Westways

he boy was scared. In his ordered life it was an unequalled experience. Then he saw a merry face above the drift and lying around it a wide-spread glory

hat Billy! Don't stand

st

the drift, shaking off the dry snow as a wet d

imits of what small endurance he had been taught. "I shall catch my death

om-boy barbarism as was good for her. Just now a feeling of contemptuous surprise overcame her kindliness and her aunt's training. "There's your

e. Then the young despot turned upon the driver. "W

just say, I'm sorry; and the Squire he'll say, d

ila, and turned to John. His attitud

must be cold." She was o

house and warmed by two great blazing hickory wood-fires. "Come in," she cried, "you'll be all r

The dining-room was built out from the back of the hall, whence up a broad stairway Leila had gone. The walls were hung with Indian painted robes, Sioux and Arapahoe weapons, old colonial rifles, and among them portraits of three generations of Penhallows. Many older people had found interesting the str

Leila from the stair. "Your trunk

touching the tomahawk below it. He turned as she spoke. "Those must be scalp-locks-three." He saw the prairie, the wild pursuit

n dry yourself. Your trunk is here already." She

obliged," he said, thinki

n the hall. Then she laughed, and getting astride of the banister-rail made a wild, swift and perilous descent, alighting at the foot in the hall

is form of coasting, but Aunt Ann had other views. "Well!" he

illing to expose the guest to Uncle Jim's laughter. "He's all right," she said, "but Bill

t you; and Joh

airs getti

rough welcome,"

ap and his can

claimed her un

e him," sa

upstairs. She came down in a few minutes, finding her husband standing

nn?" he

, with such good

, "but he couldn't get the sleigh

d Penhallow. "Was the b

ldhood forbade tale-telling and he learned very little. "He wa

ld!" said

g drift," he said. "I trust he found the young gentleman's cane." Some pitying, dim comprehension of the

r dinner," said Ann. Aw

isted on keeping up the

have been glad to disr

e must try to make him

allow would have educated a boy, and now I know q

you will not be

spect his American educ

do you

y. But that can wai

into comfortable repossession of his self-esteem. He set in order his elaborate silver toilet things marked with the Penhallow crest, saw in the glas

your new home." The man who hailed him was six feet two inches, deep-chested, erect-the West Point figure; the fa

vious. Then Leila took note of the court shoes and silk socks, and looked at Uncle Jim to see what he thought. The Squire reserved what criticism he may have had and asked cheerfully about the journey, Aunt Ann aiding him with eager will to make the boy feel at home. He was quite enough at home. It was all agreeable, these handsome relations

uracy, while the Squire listened smiling and Leila sat dumb with astonishment as the dinner went on. He ate little and kept in mind the endless lessons in regard to

a, and as they rose his aunt said, "You may b

he said. "I always r

ill leave Leila to make friends with the new cousin.

id John. It was a fine chance to get even with Leila for

ering the large library room he closed the door, drew over it a curtain, fi

d you ever see a better mann

n some ways too old. I looked him over a bit. He is a mere scaffolding, a sickly-looking chap. He eat

o with him? It is a new and

ol to Mark Rivers with Leila and those two young village imps, the doctor's boy and Grace's, that precious young Baptist. They will do h

t and returned to the boy.

o make him some warm rough clothes, and get him boots for

hardly older than she does." Then Ann rose, saying, "Well, we shall see, I suppo

the hall, the two chi

was listening. "Well,"

ow did the ga

nothing. He had been shamefully worsted. "I think I

e are the candles. There i

ilk, to which with hot bread and new acquaintance with griddle cakes he took kindly. After breakfast he was driven to the village

porch, but soon went in chilled and sat down to lose himself in a book of polar travel. He liked history, travel and biographies of soldiers, fearfully desiring to have his own courage tested-a more common boy-wish than might be supposed. He thought of it as he laid down the book

ocially familiar things, and now said lightly that he had not seen the stables. "

re important in this household." She left him with the conviction that Jame

how you about the place. You will want to

nea pigs,"

ines stood snow laden far apart with no intrusion between them of low shrubbery. Leila was silent, half aware that he was hard to entertain, and th

aid. His imagination was the oldest mental charac

ng like that. He's queer about trees. He talks to them sometimes just like that. There's the biggest pi

nny at all. It's

be like

ndian horseman of the plains who could talk to the b

ila. "I'll show you." She wa

ou like." He wa

"Then you, each of us, get ready this way a pile of snowballs. I say, Make ready! Fire! and we snowball one anoth

d John, "h

your hair a pull

s

and each scalp counts one.

s, but he took his place and

girl seeing how wildly he threw exposed herself. A better shot t

d-for good luck. "Now don't stand the

fected him curiously. He touched it daintily, let it fall

A good pull, tha

n't," sa

but in the end, to her surprise, he had three scalps. "Uncle

o see Uncle J

Uncle Jim. He says I got that as brevet rank the day my mare refused the barnyard fence

ege of a remote future. He had, however, persis

ough the leafless bushes and drifts until they came upon a giant pine in a wide space cleared to give

isturbed him emotionally. With hands clasped behind his b

see?" She was never long silen

he huge hole with a feeling of reverence and affection.

s rare in youth. As he spoke, a little breeze stirred the old fellow's topmost crest and a light downfa

cle Jim all over. He j

h the exercise, and in high good-humour over his success. "Did you never r

, I never heard of it. Come along, we'll be late

ze the reasonable freedom suddenly in his possession. The appearance of complete want of interest in his health and what he did was as useful a moral tonic as was for the body the educational out-of-doors' society of the fearless girl, his aunt's niece whom he was told to consider as his cousin. To his surprise, he was free to come and go, and what he or Leila did in the woods or in the stables no one inquired. Aunt Ann un

the stable canines. No rough weather ever disturbed Leila's out-of-door habits, but when for two days a lazy rain fell and froze on the snow, John declared that he could not venture to get wet with his tendency to tonsilitis. As Leila refused

her, Uncle Jim

uncle. "Get off before t

aid Ann Penhallow, "and

ila over the teacup he was lifting. "Come, John," she sa

, Leila? I consider it extremely dangerous. I saw two persons hurt when we were in Switzerland." His imagination was predicting all manner of disaster, but he had the moral courage w

't slide. I think you ha

you were

e been told-well, never mind-that-well--I won't say I'm not a

ear the possibility of the tears of anger, and, too, the virile qualities of his race were protesting forces in the backgr

as I who was-was-ill-mannere

ghed gaily. "L

teeth and was off after her. A thrill of pleasure possessed him, the joy of swift movement. Near the foot was an abrupt fal

cked up the slang of the vill

her, set out up the hill and coasted again. He upset half-way down, rolled over, and got on again laughing. Thi

the other hills." He went after her vexed at her way of ordering him about, and not disp