The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1916-09-14

| as body. II was the hrst time the girl
had ever known the need-the driving
desire-to be alone out Of doors, where
there was nothing but sky and sky.
line 70 bound her thoughts. And at
longer bearable, while the remainder
Of the house still slept behind drawn
curtains. she rose and slipped into
boots and breeches and riding coat and
descended to order q not too wide
awake groom TO saddle q horse. And
In the very middle of his sensational
report OF Ragtime's empty stall she
swung to the saddle and turned to-
ward the north.
Mile after mile. the roam mare plac
Idly choosing the pace, she rode with
one leg dangling over the pummel Of
the saddle, everything else forgotten
In that preoccupied endeavor TO review
each moment she had shared with him.
When the higher morning sun found
her far beyond the rolling pasture
land. miles m the heavy timber, she
had dismounted, there where the high
est loop in the road commanded its
breath taking sweep OF country, and
was sitting cross legged upon the trunk
Of fallen tree at the road edge.
Then suddenly Stephen OMara In
the flesh appeared before her astride
Ragtime and leading her roam, which.
contentedly cropping the bush tops,
had disappeared full quarter Of an
hour before.
The girl gasped at the suddenness
Of his coming. She half started to rise
before she remembered the instability
OF her perch and then crouched even
lower than before when she saw that
he was not yet aware Of her nearness.
She waited, eyes gleefully bright, until
he was almost opposite her before she
coughed. ever so family. Then she
tilted her nose aloft in enchanting
mimicry OF his lean and forward thrust
face.
I'VE never speak," she confided dole
fully TO the empty air I'm front Of her
I'VE never speak as we pass by"
He whirled. So swiftly that 1t took
her breath he was out OF the saddle
and across the road and standing knee
Nttp tht uiutfkIO"ln DtSlut utT.
Only his profile had been visible to her
at first Now the white line OF his
jaw and the light in the eyes that
searched her face chilled her even as
they sent the blood singing In every
vein. Only a few hours before she
had seen that same cold fear I'm Miriam
Burrell's eyes. and yet not the same,
either. for hers had been a panic Of
lost hope. and the CLEAN In the mans
eyes was already only partly dread Of
disaster and partly a great and unmis-
taxable glow Of thankfulness. Bar
bara remembered then, with q twinge
Of guilt that she could have forgotten
II 80 completely, the black robed figure
that had gone laundering OF on the
same mount which Stephen O'Mara
was riding now. She half lifted both
hands to him apprenhensively.
"You aren't going to tell me, are
you" she asked, that anything dread
full has happened TO Garryf"
Dumbly, but most reassuringly, Steve
shook his head. From the top Of her
hatless. wind tossed. brown crowned
head TO the tips Of the absurdly small
boots tucked up beneath her he scan
ned her slim body. Barbara realized
that he was trying to speak and find
ing the effort hard. Slowly he remov.
ed his hat and passed one hand across
his forehead.
Man." he calculated fervidly to him
self. but that's the longest hundred
yards you've ever Travelled on foot or
a-horseback!' and abruptly, accusing
ly TO her. "Do you know that I've been
months and years and ages rounding
that bend toto find you a little crum-
pied up heap In the roadf'
"I'm sorry" she murmured humbly.
I'm sorry to-disappoint you; but, You
see, I didn't know
She laughed at him. Her lips curIed,
petal-like, In a gurgling peal Of enjoy
ment at his shamefaced grin.
II found your horse rolling" he ex-
planned and his gravity was logged in
the face OF her brightness. How !
knew II was yours ! don't know. but
did Just the same. thought she had
thrown you. I'd already made up my
mind. II there was one scratch on your
body. to take that mares head between
my hands aud break her neck. You
see. l believed ! knew already Just
what Il would mean TO me II anything
ever happened to you. But It's lot
different imagining the world without
you-and-and facing the actual posi-
bility of It. Was l-fairly tragic?"
ITO be Continued