Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-01

for her in the north-bound stage on
the morrow.
Darlington suddenly remembered
that he some thought Of starting north
in the morning himself-but he was
still undecided. How about 1t If he
deferred his decision until the stage
was leaving? Mr.. Cleggett consulted
his bookings and was of the opinion
that his chances would not be good;
and Darlington hastily paid down his
money. Later, in the privacy of his
own room. he remarked meditatively.
viewing his reflection in the mirror
that hung above the chimneypiece.
Il reckon you're plain crazy" and
seemed to free himself from all fur
ther responsibility for his own acts
whatever they might be.
The stage left at six, and as Car
rington climbed to his seat the next
morning, Mr.. Cleggett was advising
the driver to look sharp when he came
to the Rarony road, as he was to pick
up a party there. 1t was Darlington
who looked sharp. and almost at the
spot where he had seen Betty Malroy
the day before he saw her again, with
Ferris and Judith and pile of lug
gage bestowed by the wayside. Betty
did not observe him as the coach
stopped, for she was intent on her
farewells with her friends. There
were hasty words of advice from Fer
ris, prolonged good-byes to Judith,
rs-kisses-while place was being
made for her many boxes and trunks.
Darlington viewed the luggage with
awe, and listened without shame. He
gathered that she was going north to
Washington; that her final destina-
ton was some point either on the Ohio
or Mississippi, and that her name was
Betty. Then the door slammed and
the stage was in motion again.
Darlington felt sensibly enriched by
the meager facts now in his posses
sion. He was especially interested in
her name. He liked the sound of It..
It suited her. He even tried it under
his breath softly. Betty-Betty NAL
roy-next he fell to wondering II
those few hurried words she had ad-
dressed to him could possibly be con-
strued as forming basis for further
acquaintance. Or wasn't it far more
likely she would prefer to forget the
episode of the previous day, which
had clearly been anything but agree
able?
All through the morning they
swung forward in the heat and dust
and glare, with now and then a brief
pause when they changed horses, and
at midday ratified into the shady main
street of a sleepy village and drew up
before the tavern where dinner was
waiting them-a fact that was an
nounced by a bare-legged colord boy
armed with a club. who beat upon
suspended wagon tire.
Betty saw Darlington when she took
her seat, and gave a scarcely percept-
ible start Of surprise. Then her face
was flooded with a rich color. This
was the man who saw her with Cap
tain Murrell yesterday! What must
he think of her, There was a brief
moment Of irresolution and then she
bowed coldly.
You just barely managed 1t. l
reckon nobody could misunderstood
that. BY no means cordial-but of
course not" Darlington reflected. His
own handsome face had been express
sionless when he returned her bow and
Betty could not have guessed how con-
soled and comforted he was by it..
With great fortitude and self-denial
he forbore to look in her direction
again, but he fingered at the table un-
til the last moment that he might
watch her when she returned to the
coach. Mr. Darlington entertained
ideals where women were concerned,
and even though he had been the one
to profit by it he would not have had
Betty depart in the minutest particu-
lar from those stringent rules he laid
down for her SEX Consequently that
distant air she bore toward him filled
him with satisfaction. 1t was quite
enough for the present-for the pres
ent-that three times each day his
perseverance and determination were
rewarded by that curt little acknowl-
edgment of her indebtedness to him.
1t was four days to Richmond.
Four days of hot. dusty travel. four
nights of uncomfortable cross-road
stations. where Betty suffered sleep
less nights and the unaccustomed
pangs of early rising. She OCCASION
ally found herself wondering VINO
Darlington was. She approved OF the
manner in which he conducted HIM
self. She liked a man who could De
unobtrusive. Travelling like that day
after day it would have been so easy
for him to be officious. But he never
addressed her, and refused to see any
opportunity to assist her in entering
or quitting the stage, leaving that 10
someone else. Presently she was sorry
she had bowed to him that first day
so self contained and unpresuming a
person as he would evidently have
been quite satisfied to overlook the
omission. Then she began to be
haunted by doubts. Perhaps, after ALL
he had not recognized her as the girl
he had met in the road! This gave
her a very queer feeling indeed-for
what must he think of her? And the
next time she bowed to this perfect
stranger she threw a chilling auster-
ity into the salutation quite at vari-
ance with her appearance. for the
windy drive had tangled her hair and
blown it in curling wisps about her
face. This served to trouble Caring
ton excessively. and furnished him
with food for reflection through all
his waking moments for the succeed
ing eight and forty hours.
The next morning he found himself
seated opposite her at breakfast. He