The Washington times., 1913-05-07

He took up the discarded
boot of his first off-drawing
and fished from its depths the
soaked fellow of the tell-tals satin slip
per. He did II as of method, but of
truth he craved a moment in which to
bless himself several times over for
fool.
As he looked at Thomsine. disconso-
late on the dank ground, with her long
legs folded beneath her, he saw feminin-
tty in every line of her woeful, dropped
body. and marveled that he had not
seen IT earlier.
TT is then to be concluded" he spoke.
drily. that thou art not the brother Of
Walter Musgrove."
No" said Thomsine, simply. 4 am
but his sister"
She marveled-she who had thought
herself weary past marveling-at the
change that, with one word, she had
wrought in that hard and steady face
Of his.
She wondered that ever she had
thought him ugly. In that moment she
saw that he was as well-favored, in his
way, as beautiful Mr.. Erisey, and that
world
"Du bist noch junger ais mein Schwe-
sterchen war;
The words came from his lips as If he
spoke to himself rather than to Thorn
sine Musgrove. In his bearing was that
which made her forget that he should
have seemed ridiculous as he stood
there in the rain. with a riding-boot in
one hand and an incongruous slipper
clinched In the other.
Instead, she had a strange sense of
his having doffed his hat and for one
fore her, Thomasine Musgrove, not by
any means, But before something i'm
measurably greater tnan her sorry lit
tie. drenched self, something for which
.ha ra1. 1hrr
'Noch junger ais mein Schwesterchcn
war;
She was not goins to forget those
strange foreign words. spoken m tnat
strange hour. no, not if she lived las
,arisford's wife) to be a shorsand
years old.
Won Kerstenbroock came, SO TO speak.
from his knees. Merhodically he EMP
tied the water from the lucklcss boots.
Put them on" he bade. and. as he
saw that her numbed hands that strove
to obey were awkward at the task, he
proffered brusquely: Let nie help
thee"
Patiently and painstakingly he work.
ed her wet feet into the wet boots.
Then he helped her 10 rise. apd strip
ping off his cloak. that kept n thread
or two Of dryness. he folded L about
her.
Of brusque nothinSuess, neither more
nor less. that he might have shown 10
an outworn little boy. and TO- the mo
mere as we'll as for the mo less" she
had the sense 10 bless him.
Al unsentimental man (with his
pockets already fulD. he left the satin
slippers. that had played their rot un-
important part in tie stor;. wing in
a puddle beneath the black-boled will
lows.
Then they set out. they two. in the
rain and the gathering dark. with his
arm about her. and her elbow in the
cup of his hand. Al a hoh5led slow
pace they Jagged IN for perhaps a
quarter Of a mile along the edge Of
the wood, and then ThomsiIie. to her
shame, stumbled against his shoulder
that received her.
Let me carry thee" commanded Won
Kerstenbroock.
.~rhou are not''-she began, and. with
her vision filled with the mag rificent
bulk of Erisey and the beloved Walter
had 1t on her tongue to add-'1arge
enough"
But before Thoms'ne could voice that
somewhat insulting statement-as blush
ingly she realized 1t to have been
she felt herself swung lightly on the
ground.
She was balanced across Won Ker-
stenbroock's shoulder. and, by all the
powers. that competent young man was
walking away with her, not at a
triumphant pace, to be sure. bat quite
rs rapidly as she would nave Travelled
on her own tired feet.
But thou canst not" protested Eng
lish Thomsine. stubborn in her error.
But ] amt the German answered.
Ard he did. with parses ~ LFaw
breath. and a long pause once. In ~hich
he set her down until at iast-a long
last, II seemed 10 Thomsine-he could
say:
Look yonder, That light. Canst
thou SO far walk?''
She could. and did.
With a definite goal before ner. Il
place OF warmth and food rnd shelter:
she found strength once more 10 coaipel
her tired legs. over plowed turrows
and under hedges they struggled SLOW
~. until at last they reached hCdnie
OF low buildings upon a quagmire that
seemed a village-green.
Beneath a Tapping sign that creaked
like a malefactor on gibbet, they
pitched down a steep s:eo into the com
mon room of a mean ale-house. IhtE
went I'm boldly. Thomsine was fain or
any port in storm. and Won kersfen-
brock, with this tired child upon MS
hands, had. without heroics, laid ASIDE
all thought of the provosts men.
That the child was Of the blood OF IN"
unverscham.er Musgrove meant little
10 him. He saw her compact OF eo'ir-
age: and to that quality. wherever he
might find IT,. he was himself expert
enced enough courageous man 10 rem
der homage.