Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-30

was much excited, went off to pay his
respects to the great people, crudled
up in the corner of the cabin that was
nearest to the door and told myself
that after all had been turned out of
my fathers house, and would never
see my mother and Martin any more.
was sitting so, with my hands in
my big muff and my face to the stern,
making the tiriest occasional sniff as
the mountains of my home faded
away In the sunlight, which was now
tipping the hilltops with a feathery
crest when my cabin was darkened
by somebody who stood in the door
way.
II was tall boy, almost a man,
and | knew in a moment who he was.
He was the young Lord Raa. And at
first l thought how handsome and
well dressed he was as he looked
down at me and smiled. After a mo-
ment he stepped into the cabin and
sat in front of me and said:
$50 you are little Mary O'Neili, are
your"
did not speak was thinking he
was not 50 very handsome after all,
having two big front teeth like Betsy
Beauty.
THE girl who ought to have been
boy and put my nose out, eh?"
Still did not speak. / was think
ing his voice was like Messy Mac
Leod's-shrill and hearsh and grating
Poor little mite! Going all the
way to Rome to convent, isn't she p"
Even yet l did not speak. l was
thinking his eyes were like Aunt
Rridget's-cold and gray and pierre
ing.
so silent and demure. though!
Quite a little nun already! A deuced
pretty one, too. IL anybody asks me :"
was beginning TO have a great
contempt for him.
where did you get those big angel
eyes from? Stole them from some
picture of the Madonna, I'll swear"
"The Spitfire. B."
BY this time l had concluded that
he was not worth speaking to, so
turned my head and I was looking
back at the sea, when l heard him
say:
Il suppose you are going TO give me
Id
your"
mo"
"Oh. but you must--we are rela-
tons, you know"
81 won't"
He laughed at that, and rising from
his seat, he reached over TO kiss me,
whereupon l drew one OF my hands
out OF my mum and doubling my lit
tie mittened fist struck him in the
face.
Being, as ! afterward learned, a
young autocrat. much INDUCED by
servants ami generally tryannizing
over them, he was surprised and an
cry.
"The spitfire." ne said. who
would have believed It? The face of
a nun and the temper of a devil! But
you'll have 10 make amends for this,
my lady"
with that he went away and | saw
no more of him until the steamer was
drawing up at the landing stage at
Liverpool, and then, while the pas
sengers were gathering up their lug
gage, he came back with Father Dan,
and the tall, sallow man who was his
guardian, and said:
Going to give me that kiss to make
amends, or are you to owe me a
grudge for the rest Of your life. my
LADY,"
MY little Mary couldn't owe
grudge to anybody" said Father Dan,
She'll kiss his lordship and make
amends, I'm certain"
And then | did to the young Lord
Raa what had done to Aunt Bridget
Il held up my face and he kissed me.
1t was a little, simple, trivial incl
dent. but It led with other things to
the most lamentable fact OF my life,
and when I think OF It I sometimes
wonder how It comes to pass that He
who numbers the flowers Of the field
and counts the sparrows as they fall
has no handwriting with which TO
warn His children that footsteps may
not fail.
uyxryrJT r1urT rtrT A nmnD