Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-10

my man will see to your horse She then dis
appeared in the darkness of the hall and he could
hear the swish of her skirts and the clicking of
her high heeed slippers until the closing of
door shut off the sound.
There something about her, though he
had not her face-something in the swish
of her SKIRTS in the clatter of her heels, in the
tones of her voice. though she had scarcely spoken
half dozen words which awakened some mem
ory which he could not quite bring to life.
what is it? Who is it?" he kept asking him.
self, while awaiting her temperance.
The fire was blazing brightly in the wide,
open fireplace, and the warmth of it good
to feel, for the evenings of early spring oft
times cool in the pine forests 1t shed rudy
glow over every nook and corner of the large
The ceiling was low, crossed with huge
oak beams supporting the floor of the room above.
Shelves of books lined the walls, and above them
were sparsely hung few choice foreign prints
works of art as might easily be seen, and rugs,
fine and soft, rarely if seen in the back
woods covered the floor. In stood a
spinet with open music upon the rack, and
it harp evidences, both of them, of a degree
of culture that had scarcely yet penetrated west
ward beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains which
formed the boundary line between the "Old Do
minion" and Pennsylvania
Upon table in the center of the spacious apart
ment, were several books, one of them lying open
if just laid down to answer his summons at
the door, and flowers, flowers of the early spring.
bowls Of gay yellow jonquils and sweet-smelling
hyacinths were everywhere, filling the air with
their fragrance.
BURIAL looked about him amazed. He had
never before seen anything like this. From his
mother long since dead, he had heard of such
furnishing brought from the old country to her
parental home in Virginia. Descriptions of them
had sunk deeply into his childish heart like the
fairy lore with which she had beguiled him when
seated beside her before a blazing fire like this,
in their rough pioneer home. That was in the
early years of the nineteenth century, which had
ushered him into the world, and now he was
twentyfour years of age.
1t was very still outside, save for the soughing
Of the wind in the pine trees outside, and the
supper and bed perhaps. Presently he ceased
neighing and BURIAL knew that he was being
led away to comfortable quarters.
Gazing into the fire, leaping and dancing upon
the hearth, BURIAL became so absorbed wonder
ing who his fair hostess might be- that he lost
all note of time. Her dainty loneliness outlined
clearly in the dark shadowy background of the
hall pleased him, and the evidences of taste and
refinement so freely displayed in this backwoods
house, hidden almost in the depths of the woods
from the eye of man, served to deepen the mys-
terry
The great brown dog spread out all tours
upon the rug at his feet was regarding him in
tently with his soft brown eyes if trying to
divine his thoughts and ready to anticipate any
hostile movement on the part of the stranger.
Some time had elapsed, it seemed to him, since
she had disappeared in the dark shadows of the
hall, and in spite of himself, of the strangeness
of the situation and his surroundings he felt
himself lapsing into Inconsistencies. His efforts
during the day, for after long ride in the early
morning, he had been speaking at barbecue,
some ten miles away, and the excitement attend
ant upon such occasions together with the long
ride succeeding, must have made him drowsy,
for as in dream he seemed to be recalling GER
tain events of the previous summer when in a
fortnight's sojourn at the Springs he met Vir-
ginia BELLE guest of the IShams, who had COM
pletely turned the heads of all the men during
her short sojourn. He was not asleep; he was