THE FALLS CITY TRIBUNE , FRIDAY , JANUARY 3 , 1908
right ! Don't you forglt when you uoso
well comfortable aha ha-ha !
Mebby on one cheer aha ha-ha. And
we'll boso take the fence dowii to
morrow. Mebby all three ! "
IV.
Suppose She Had Greased Her Hair ?
Self- sauntered confidently up The
Hill of Delight upon which Sally's
house stood. When within sight of It
he polished his hat on his sleeve , set
the butterfly necktie straight , felt that
the apochryphal diamond was safe ,
and marched up to the house only to
arrive a little later than a buggy from
which Sam Prltz , he wns certain , had
extracted Sally. If it had not been for
thought of his father , which oppor
tunely came , Soffy would have gone
straight home so did his heart fall
him.
him.And
And then instantly there was anoth
er and better reason for staying- Sally
had seen htm. As he wavered which
she seemed to know she came hurry-
lug down upon him. it was too late
then , even If he had had the courage
to retreat from such dear danger. She
l > ut her arm within his , and , leaning
bowltchlngly upon It , led him Into the
house , chattering fervidly the most
willing of captives to the most beguil
ing of captors. For Sally had put on
all her witcheries for this night of
nights.
Once within she added the charm of
the accomplished amateur hostess
doing fascinating things which needed
no doing hovering about Seffy like
the very spirit of a home so that he
had the Intoxicating sense of difficulty
In Keeping from being entangled In
her fluttering arms and garments. For
his feet , unused to Elysium , would
catch themselves In her whirling
skirts as If they knew hotter than
ho their ultimate destiny. All this
was a splendid revelation to Soffy.
He had never , In all his dreams of her
( and they were legion ! ) fancied this
soft and winning domesticity. It
went to his head like alcohol opium
nther making it so light and happy
as to be quite useless to him.
So , when Sally finally took the tall
hat and went to deposit it In the dark
parlor , Soffy followed her , for no bet
ter reason than the things In the basin
have for following the magnet. And ,
understanding this , Sally looked over
lier shoulder at him. And then , snuff
ing her conquest at a distance , she
laughed and mercifully stopped for
him to catch up , that she might present
ly surrender. She got his hand to
lead him. Only that !
"You care a lot for your hat , don't
you , Sef Seffy ? And you want to to
see" he couldn't see a thing "that
1 that 1 put It at a safe place ? "
Still by the hand further Into the
darkness !
And Seffy honestly tried to prevari
cate for her a "Yes. " Hut he wasn't
thinking of the treasured hat at all ,
only the hand that it was deliclously
warm and soft and electrical. Sud
denly she stopped very close to him.
Only he was so dull ! Ho did not
know ! Heavens ! when a girl waits
for a youth to come close to her in the
dark what else can she mean ? But
Soffy actually did not know.
"Sam's over there ! I I wish he
wasn't ! "
To whisper it she had to put ono
hand on his shoulder. How else could
she whisper It ? And she laughed a
low bubbling laugh half-confession
half-deflanco all Invitation !
Seffy stooped to whisper back to her.
Sally waited.
"I know ! "
Only that ! Sally was disappointed.
For It wns the custqm In that day and
i vicinage and in such circumstances to
kiss a girl without fall. And could a
girl do more than this by way of In
vitation ? You must have perceived
that Sally was learned In these mat
ters. And you may be sure she did
not forget Softy's bashfulness and his
inexperience. Hut surely any one
would understand that much in the
dark ! It argues heavily for the depth
of Sally's affection for Seffy that she
kept her temper , for the losing of
which she was almost as famous as
her father had been for losing his , and
only sighed desperately. Any other
girl would have loft hope and Soffy
behind. At that moment , happily ,
Sam was heard to move. She put her
hand on Soffy's mouth as If some
danger were there. And Scffy , by a
sort of Instinct , It must have been ,
kissed It !
"Oh ! "
' Both of Sally's hands went up in
real surprise and Seffy caught and
kissed them both !
"Oh ! oh ! oh ! "
She had to stuff het- gay llttlo hand
kerchief into her mouth to keep the
Joy within. After all , could this Soffy
bo playing 'possum ? Was ho deep ?
I don't know , any moro than Sally ,
how It all happened except that per
haps Seffy discovered himself sudden
ly brave In the darkness , and Sally
quite defenseless but presently her
head was on his shoulder , and his arm
was around her , In quite the way his
father had suggested and Sally had
expecto'd. And neither of thorn
1 thought of him or a word ho had said
concerning lands , tenements and
hereditaments. Sally's hand crept up
insidiously about Seffy's neck. But
then It was fearfully withdrawn.
"Please don't grease your hair here
after , " said Sally. But she kissed It !
"Hereafter ! Hereafter ! " Scffy'a
heart pounded.
"Suppose I'd grease my hair ! " said
Sally speciously.
The horror conjured up was facti
tious. Kemember whore her head was
resting. But an alien element was
now rnlsud between them. Seffy
moved away. Maids should not cavil
oven at oiled hair so early In tholr
courtship ! Moro fascination was
needed perhaps only a soft cooing
word
"You you 'Wouldn't like that
would you ? " still meekly.
"No ! " Seffy answered , puzzled. "My
Sunday coat would git greased ! "
"My sleeve did ! "
She Inspected a soiled slccVo In
the ray from the- hall which had no
spot on it !
"I don't care for the slocvc. It'll
wash out. But' Sam ho sees
every " .
She laughed and was about to
plunge recklessly back Into his arms.
Hut her hair was beautiful ! And she
liad made It moro so for him. He
must see It ! She plunged further into
the ray from the hall lamp Instead and
flung it forward about her face. It
clung and clustered there like an
aurcolo. Seffy , In his brief life , he
thought , had seen nothing moro di
vine. She looked saucily up at him
out of the tops of her eyes. His adora
tion made her very happy.
"Thero ! ain't that nicer than
yourn ? " She burled her fingers In the
splendid mass , and pushed it Into
further disorder until It lay close
shining about her face.
"Oh , Sally , " said Seffy , approaching
lier as If she were some goddess ,
'wear It that way always ! "
The alien thing was gone ! They
were In rapport once more !
"They'd have me in an asylum In
uo time. But "
Somehow , Seffy's arms opened to
Invite her back and she came with a
low reckless laugh. The wild sheaf of
lier hair lodged again close under his
chin. Ho recklessly thrust his face
Into it. Its perfume in his nostrils
and its movement against his skin
were ineffable. Ho kissed it. Again
It was the strange fashion of the
cavalier In those kisses ! Where did
he learn It ?
"Oh , Sally , wear It always so ! " he
begged again. And good heavens !
he put his lips down upon It once
more !
" .lust when you come to see me , "
murmured Sally to the lapel of his
coat.
"Sally Sally , you are an angel ! "
said Scffy.
And this ono little word which came
to dull Seffy so happily out of his fa
vorite song made the coquette very
serious.
"Not an angel , Softy , Sef Seffy , "
she said with her head a little down.
"I don't think you would like mo to bo
such. I'm not ! Angels never laugh ,
you know nor love. And I want to
do a lot of both. But but Scffy , I'd
like to bo something very nice to
you. What Is the nicest thing a girl
can bo to you ? "
"A sister ! " ventured Seffy , who had
never had one.
Sally shivered , then laughed. But
she took herself away from Seffy.
The Pressel temper flamed a mo
ment , and certain words began to form
In her mind like " " " "
"Fool ! and "Go !
and "Damn ! " For , I think I haven't
told you that Sally sometimes swore
In extreme circumstances. Her father
had done so.
She spoke with that trifle of hard
brutality which came out now and
then.
"You know what they say at the
store that I flirt and am not nice In
other ways , and they're right. But I
do want to be nice to you , though not
a sister quite. Ugh ! And , you
know , ono thing they say Is true my
-gUmm
temper. Look out for that ! You must
always take time to forgive Oj and let
mo ask to be forgiven. "
| Now , 1 bog to ask you whether an
i atnondo was over moro delirious con
sidering that much of what she said
to and for Scffy wns meant to and for
herself alone ? Indeed , before she got
through with It , It had affected her
quite as If Seffy had pleaded It , and
her voice sank to Its pretty mezzo ,
then quivered a bit , and she under
stood that was answering herself !
"Soffy , 1 am awfully sorry ! "
"For what , Sally ? " naked Soffy.
Seffy , dull Scffy , really did not know
for what. But there Is something
which God gives the dull , as well as
the sprightly wltted , that outleaps
words to comfort sorrow. And this
Soffy had abundantly. It first expressed -
pressed Itself In the strong young arms
which again closed In utter sllenco
upon the sorrowing ono.
Presently ( perhaps you have not
forgotten how it Is ? ) In the same si
lence , Seffy's lips found hers not as
the victor pounces upon the spoil of
his conquest but slowly , uncertainly ,
unconfldontly as If the lips wore a
saint's relics ; and Sally waited , not
as she had waited before , but In the
knowledge that her hour had como ,
and that this kiss the first this youth
had given to woman since his mother's
died In his Infancy must not bo re-
cclvod as others had been , but as sa
credly as It came ; and when It finally
foil the llus of the coquette quivered
as they received It , and then suddenly
sobbt'd , and did not know why
Do you ?
"I have never kissed no one but
mother , " said Solly , who felt heinous ,
I don't know how ! 1 don't know what
made me do It I couldn't belli It. It
won't happen again "
Whereat Sally laughed and clung
about Seffy's delighted neck and cried
to his puzzled heart :
"Yes , It will ! " i
And kissed .him back !
"Sally , " said Scffy with solemnity ,
"do you mean It ? You not mad ? "
"Scffy , " said Sally , "I am not worth
It. 1 have been kissed by everybody
who wanted to kiss mo and 1 have
kissed everybody I wanted to kiss ! "
"I urn sorry for you , Sally , " said
Seffy , not meaning at all what she
thought ho meant nor anything quite
clear to himself , except that she had
recklessly squandered something pro-
clous.
"I am , too , now. "
And then
"I shall never kiss no ono but you ,
no more. "
" Nor I anybody but you , Scffy. "
And , strange as It may seem , In
that moment , Scffy was the greater ,
braver and stronger , and Sally but the
waiting , willing woman as she ought
to have been. Indeed , Seffy was
courageous enough to have put that
question which might , perhaps , trans
mute the pasture-field Into one of those
that Ho within the borders of Elysium.
But Sam moved with decision.
They flow apart. Though he did not
at once outer It was too late the
rapport was broken. Nevertheless ,
such things can be mended , If there Is
tlino. It Is quite certain that If they
could have continued a litllo longer
In that dark parlor , with only the
small ray of the lamp from the hall
to lighten It , everything the sleepless
old man at home so ardently wished
might have been accomplished and
they might have taken down that
lino-fence the next day and then have
lived happy ever after quite In the
way of the old-fashioned story-books.
For Seffy was still bravo to audacity ,
and Sally was yet at his mercy and
happy to bo so.
And here , If wo wore not arrived at
a climax , 1 would venture to halt this
history for a moment that wo might
discuss a bit those trifles in life which
the ancients called Fate ; and for
which , or the lack of which , life often
goes awry !
But while Seffy's courage grew
again , and Sally's hope , the door on
the other sldo of the room opened and
the odious Sam came through.
V.
Seffy's Sltting-Up and Down Again.
However , there was another door
and Sam arrived only to hear It close
upon Seffy , whom Sally had just
pushed through It.
"Seffy ? " asked Sam casually.
"Yes ! " answered Sally , quite unable
to keep the joy out of her voice , "he's
just come , and gone out to the spring
for a drink ! " prevaricated Sally.
"Ho'll drink something. "
By which Sam meant some kind or
an animal , with his water.
"Nothing but water ! " said Sally
meaningly. Sam perceived Instantly
"how the land lay , " and made his cun
ning plans. Sam was not dull. He
returned to the sitting room with Sal
ly where Seffy presently followed , I
am sorry to say , like a conquering
hero at which Sam gloated.
Unfortunately for Seffy , rural eti
quette , as everybody knows , gave Sam
precedence. "First come last go , "
Is the Illogical rule. But you are to bo
informed that the late comer Is at lib
erty to "outsit" his rival. If ho caner
or to dislodge him , If he can by
strategy. But every rustic lover at
tempts this at the greatest of risks.
To fail Is equivalent to losing caste1
not only with the lady In question , but
also with the flcklo world. For no
girl of any spirit would look upon a
swain who had Ignomlnlously faih'd at
such a crisis , unless ho should rehabili
tate himself which means to accom
plish the almost impossible.
Sam took all this Into consideration
as ho watched Seffy reclining In the
onsy chair which Sally had injudi
ciously and Invidiously placed for him
him grow drowsy.
"Sally , " said Sam at the right mo
ment , "play something. "
" 'I don't care to1 ! protested Sally.
I5nt then she turned prettily to Seffy.
"Shall I , Soffy ? "
"Yos , " smiled effy , from his Elysi
um , secure ami lonfldent. " 1 don't
carol"
"And. " said Sam Insidiously , "we'll
all slug. You air , mo tenor , Soffy
baas. "
"I can't sing no bass ! " said Soffy
easily , "and Snm knows It. Ho can't
make no fool off of mo. Go on , I'll
set hero nnd and oujoy myself. "
This wns the clhect rustic challenge ,
with aplomb ! Snm might choose his
weapons ! It made no odds ! And
Sally hod to tnko It up for Soify. This
she loyally did.
Unfortunately , wlion Sally wont to
the organ Seffy was at her back and In
the shadow the lamp had to bo
moved and In that sleepy-hollow
chnlr. But she had all possible con
fidence In htm and , alas ! ho had In
himself. For n while ho toasted bin
oycs upon the exquisite back shu had
turned to him and then , with a thrill
of possession , Inventoried the hair ho
had kissed a llttlo disordered the
lips the waist ho had embraced
how glorious that was ! It deemed al
most Impossible now that ho had done
It. And the hands what ? Ho wns
lost for a moment. Then ho was
plowing opposite bin father. The volco
' which had so sweetly what was It ex-
} i actly It had said what ? ho was
1 ncarlng the line stake still plowing
ho could hear the voice qulto distinct
ly many of them a choir "I want
to lip an angel. " Rnllv seemed mlntllv
thoie but ho wns still plowing now
ho stopped moro and moro 'mist
Soffy slept.
' Sam stopped his tenor that Sally
might hoar him sloop.
i "Ho nald ho couldn't Blnu hnss ! "
.
I grinned Snm.
I ! Sally's hand flow to her heart. She
( j had been trilling , If not with the art ,
yet with the feeling , of a lark. It was
simply the joy with which Soffy had
lllled her only joy , vast and free. The
j I red llamod In her cheeks at what
she saw. I shall not describe It. No
lover was over moro abject no lady
was over more furious ! Wo see the
comedy of It only. We would not have
I been hurt , eh ? But wo did not live
1 then or there nor under Sally's curious
small conditions nor with Sally's tem
per. Curiously enough , this Scripture
came to Sally's mind :
"Could yo not watch with mo one
hour ? "
You know what strange and Inop
portune things come Into the dis
tressed , unguarded mind.
Sally rose with a dignity which
even Sam had not suspected , and said :
"Gentlemen , good night. "
VI.
The Clothes-Pin Cure.
The old man had plowed six tlmos
around the slx-ncro Hold the next
morning , singing and whistling his
unearthly tune as ho went , when Seffy
unllmborcd at the bars and started the
big bay around In the opposite direc
tion. The first time they passed his
father only winked mysteriously ami
continued to whistle. The next time
ho stopped.
"We won't go home tell morning ,
hah , Sef ? I usen't to myself. Say
looks like someslng occurred after all ,
hah ? No one don't stay tell morning
unless "
Soffy was silent.
"That's right. Kiss but nefcr toll.
Fur telling breaks the spell. If you've
had ono and want another kiss but
shut your head up. Say you don't
want to be no nnchol now , 1 expect ,
hah ? Mebby you own one ? "
But Seffy and the marc had disap
pointingly passed on.
"Well ! Gee wo way gee ! Git
along ! " And he also made another
furrow In a less happy temper.
When they met again :
"Whoa ! " roared the old man , and
the mare stopped trembling in her
tracks. He laughed. Betz still re
sponded If Scffy did not.
"Sef Seffy , did anysing occur ? "
Soffy faltered guiltily a moment.
"Yes , " he said , then briefly , "some
thing always occurs , "
VSef Seffy , but about the pas-
Seffy started the mare.
"Whoa ! " roared the old man again ,
with the same result. But he did not
laugh this time. Ho sat on the handles
of his plow and regarded his sou. Ho
was vaguely disturbing.
"Say " he began ominously , "you
didn't git sot out ? "
"Uhu , " answered Seffy.
"What ! Why , you durn "
But then he laughed.
"Shiny hat no good ? "
Seffy said no.
. , ,
Nor the diamond , nor the hair-
grease , nor nosslng ? Oh gosh-a'-
mighty ! Gee wo way ! "
But before they met again , his
gaiety had given way to an Immense
disappointment. The tragedy of the
situation hud prevailed with him , too.
Seffy sullenly kicked a clod to pieces.
His father looked off toward the cov
eted pasture and sighed. It wns a
superb piece of land. And It had
never looked fairer. The sun was on
Ita velvet green the sun of the morn
Ing. A few thick-girthed , wholesome
oak trees punctuated It. A stream
laughed through It. Goodly cows stood
chewing In the watur and swishing
amiably nt the flies. The fences wore
intact. It would have been a delight
to the eyes of any farmer on onrth.
The old nmn Hat on the handles of l
plow until it nil got. in his head once
more.
"It's n nlco Held , Sof Seffy , " he
sighed. "I nofor seen no such clofor.
And she's a nlco gal. I nofor seen no
such gal , hose nice. Onch ! they belong
long together. Well , see wo way !
They belong to us ! "
They al\\a > s stopped for a word
when they met. The next time the
old man bald , quite caressingly :
"Como yore , Sof ! "
Ho paltod 0110 plow-handle , whlcl
Softy took , while hu took the other
Ho thoughtfully pulled the boy's shirt
Into place.
"Scf , " ho Raid , "tell mo about It.
I'm sorry I laughed ! But I lofo that
pasture and you lofo Sally. Let's not
lie fools , but git 'em. 1 expect you feel
a llttlo had. But mubby you'll feel
better It you talk about It. That In the
way wlss me , I know ; when nnysliii ;
occurs I like to gabble about It and
go nnd do It again bettor. " llo let
his hand rest kindly on Softy's shoul
der. To this his son responded.
"I fell asleep. " said Soffy , Bulllllng
ominously.
"Of course , " said his father , with a
comforting movement of his hand ,
"That's right. "
Seffy was amazed and comforted.
"I expect I snored "
"Er yas you do snore , Sof. Efcry-
body docs. It's the Lord's fault , 1 ox-
poet. " '
"In a nice chocr "
"Yas you oughtn't W sot In no
ntco cheer , Set ; somoslng uneasy In
better. "
"Didn't wake up till daylight. "
"Where was you then , Sof ? "
"In the cheer Sal Sally's cheer. "
The words stuck pitifully In his
throat.
"Yas " said the old man , looking
away , "I don't blame you , Sof. "
"It was a pasteboard thing llko n
tombstone pinned on my bosom "
"Vnl ! " cried bin father the "w"
would uecomo "v" in cases of sudden
emotion.
"Pasteboard tombstone ! " Softy's
Head dropped In shnmo. "With things
printed on It 'Sephouljah P. Baum-
partner , Junior , Wont to Ills Heat ,
June 10th , 1871 , In the 20th year of his
ago. Gene Not , But Forgot Head
Backwards. ' "
His father stilled a laugh. It was an
old tilck to him. i1
"What what did you do then ? " he
isked In matter-of-fact volco
as - - a us
10 could command ,
"Sneaked home. It was daylight ! "
"Gone not , but forgot read back
wards , hah ? "
Ho couldn't qulto make It out. That
was now. Soffy helped him.
"Forgot , but not gone. "
Tliero was no restraint to his
father's laughter now. After It had
ubsldcd ho asked :
"What did you do wlss the tomb
stone ? "
"Left It thero. "
"That's bad , Scffy. Ho'll put It up
at the store an" you ken nefcr go there
no moro. "
Seffy's look of horror was a re
minder to hla father that It would
have boon butter not to say that. But
Old Baumgartncr had tremendous
aplomb.
"Nefcr mind nefcr mind. Mebby
he won't sink of that" though ho
know the store clerk would bo certain
to think of It.
Upon n sudden thought the old man
leaped up-
"And where was Sam ? Say ! When
you woke up ? "
"I don't know. "
"But ho wasn't there at Sally's ? "
"No , " said Soffy hopelessly.
His father clutched his shoulder and
set him on his feet.
"Well you dam' little Idjlot aim
ha-ha don't you see that you did set
him out say ! Why , you're a winner ,
Soffy ! I'm proud of you ! "
Seffy started and looked n llttlo less
Inert. His father laughed hugely.
"I knowcd you'd do It ! Aha ha-ha !
Nobody ken beat a Bnumgartuar
courting a gal ! What's sleeping If
you stayed ! Huh ! You stayed tell
daylight ! Sof I'm laughing ! Why , I
used to sleep when 1 set up wlss you'
mammy cfory time another feller was
there. 1 done It a-purposo ! And she'd
wako mo nil when the other feller was
gone and it came time for mo to go.
Why say I stayed and slept all
night toll broad daylight and go homo
wlss the cows In the morning many
a time ! Yasslr ! Chust like you , Sef !
Sef , you're all right. Goshens , but
you had a narrow excope , though !
Chust suppose you'd 'a' woke up and
forgot what you was up to you do that ,
sometimes , Sef , when you're dreamy
and gone homo before you remember
ed that you was out-setting him !
He'd 'a' had you dead , Seffy , dead nnd
burled in the family lot. But you got
him , Softy , ol' boy and Sally , too , bo-
goshens ! Shall we got at the fence
to-day ? " Seffy did not respond. And
his father know better than most of
us whore suggestion should stop.
"All right. Wo boso busy to-day.
Mebby wo better let It bo tell to-mor
row. "
Of course Old Baumgurtner was well
aware that his logic would not bear
the least scrutiny. And ho regarded
Scffy anxiously as ho raced through
It. But dull happy Softy saw no flaws
In it. Ho agreed with his father that
he had out-sat Sam. And , if It had not
been too plainly accidental , ho would
have adopted the fancy that he had
had a heroic purpose In It so con
vincing was his father's logic to his
little mind.
The old man rattled on. Seffy must
not think much.
"And snoring ! Hah ! NoHslng
Dossing at all ! I could glfo you los
nous In snoring. And you' mammy
use' to say that she liked It. It wasn't
no lonely nnd she knowed I was on
deck and alifo. Snoring ! Aha ha-ha !
What's that If you are sure of the
sal ! "
Suffy ahcmmed govoral times nnd
looked loss like a condemned male
factor though still far from suborned.
"That dam * molassos-tapper he's
got to be licked ami If I got to do It
myself though I ain't much of a lick
or. The whole county'll know about
that to to " ho turned away to
smllo "tombstone. I bet he's got It
hanging up In the store now ! Wo got
to lot 'em know that yon sot him out ,
Sof ! Yas stayed toll daylight ! Woke
up and stayed ! Sleeping was cluist to
ketch him ! You was awake all the
time ! Llo a little , hah ? "
Ills father was proud of this last ,
As they drew apart ho called back :
"If she don't llko snoring , Sef , wear
a clothes-pin when you Hot up wlss
her ono of them wlss n spring not ?
Aim ha-ha ! " And then : "You all
right , Sof yasslr ! you nil right you
the conquering hero comes ! Go right
back inobby to-night you entitled to
do It. "
"Begoshons , I will ! " said Soffy In
his father's own slogan.
Suffy would have pressed his suit
even without this , I think because of
thosa moments In the dark parlor.
Ono does not soon forget that sort ot
thing.
"Now , " advised his father , "you
know well enough what kind of n tem
per gees wlsa her hair I use to hat
hair enough onct and It was rod ! All
right when It's on your side. Hut hell
when It's ng'ln you. Thorn red-heads
always regrets I do and she does !
Say Sof Softy , don't you lot her ro-
grct In vain ketch her while she's at
it. "
So , Soffy wont up the hill again
not that night which was a mlstako
ho could not qulto bring himself to
that but the next. And ho had wnshocl
the gronso out of his hnlr and loft the
hat at homo us well as the butter
fly tlo nnd the boots nnd , It I do Bay It ,
ho was a very handsome follow , worth
af. lonat n clcr.on of hla rlvn\ .
Hut Sally , watching for this very
thing , saw him coming nnd hardened
her heart , ns Pharaoh did In the face
of proffered felicity , and , by a good
deal of forcible Instruction , she suc
ceeded In getting the llttlo maid to
say that she was not at home. The
maid's untutored face showed Soffy
that she was not telling the truth ,
however , nnd she was not sorry for It.
She would never have treated Soffy
so !
Softy shifted his hat from ono hand
to the otbor nnd then snld :
"Toll her toll her when she comon
homo that I'm sorry " Ho did not
exactly know what ho was Berry for ,
nnd BO said good night nnd wont.
"Ho knowcd you wns at homo ! " ro-
pronchecl the little mnld. "Ho wns
sorry for you. "
"What did ho say ? " demanded Sally
savagely.
"To toll you that ho was sorry
when you got homo. "
"Whon I got homo ? Then I. better
stay away , I expect. That's what he
meant , did ho ? Well , I'll show him ! "
But the maid understood Soffy's rustic
chivalry and she did not laugh with
her mistress.
Yet , Sally went back to her window
and again watched , hoping Seffy would
look back. Sim was not quite sura
what she would do. Perhaps she would
get angry perhaps But If ho would
only look ! Ho did not , and Sally un
derstood that ho had accepted hla
congo as she had given It. And quite
as the old man had said , she did regret ,
now , and shu had regretted that other
'
night. But there was more pcnanco
than ho had said or thought. Yet
there was the Prcssol temper ! And It
did not await the subsidence of the
sorrow , but rose at once. What busi
ness had he tamely to accept the situ
ation ?
I am satlslled that there Is some con
nection between red hair and temper.
And I am , further , satisfied that there
Is even more between the associated
Ideas of red hair , temper and regret.
But my difficulty Is to determine Just
where each stands. Logically , the re
gret ought to come last. But , to Sally ,
and In this case , It came In the mid
dle. For , she began and she ended
without It , but she distinctly remem
bered having had It. Therefore , It
must have been In the middle.
Ami Sam administered Seffy's coup
do grace ! I'cihaps It was accidental.
But I think It must have been nothing
less than spying and then devilish in
vention It was so entirely apropos.
As Soffy descended the Hill of Delight -
light on which Sally's pretty little
house stood , Sam ascended it , singing ,
as he passed Seffy :
"Napoleon , with a thousand men ,
Marched up the hill and down again. "
From his own darkness , Seffy saw
a golden shaft of light burst from
the door at the top of the Hill of Delight -
light , and , In It , he saw Sam inouul
to where was his heart's desire.
VII.
The Poison-Spring In the Cotton
Woods.
They mot on the damp country road
ono evening Sally and the old man
two wauks later. She was walking
with drooping head , and , when she
suddenly raised it , as ho ahommed , he
was quite sure that she had been
crying.
"I don't know what's the matter wlsa
him ! " said Soffy's father , as if they
had b on discussing Soffy.
"Who ? " asked the girl tremulously
though she knew "ho ain't sick ? "