Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-30

II
tember. The day had been wonderful.
Over the bald crown above Druidsdale
the sun came s'anting across the Irish
Sea from crimsoning sky beyond the
purple crests of the Morne Mountains.
Stowell and Cell had been camping out
for two days in the Manx hills, and.
parting at a junction of paths, Cell
had gone down toward Douglas while
Stowell had dropped into the cool dark
depths of the glen that led homeward.
Victor was ms brown as a berry. He
was wearing long, thick so.ed yellow
boots, almost up TO his knees, with
his trousers tucked into them. loose
yellow shirt, rolled up to the elbows
OF his strong round arms, no waistcoat,
his Norfolk jocket thrown over his left
shoulder, and a knapsack strapped on
his back.
With long, plunging strides he was
coming down the glen, singing some.
times in a voice that was partly drowned
by the louder water where it dipped
into dub, when, toward the Curragh
end Of 1t, on the "brough" side Of
the river, he came upon a startling
vision.
1t was a girl. She was about seven
teen years of age. bareheaded and bare
footed. and standing ankle. deep in the
water. Her lips, and little of the
mouth at either side, were stained blue
with blackberries-she had clearly
been picking them and had taken of
shoes and stockings to get at laden
bush.
She was splendIdly tall. and had
bronze brown hair, with a CLINT of
gold when the sun shone on It. The
sun was shining on 1t now, through n
gap in the thinning trees that over
hung the glen. and with the leaves pat i.
tering over her head, and the river run
ming at her feet. it was almost as il
she herself were singing.
With her spare hand she was holding
up her dress, which was partly Of lace
light and loose and semi. transparent
and when a breeze. which was blowing
from the sea. Tapped it about her body
there was a hint OF the white. round,
beautiful form beneath. Her eyes were
dark and brilliantly full. and her face
was magniicently Intellectual, so clear
cut and clean. And yet she was 50
feminine, so womanly. such a girl!
She must have heard Stowell's foot.
| steps, and perhaps his singing as he
approached. for she turned to look up
at him-calmly, rather seriously, a little
anxiously. but without the slightest
confusion. And he looked at her. paus-
ing TO do so, without being quite aware
as II wind and water had suddenly stop
ped and the world stood still.
There was a moment Of silence, In
which he felt certain chill. and she
n certain warmth, and both a certain
/ dryness at the throat. The girl was
! the first to recover self control. Her
| face sweetened to a smile. and then.
| in a voice that was a little husky, and
yet sounded to him like music, she
said. as II she had asked and answered
an earlier question for herself:
But. of course. you don't know, who
I am. do youT'
lie did. Although she was 50 utterly
unlike what he had expected what
knew-she was Fenella Stanley.
As often as he thought Of II after.
wards he could never be quite sur,
what he had said to her In those frs,
moments. He could only guess at wha,
il must have been bv his vivid memory
of what she had said in reply.
She watched him, womanlike. for 6
moment longer, 10 see what impression
she had made upon him, now that sh,
knew what impression he had mad,
upon her. Then she glanced down a,
her bare feet. that looked yellow Of
the pebbles in the running water. anf
then at her shoes and stockings. which
with her parasol, lay on the bank, ant
/ said:
~ suppose you ought to 20 away
while ! get out Of this?"
'-WhyT'
lie never knew what made him say
that. but she glanced up at him again
with the answering sunshine Of an.
other smile, and said:
Well, you needn't, If you don,
After that she stepped out of til,
river, and sat on the grass TO dry bel
feet and pull on her stockings. As sh,
did 80, and he stood watching. forget
ting lsuch was the spell Of thingsy t,
turn his eyes away. she shot anothel
look up at him. and said
II remember that the last time I wa
in these parts you ordered me off, sir. .
And the last time I was at Gov,
ernment House you turned me out o
the tennis court he answered.
She laughed. He laughed. They botl
laughed together. Also they both trem
bled. But by the time she put OF
her shoes he was feeling braver, s,
he went down on his knees to tie hel
laces.
1t was a frightening ordeal, but h,
got through mt last, and to cover thei
embarrassment, while the lacing wa
going on, they came to certain expla
nations.
Yesterday the Governor had tele
graphed to the Deemster that he woul,
like to fulfil his promise to visit Ba,la
moar and stay the night II convenient
So they had driven over In the carriag
and arrived about two hours ago. an,