Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-21

oliver" said Pnlnppa
Colonel Branscombe, said Zoe ner race like
rose in the glass;
An instant Philippe for all her dignity, stared
open-mouthed "Zoe!" she cried then. "You are
the most generous, the most magnanimous darling
alve!" And with burst of laughter she ran out
OF the room and left Zoe still trying to get the bet
ter of her rebellious curls.
gay luncheon was in progress when she entered
the dining-room and Oliver telling of some ex-
plot of Colonel Branscombe's, because that gentle
man would not tell 1t himself, and only continually
interrupted him with gay corrections and contradic-
tons "Well, well, Branscombe," said Oliver. I'VE
all know you never forced an ambush of the saw
ages without losing man
az wonder why we consider 1t SO noble to COM
NIT wholesale murder and get of SAFE" said Mr.
Osmond 'that we must be modest about speaking
of it."
perhaps because don't consider 1t so. won
dered a little when read it. why Maurice Hewlett
in his last novel, made his hero butcher" said
Branscombe laughing.
81 remember when was child" said Zoe sud
denly half-frightened at her own voice. that
cried thinking the regiment marching by was
marching to be shot. And an old soldier looking
on said they needed pity, they had the salts
faction of being the nobest men on earth. giving
their lives to their country And greater love hath
no man than this, that man lay down his life for
his friends"
Colonel Branscombe is fortunate in having such
an apologist" draw1ed Mrs. Bolton "The enthus-
iasm of hero-worship-
ooh we were all young once" said Mrs Mivart.
Zoe's face was carnation now. Covered with
confusion she found herself trembling and trying
to conceal it, when Colonel Branscombe came round
and took the vacant chair beside her.
"You very good to speak SO kindly of my
profession" he said in a low voice.
ooh, I-you--I don't mean"
81 shall refuse to believe you didn't meant
Cit Is not your profession now?"
But it 1t will be again."
"I thought you had resigned"
THAT is a mistake"
Then it was plain he did not come into fortune
as she had understood. And that was why her
cousin Mivart objected She was very saying
So but stopped, overcome afresh by her indscre-
ton I'll wasn't asking! I don't know what
you will Thinks
II think if you going to follow the hunt with
the rest of us, you should be getting into your
habit" he said And she pushed back her chair,
making a little gesture of good-by, and left the
room, calling herself simple fool, who didn't know
how to speak properly to the best the noblest the
greatest of men. She hurried into her habit, but
tonng everything wrong and buttoning everything
over, and trying to find veil that should hide her
eyes, and flying down to the inpatient SroUS be-
low. and scrambling into her saddle Ike little
cat.
ooh it makes no difference. My father
soldier and was all but Graded in the saddle
she said in answer to divers questions about the
horse Colonel Branscombe should not think her
panegyric of the soldier was his account. And
yet-why shouldn't he? What belonged to him ne
ought to have. Render unto Caesar
"Ringold, an old hunter" said Philippa. But
he's as staid AS"
"As any one who has sowed his wild OATS" said
Mrs Bolton from the runabout
Perhaps he had BEEN but just now as they can
tered along having missed the meet, and meaning
to fall in with the hunt at various turns of the
road, Ringold had pricked up his ears and given
meaning whinny. He had recognized the pack
coming over the hill and the pink coats following,
with three fences before them, and, one rider
and another vaulted over at every fence Ringold
rose on his feet and went through the motions OF
jumping And at last, the full hunt swept
across the road taking the fences, the old sport In
him leaped up, and he bolted and was after them.
II Zoe shook the rein and gave him his head she
never told-and he, too, had taken the fence and
was after them and abreast of them, going like
bird with leaf on his wing. The leaf clung TIL
a rabbit hole caught Ringo1d's foot, and down he
went and the leaf with him.
It was an unconscious little shape that Colonel
Branscombe hurred1y lifted and held with one
arm when he had remounted and went galloping
back to the house. Long before he reached 1t,
however, Zoe had come to her senses. For mo-
ment she lay bewildered and then realized what
had befallen and that she lay in his arms as they
sped on. She aware of no pain, aware of
nothing but that she lay in his arms, and that she
had NO right to be there. For another moment she
was conscious of wishing to lie there forever, to
close her eyes and go out of life And then the
blood rushed from her heart to her face. "Oh, you
must put me down." she said. 1T am quite, quite
all right!'
1--WE will see about that" he said his grasp con-
tnuing the same. But when at last he sprang
from the saddle, she managed to free herself. and
stood for a moment, as red rose, and then
made dash for the door and found herself unable
to reach 1t move another step, for an excrucat-
ing pain in her foot, and had to submit to being
taken upstairs to the sittingroom where the Col
onel left her that he might find maid. "And all
your afternoon made horrid!" she exclaimed
made unlike any other day in life" he ex-
claimed, the porteres swept together again.
Hot water and bandages had reduced the dis
abled foot to nearly normal size by the next af-
H%1 aIn - ,NAht. oI1,k 80