A Romance of Billy-Goat Hill

tiny dancing shadows from the interlaced twigs overhead, new clothed in their garb of green. White

, drew rein and looked at each other.

ss Lady, tugging at her bridle. "Don'

h sooner or later the most irresponsible must break their wings. On and on they went, neck to neck, the gallop breaking into a run. Down past the blacksmith's,

led, invisible. It was Romance, pounding in their wake; Romance, whose hoof beats made their pulse

ratic neighborhood. Clouds of dust whirled in their wake, and stones flew right and left under the horses' hoofs; men in c

as he missed it, he heard the clanging signal for an approaching train and saw the gates immediately in front of them descending. Instantly he flung himself out of the saddle, and sprang for Prince's h

d Don was

ng her arm with his free hand an

she asked with a lit

appened to you!" his hand tightened on he

aces. Her hair blew across his face and he could feel her body trembling against his shoulder. Neither of them seem

ates lifted, Miss Lady turned quickly

flag, hurrying across the track, and joining an old apple-wo

through, only I'm a-substitutin' on this jo

horse. The girth's broken; I'll have

ted by each of the youngsters as applying to himself, and

ituted umpire. "Git out 'er the way there, Chick, a

guttural sound in his throat and remained where he was, evidently consideri

he buckle more firmly Don gave it several sharp raps with the handle of his riding w

punction, when a question of booty was involved. They grappled together in the dust of the

d darted forth a small, grimy hand that closed upon the treasure. In an instant Skeeter se

ss Lady indignantly; "he got it f

shouted Skeeter, roused

don't," said Miss Lad

em, Miss Lady had restored the spoils to the lawful victor, and

ck, "what have you got to say to th

r glibly. "He's dumb. Nobody but me can't

nd, it was evident that Ske

; "he ain't got no real folks, and he's been to the Juvenile Court twi

about him were his large, wistful eyes, and his broad smile that showed where his teeth were going to be. Across his narrow chest a ragged elbowless coat was hitched togethe

s Lady, catching his chin in her hand and t

s official interpreter being by this time absorbed i

looking down at him, then seeing something in his face that other people

the riders, and there was, moreover, a subject under discussion that called for cons

the last hill. "Cropsie Decker starts for the coast to-morrow

it two weeks ago, you cou

n happen in two we

r family thi

s affair between my niece Margery and Fred Dillingham. I fancy she'd be rather relieved to get me out of the way. In fact, everybody says go, except Doctor Queerington. He is a cousin of o

he really your cousin? Daddy went to school to his father, and has told me so

ven knows how many subjects, yet he scarcely ma

ving to the world! He told Daddy

n a sea of declensions, conjugations, an

ing to hold Prince down to a walk. "I adore peop

flect on a poor devil who doesn't do t

er sai

ings. When I think of all the things I have promised you, I can feel my hair turning whit

r Queerington really thi

I'm always scribbling at something, but there is nothing in i

w back her hea

s to be

the far

eed on hi

e within

ent, the next it's literature, and the n

ses close together. "I know perfectly what I want, and so

horizon where a bank of for

. Life is made up of desires that seem big and vital one minute, and li

ly. "I've gotten what was worst for

ere walking their horses up to the stil

t to ride back to town to-night. There's rain in

hs, between a tangle of shrubs and vines, into the old-fashioned flower garden. The spiraea was just

, darting to a corner of the old stone wall;

funny," he said awkwardly, "your giving me this. You know, it's what you m

passed and followed them. He had a slow, lopsided gait, and his tongue dangled from the si

as she and Donald dropped down in the old barrel-stave hammock

snuggling up to Don with a great s

body loves me,

likes. He never had a chance t

you lik

o said

't y

oo. Why didn't you tell me my

beautiful, with it l

e house. What did you mean by saying you had gotten wha

happened to be staying long enough; sometimes in France, sometimes in Switzerland, sometimes in America. I remember one Christmas when I was about six, we were in a hotel in Paris. My nurse put me to bed early so she could go out with her sweetheart, and told me there wasn't

ap! It was a mo

understand me; she never has. She has always g

you've had lots of time to-to-

row! Sister felt that after all she had done for me, I oughtn't to go dead against her wishes, and I guess she was right. Then I went into the bank and was be

yed longer t

round on the Riv

ve been hom

t Cropsie Decker got this offer to go to the Orient for the Herald-Post, a

hile, watching a spider that

wn, a home, I mean. I never had much of that sort of thing-I'

er her shoulder at the old house silhouetted against t

tonight!" burst out Donald inconsequentia

hy

, with things to do, and the right sort of things to think about, and-and

ked Miss Lady, with d

I know it. This Eastern trip, now; it sounded great when I said I'd go, Cropsie

the handsome, boyish, irr

spered impulsively; "sta

ded, seizing her hands.

aw her hands. Into her eager, luminous eyes had leapt th

I settle down and behave myself,

oad. "That good-for-nothing, lazy nigger, why do

called Miss Lady, spri

town, and tell Decker the trip is off. But I'll be back in the morning! Per

a dog of a chaperon knows that it is time to interfere! With great presence of mind he discovered an imaginary squirrel in the hedge directly beside them, and set up such a furious barking that Miss Lady looked around and laughed.