The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-03-04

TN VERY MUCH OBLIGED FOR THE RIDE"
upper road, and drawing near the
avenue Of elms that led to the great
house.
WELL" said the man gently, "you
haven't answered yet, You know"
"Oh," said Miss Christina. with
little start.
She had fallen into a sort Of dream
inside the dream, in which she beheld
herself crossing and recrossing the
polished floors. Of the great house.
planning the dinners for the fat house
keeper, who now came sometimes to
buy broilers from her: walking in the
woods everywhere without regard to
trespass signs; feeding beautiful white
Orpingtons, at SIS the sitting, in mod
ell chicken house behind the stables
and perhaps other choice varieties OF
fowl as well.
II forgot" she said rather blankly.
| She seemed to be waking from both
dreams at once. A sudden sense OF
uneasiness stirred beneath her previ-
ously unbroken content. She realized
| that the wind was chill and that it
| was long past the time for feeding her
hens. A suspicion came to her that her
| neighbor was making fun Of her be-
/ cause she had talked so much and let
him see the poverty Of her life. She
wanted very much to get home.
II don't think there is any answer"
she said hurriedly. II think I'd better
go home"
mo answer?' exclaimed the man
eagerly. with CONSERVATION in his tone.
In point Of fact, it had now grown
amazingly clear to him that an an
swer-the one answer-to his hypo'
thetical question was quite the most
important thing in the whole world to
him.
But, Miss Christina, surely you
can't mean Then he stopped short
He could not say to her that just be
cause she had never had another pro
posal 1t was incredible that she
shouldn't accept this one, vet that was
what he had been virtually on the
point of doing.
Dear Miss Christina" he urged
"there must be an answer, because !
means so tremendously much to me
II love you" He was perfectly SUR
of it now.
Not so Miss Christina.
Nonsense" she said, with decision
putting her hands out over the rein
, and bringing the horse to standstli
, "You don't at all. I'm going to &c
, out here. It's only few steps HON
. through Mouse lane It's all shovele
and good walking, and 'twould be
: good mile round TO drive. Yes, Fam.
, She spoke rapidly. You only thin
: so just this minute because you TOO
ME to ride, and I'm very much obligea
, and because told you I'd never ha
) a proposal. You'd be sorrier than
: would If l said yes" Again Mis
! Christina was unconscious Of the wa
1 her words might sound. Their meal
. ing was clear to herself.
81 She was standing in the snow an
4 lifting her Christmas greene CAREFUL
from the bottom of the sleigh.
q "rm very much obliged for the ride
> she repeated. Il had a very nice tim
). I shan't ever forget it. | know no
'tis-you thought how 'twould seem
. be the first one. and I'm glad yt
) were. never supposed I'd have cyt
: what you might call one. and now
Is have"
/ She gathered her skirts into q
,e hand and, looking back, smiled-yt
Z smiled and nodded cheerfully to t
4 man In the sleigh.
Then she stepped lightly up and ov
ct the wall beside the bars into Mou
q lane. From this elevation she COZ
see her hens not more than 300 var
II away wandering about the front do
r. yard locking for her, and she did
er give single backward thought to
Il sleighbells as they slowly tinkled
TO Of bearing.