Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-28

altered There was a new bathtub, Of course,-a
porcelain enameled affair having replaced the old
zncined tub in which he had been athered and
scrubbed infant-but it occupied the place;
and there was a stove in the room too, there used
to be. And-he explorer binled his eyes and looked
hard at object standing to the right of the door
way. Then he closed his eyes for a moment, fancyng
that his sight playing him tricks, but when he
opened them once more the object still there-a
prancying hobby HORSE covered with natural horse
hide and having real horsehar and tail. Oh,
no, it could not be the same! That impossible.
But the counterpart at all events, of the horse
he had ridden with waving sword the morning the
news had come that Richmond had fallen TO the Fed
eral army when his father and all the household had
rejoiced, and he had not known exactly why.
He paused and counted back forty-two years. 1t
did not possible such space could have inter
vened Standing here in the room with the
likeness of the toy horse before him, he had come
very close to rolling Time backward. And then, in
mental flight, he spun the years through realizing,
alas that much, very much, had happened in them.
Quite lost in thought, utterly unconscious for the
moment of where he was, Garden stood with one
hand resting upon the neck of the steed his
eyes lowered and fixed its red morocco saddle He
was standing thus when voice, low and musical,
awakened him not rudely but rather pleasantly from
his reverie
will permit me-"
He saw that a lady was standing in the doorway.
She was a very wi1some- faced lady, with chestnut
hair like his mothers and hazel eyes that veri-
table orbs of kndlness, though even as Garden
glanced at her he detected something akin to roguish-
ness in their expression But her mouth seemed tender
and sensible to uncommon degree, which might give
to her whole countenance, at times, aspect that
savored of the pathetic.
He bowed in a courtly fashion to which she was
unused but it pleased her. nevertheless for she smiled
and when he spoke she told herself that she liked his
voice.
'Yon can, indeed" he said, with much cordially,
"and shall be only too happy to call upon you,
Mrs." he paused. "Did I understand the maid to
say Penheld?"
Mrs Penie1d, yes" she answered, afably. you
are looking over the house with view to renting"
with view to buying he returned
She shrugged her shoulders.
81 should like to SELL" she said, ''but doubt if any
one would to pay my price. The house. as you
see, is DID, and not in the best repair; and fear
am asking than you any one else, would
think fair"
He stroked the neck of the paythng steed though
it were flesh and blood and she looked at him little
curously He was very dstinguishedlooking, she de-
cided, and she liked his thoughtful gray eyes
"I have not asked what valuation you put the
property" Garden observed nor have ], indeed,
all of the house; but don't think should question
your price-provded," he added, smiling you would
be willing to throw in this fiery untamed beast"
At this she became momentarily alarmed. She
could not fancy any who was quite sane talking
in just this way. She very matter-of-fact her
SELF and this seemed very, very antastca-this sug