and in
the poise of the head which, slightly
thrown back, seemed In IT'S very atti-
tude eloquent of pride and defiance.
There was something strange and un-
usual about the whole bearing that
struck Stella, unused as she was 70
meeting hrosemen in an English coun-
try lane.
As he came a little nearer she
noticed that he was dressed in even
ing dress, excepting his coat, which
was Of velvet, and sat loosely, yet
gracefully, upon tie stalwart frame.
In simple truth the rider had thrown
off his dress coat for a smoking jacket.
and still wore his dress boots. Stella
saw the moonlight shining upon them
and upon a ruby which blazed suIlenly
upon the white hand which held the
whip.
AS If rider and horse were one, they
came up the lane, and were abreas:
of her, the man all unconscious of her
presence. But not so the horse; his
quick, restless eye had caught sight
of the simmer Of Stella's dress, and
with a toss Of the head he swerved
aside and stood still. The ride
brought his eyes from the sky, and
raising his whip, cut the horse across
the flank, with a gesture of impatient
anger; but the horse-a splendid
huge-boned Irish mare, as fiery and
obstinate as a lion-rose on it's hind
legs instantly and the whip came
down again.
"Confound you! what is the mat
ter?' exclaimed its master. go on
you IDIOT"
The horse pricked its ears at the
/ sound of the familiar voice, but stood
stock still, quiyering in every limb.
Stella saw the whip haised again
and instinctively. before she was
aware of it, her womanly protest
sprang from her lips.
NO! mol"
Al the sound of the eager, implor
ing voice. the rider kept his whir
, poised in the air. then let his arm fan
and dragging rather than guiding the
horse, forced it near the hedge.
Who is it? Who are your" he de
manded, angrily. what the"
Then he stopped suddenly, and
stared speechlessly, motionless, and
transfxed-horse and rider, as II
were, turned to stone.
Tall and GRACEFUL, with that grace
which belongs to the girlhood which
stands on the threshold of woman
hood, with her exquisite face fixed il
an expression Of mingled fear and pity
and a shyness struggling witt
maidenly pride, she made a picture
which was lovely enough to satisf,
the requirements OF the most lritica
and artistic mind-a picture which b.
who looked upon it carried with hin
till the day he died.
For a moment he sat motionless
and as he sat the moon fell full upor
his face, and Stella saw the face Of
the portrait whose eyes she had but
a few minutes since hidden from hel
sight
A lifetime of emotion may pass in
a minute; iife's fate hangs upor
the balance of a stroke of time. Il
was only for moment that they
, looked into each others eyes IL
!. silence, but that moment meant 81
much to each Of them; 1t was tbs
horse that broke the spell by attempt
ing to rise again. With a Slight move
ment of the hand LEICESTER Wynd
ward forced him down, and then slid
from the saddle and stood at Stella's
feet, hat in hand.
Even then he paused as if afraid
lest word should cause the vision tc
vanished into thin air; but at last he
opened his lips.
Il beg your pardon"
That was all Four words only. ana
words that one hears daily; word
that have almost lost their import
from too familiar commonplace, and
yet, as he said them. they sounded 50
entirely, so earnestly, so intensely
significant and full of meaning that
all the common place drifted from
them, and they conveyed TO the lis
tener's ear real and eager prayer for
forgiveness; SO real and earnest that
to have passed them by with the con.
ventional smile and bow would have
been an insult, and impossible
But it was not only the words and
the tone, but the voice that thrilled
through Stclla's soul, and seemed TO
wake an echoing chord. The picture
which had so awed her had been
dumb and vo celess; but now 1t
seemed as if it had spoken even as It
had smiled, and for a moment she felt
a woman's desire to shut out the
sound. as she had shut out the smiling
eyes.
1t was the maidenly impulse of self
protection, against what evil she d d
not know or dream.