Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1914-05-22


up. He leaped out and kissed her
hand.
Much obliged" he murmured, with
a slight twist of his head in the direc-
ton of Hetty, who was giving orders
to the chauffeur.
You're quite welcome" said Sara,
with smile of understanding. She's
lovely, isn't she?"
"Enchanting!" said he, almost too
loudly.
Hetty walked up the long ascent
ahead of them. She did not have to
look back to know that they were
watching her with unfaltering interest.
She could feel their gaze.
Absolutely adorable" he added, en-
larging his estimate without really be-
ing aware that he voiced it.
Sara shot look at his rapt face,
and turned her own away to hide the
queer little smile that fiickered briefly
and died away.
Hetty, pleading a sudden headache,
declined to accompany them later on
in the day when they set forth in the
car to pick up" Brandon Booth at the
inn. They were to bring him over,
bag and baggage, to stay till Tuesday.
He will be wild to paint her." de-
clared Leslie when they were out of
sight around the bend in the road. He
had waved his hat to Hetty just be-
fore the trees shut off their view of
her. She was standing at the top of
the steps beside one of the tall Italian
vases.
1--WE never seen such eyes," he ex-
claimed.
she's darling" said Sara and
changed the subject, knowing full we'll
that he would come back to it before
long.
I'm mad about her." he said sim
ply, and then, for some unaccountable
reason, gave over being loquacious
and lapsed into state of almost
lugubrious quiet.
She glanced at his face, furtively
at first, as if uncertain of his mood,
then with prolonged stare that was
frankly curious and amused.
Don't lose your head, Leslie" she
said softly, almost purringly.
He started. ooh, l say, Sara, I'm
not likely to"
Stranger things have happened"
she interrupted, with shake Of her
head. Il can't afford to have you
making love to her and getting tired
Of the game, as you always do, dear
boy, just as soon as you find she's
in love with you. She is too dear to
be hurt in that way. You mustn't"
Good Lord" he cried; what a
bounder you must take me for! Why
If l thought she'd But nonsense!
Let's talk about something else.
Yourself, for instance"
She leaned back with smile on
her lips, but not In her eyes; and
drew a long, deep breath. He was
hard hit That was what she wanted
to know
They found Booth at the inn. He
was sitting on the old-fashioned porch.
surrounded by bags and boys AS he
climbed into the car after the bags,
the boys grinned and jingled the coins
in their pockets and ventured, almost
in unison, the intelligence that they
would all be there if he ever came
back again. Big and little, they had
transported his easel and canvasses
from place to place for three weeks
or more and his departure was to be
regarded as financial calamity.
Leslie, perhaps in the desire to be
alone with his reflections, sat forward
with the chauffeur, and paid little or
no heed to the unhappy persons COM
ments on the vile condition of all vii
lage thoroughfares, New York city in
cluded.
And you painted those wretched
little boys instead Of the beautiful
things that nature provides for us out
here, Mr.. Booth?" Sara was saying
to the artist beside her.
"Of course l managed to get a bit
of nature, even at that" said he, with
a smile. Boys are pretty close to
earth, you know. To be perfectly hon
est, I did it in order to get away from
the eminently beautiful but unnatural
things I'm required to paint at home"
II suppose we will see you at the
Wrandall place this summer"
I'm coming out to paint Leslie's
sister in June, | believe. And that
| reminds me | came uuon an uncom-
monty pretty girl not far from your
/ place the other day-and yesterday,
as wholesome one I've met before, I'M
less Pm vastly mistaken. l wonder
If you know your neighbors well
enough-by sight, at least-to venture
a good guess as to who mean"
She appeared thoughtful.
"Oh, there are dozens of pretty
| girls in the neighborhood. Can't you
remember where you met" She
stopped suddenly, swift look of APP
prehension in her eyes.
He failed to note the look or the
broken sentence. He was searching
in his coat pocket for something. Sc
| lecting a letter from the middle of a
small pocket, he held 1t out to her.
II sketched this from memory. She
posed all too briefly for me-" he said.
On the back of the envelope was a
remarkably good likeness of Hetty