Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-05-29
CHAPTER II.-Continued.

Her superb composure claimed his
admiration. Absolutely ignorant
though she had been of his proximity,
the voice from out of the skies evil
IDENTIFY alarmed her not at ALL Still
bending over the lifted foot, she turned
her head slowly and looked up; and
"Oh!" said small voice, tinged with
relief And coolly knotting the laces
again, she sat up. Il didn't hear you,
you know"
Nor 1 see you" Maitland supple
mented, unblushingly, until moment
ago. I-er-can 1 be of assistance ?"
Cant your"
idiot, said Maitland, severely,
both to and of himself. Aloud: 81 think
can
Il hope so''-doubtfully. It's very
unfortunate. 1 was running
rather fast, I suppose, and didn't see
the slope until too late. Now" open
ing her hands in a gesture ingenuously
charming with it's suggestion of help
lessness and dependence, Il don't
know what can be the matter with the
machine
I'm coming down. announced
Maitland briefly. Wait"
Thank you, 1 SHALL
have blushed for his inanity; happily
he had action to cloak his eInbarrass-
ment. In a twinkling he was at the
waters edge, pausing there to listen,
with admirable docility, to her plain
tive objection: But you'll get wet
and-and ruin your things. 1 can't
ask that of you"
He chuckled, by way of reply, slap
ping calamity into the shadows and
courageously wading out to the side of
the car. Whereupon he was advised in
tones of fiuttered indignation:
''You simply wouldn't listen to me!
And I warned you, Now you're soak
ing wet and will certainly catch your
death of cold, and-and what can l do?
Truly, 1 am sorry"
Here the young man lost track of
her remark. He was looking up into
the shadow of the motoring cap, dis
covering things; for the shadow was
set at naught by the moon luster that,
reflected from the surface of the
stream invested with gentle and
glamorous radiance the face that bent
above him. And he caught at his
breath sharply, direst fears confirmed:
She was pretty indeed-perilously
pretty. The firm, resolute chin, the
sensitive, sweet line of scarlet lips,
the straight little nose, the brows del
icately arched, the large, alert, tawny
eyes with the dangerous sweet shad-
ows beneath, the CLINT as OF raw cop
per where her hair caught the light
Maitland appreciated them all far too
WE'LL and clutched nervously the rail
of the seat, trying to steady himself,
to re-collect his routed wits and con-
slider sensibly that it all was due to
the magic of the moon, belize; the
witchery of this apparition that looked
down into his eyes SO gravely.
''Of course" he mumbled, its too
beautiful to endure. Of course it will
all fade, vanish utterly in the cold
light of day.
Above him. perplexed brows gath
cred ominously. Il beg pardon?''
'E-er-yes," he stammered at ran
dom
"You-er-what?"N
Positively, she was laughing at him!
He, Maitland the exquisite, Mad Matt
land the imperturbable, was being
laughed at by mere child, girl
scarcely out of her teens. He glanced
upward, caught her eye a-gleam with
merriment, and looked away with
much vain dignity.
Il was saying" he manufactured,
that 1 did not mind the wetting in
the least. FIN happy to be of service"
You weren't saying anything of the
Sort" she contradicted, calmly. How
ever" She paused Significantly
Maitland experienced an instan-
taneous sensation as of furtive guilt.
decidedly the reverse of comfortable.
he shuffed uneasily- There was a
brief silence. on her part expectant.
on his, blank His mental attitude re-
manned hopeless; for some mysterious
reason his nonchalance had deserted
him in the hour of his supermest
need; not in all his experience did he
remember anything like this-as awk-
ward.
The river purled indifferently about
his calves; vagrant breeze disturbed
the tree tops and died of sheer lassi-
tude; Time plodded on with measured
stride. Then, abruptly, full-winged
inspiration was born out of the chaos
OF his mind. Listening intently. he
glanced with covert suspicion at the
bridge; it proved untenanted, molten
sive of mien; nor arose there any
sound of hoof or wheel upon the high
way Again he looked up at the girl;
and found her in thoughtful mood,