The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-11-13

Australia J! Miss Brown exclaimed
And with a strange man. tool Doesn
Mr.. Hugh mind?'
! Barbara laughed at this typical Dar
bury remark.
No! OF course not
But suppose you don't like him?''
! THAT won't matter. He is only the
pilot"
/ Glancing up as she spoke. she gave
an involuntary start at finding a di
rect, piercing look fastened upon her.
II was not the rude stare of man
who appraises women as II they were
horses; rather did it seem to scatter
nonessentials and to probe to the spirit
within. For moment her own eyes
seemed held by curious compulsion.
At the same instant Mrs Field came
briskly round the corner of the tent.
"Ah" she cried. You are here first,
Alan" Then, turning to Barbara, 81
want to introduce you BOTH" she said.
taking an arm of each.
And Barbara. feeling uncomfortabiy
self-conscious. too bewildered to do
more than stammer conventional
greeting, was forced to lift her eyes to
his They were deep-set and gray like
those of his cousin. but lacking the ten
derness which lurked in hers; the little
lines at their corners, surely betoken-
Ing humor, appeared out Of place. In
ner rapid glance she was dlmly aware
Of great height. broad shoulders and a
lean, deeply tanned, clean-shaven face.
"AlQn hOrrntrnl
last night" Mrs. Field smoothed over
the impending awkwardness; but at
that moment some one called her
away
There fell a silence, which the girl
racked her brains in vain to break. She
was somehow conscious of feeling
acutely disappointed. This was the
man who, to her inexperienced mind.
had seemed a dim, unreal figure
crowned by halo of glorious achieve
ment! This the heaven-sent deliverer,
who. unknowingly. had offered that
hidden self the one chance of stretch
Ing its cramped wings Even If, as she
had told Miss Brown, 1t did not mat
ter. 1t was, nevertheless, very disap
pointing.
Before the pause became too unconi-
Portable, Mrs. Field returned and in
sisted upon having tea. On these oc-
casions tea suggests gathering of the
clans. All the little cliQues of the
neigbborhood meet in the large mar
quee and discuss the news they have
cleaned
Barbara was detained at the en-
trance; and Mrs. Field looked at her
cousin with kindly enthusiasm, when
they found a vacant table.
well, Alan? Isn't she dear girl +?
And pretty?
He responded indifferently; stopped
down to tuck his panama hat under
the seat; then sat up and ran his fin-
gers through his thick dark hair.
I'D hot in here. Madge!"
She glanced round apprehensively !;
then leaned toward him. ALLAN, for
heavens sake don't upset any of these
good people, or she may not be allowed
to 60. after allr'
A smile Of extraordinary infectious
ness lit up his face, transfiguring 1t {:
the lines Of humor proved that they
were not, after all, misplaced.
TRY a muzzle, Madgel How the
dickens do know what may upset the
old darlingt"
flush! Here IL Mrs. Stockley."
The grim mask Of reserve quickly
covered his face again.
The Darburyites. hearing that the
stranger had at last arrived, soon clus-
tered round for introductions, anxious
to impress him with their own intelli-
gence. But, with Barbara, they were
doomed to bitter disappointment; for
this hero refused to be lionized, and
gent overtures left him unimpressed !;
no pumping drew other than the brief
est trickle in reply.
Slowly, to Barbara, the time wore
on. More and more weary of the mo-
notony, sick Of the smell of chocolate,
she became consumed with restless
ness.
All the social world had left long
ago. From the glass walls of the win
ter garden came the exhilarating. II
garlsh strains of dance music, tantalix-
ing in their infectious rhythm. Bar
bara hummed the tune, tapping her
foot in unison, occasionally surprising
her companions by performing q few
revolutions round the tent. In the
middle Of one of these she halted
abruptly, for shadow had fallen
across the rays Of the sun streaming
athwart the stall.
"COme and dance with me-" said
Croft.
Her face expressed blank astonish-
ment.
"Oh" she exclaimed, confusedly. II
-we-only the villagers usually dance
here"
"Oh. good lord! !"
The amused contempt In his voice
made her flush. Then, conscious of
having given wrong impression OF de-
testable snobbery, she felt furious with
herself
You never swerve from convention,
I suppose?" he asked, watching her