White Heather (Volume III of 3)

most demure-or the most professedly demure-was Miss Carry Hodson herself, who affected to walk apart a little; and swung carelessly the fur cape she carried in her

e, sweet Mi

can't co

art is bro

ne can

ntleman who waited so humbly on Miss Hodson, and who was Mr. J. C. Huysen, of the Chicago Citizen. Miss Carry had at length-and after abundant meek intercession and explanations and expressions of remorse-pardoned the repentant editor for his treatment of Ronald. It was none of his doing, he vowed and declared. It was some young jackass whom the proprietors of the paper had introduced to him. The article had slipped in without his having seen it first. If only her Scotch friend would write something more, he would undertake that the Chicago Citizen would treat it with the greatest respect. And so forth. Miss Carry was for a long time obdurate, and aff

iss Hodson?' the tall editor said, i

ugh; but she did not turn her head; and she

e, sweet Mi

can't co

ulse had not escaped the shar

at amusement she wants; I know what makes her grumble at the big hotels, and the decent clothes that people prefer to wear, and the rattlesnakes, and all the rest. Of course this lake can't be like the Scotch lake; there isn't a handsome young gamekeeper here for her to flirt with. Flirtation, was it? Well, I suppose i

ould pay no heed to these ribald remarks;

e, sweet Mi

ell tales out of school, E

n a little better behaviour. Why, I never! Do you know h

Mr. Huysen; but Miss Kerfoot's

n't,' he

he gamekeeper-and the handsomer the better-stands overlooking the girl's should

interposed. 'See here-give me you

in New York State. Of course, over there it's different. Oh yes; if I were there myself-and-and if the gamekeeper was

hey did in secret; outsiders were not supposed to know anything of that. And now Dr. Tilley did not seem very much pleased at hearing Miss Kerfoot say 'I should smile'; and Miss Kerfoot looked self-conscious and amused and a little embarrasse

any one can want. The far low hills were all red and brown and yellow with maple and scrub oak, except where the pines and the hemlocks interposed a dark blue-green; and nearer at hand, on the silvery surface of the lake, were innumerable small wooded islands, with a line of white foam along the windward shores;

o Dixie, no more I

ck to Dixie, I can't

character, so long as there was a chorus admirably adapted for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. It was very speedily clear that this was not the first time these

to Dix-ie, I's

where to or-ange b

hil-dren call-ing, I

s turn'd back to Di

c fr

Mrs. Lalor asked the girls why they were so fond of singing about

when the boat was put about. The women-folk, of course, paid no attention to the sailing; they never do; they were quite happy in leaving the whole responsibility on the owner of the craft; and were entirely wrapped up in their own petty affairs. Nay, so recklessly incon

ll run into some quiet creek in one of the isl

he was not sure about entrusting the safety of so precious a cargo to the uncertain seamanship of the editor. However, they were now a long way from Fort George; they might as well take a run back in that direction; and so-the

octor-who was standing up on the bit of a deck forward, where Jack Huysen had been-begun the tinkling prelude

t at the ball

to pass th

iss Carry had caught Miss Em's hand, and was holding it on high, and keep

ve so gr

hap-py

you partne

c fr

's the time for y

sing-ing, And dan

c fr

d made believe to dance a little. You see, the boat was running free before the wind, and there was scarcely any appr

ng the dance, 'look what you're about. Never mind the

next ve

f to work in

we go out t

will. And then the chorus; an

c fr

wild lurch, what had happened? Tilley was the first to see. There was something in the water. He tore off his coat and slipped over the boat's side-heeding nothing of the piercing screams of those he had left, but shaking the wet from his eyes and nose and mouth, and looking all around him like a Newfoundland dog. Then he caught sight of a small floating object-some dozen yards away-and he made for that: it was the yellow Tam-o'-Shanter, he could see; then he heard a half-stifled cry just behind him, and turning round was just able to catch hold of Carry Hodson before she sank a second t

yhow; and more by instinct than of knowledge he jammed down the helm, and rounded the boat into the wind, where the big sail began to flop about with the loose mainsheet dragging this way and that. And then he set about trying little experiments-and in a frantic nervousness all the same; he knew, or he discovered, that he must needs get in the mainsheet; and eventually the boat began to make uncertai

ugh he scarce knew what he said, so anxious was he about the tiller and those

e was a cry-f

way-you're going

her gaze; he put the boat about. She b

g nearer-he sees us-Em, Em, look!-poor Carry!-Oh,

e business of getting them dragged on board proved a difficult and anxious matter, for the girl was quite unconscious and lay in their hands li

ap her warm-Mrs. Lalor, get off her boots an

nt to where she was lyi

is beating-come away

tion, he fetched the other coat for the young Doctor, and made him put that on, though the latter declared he was all right now. And then the Doctor took the tiller, slacked

eve the obvious anxiety of these good friends of hers, that when at length they reached the landing-stage and got ashore she declared that she was quite recovered, that she could walk to the hotel as well as any of them, that she had never felt better in her born days.

me down with the message that Carry had a slight headache, and would rather remain in her room. Next morning, too, she thought s

?' Jack Huysen said-and a

ut the young Doctor looked grave, and moved away,

red them to go away on their usual excursions, and leave her to herself. A servant might sit outside in the passage, she said; if she wanted her, she coul

o utter a few panting words she said it was a pain in her chest that was troubling her-not much; no, no, not much, sh

, when they were together; 'I'm afraid t

sen said quickly, and

this was ano

mother at home

would be no use. Her mother could not travel just now; she's too muc

ather,

ome just now. Shall

nt to frighten her. We

Late that night Mrs. Lalor, who had undertaken to sit up till her sister should c

who is Ronald?

as the answer-for she was

r, Em-I think she's wandering a little-she says there's never any luck

as she hastily got up and put a dres

id he would not be in bed till two. She must be in a fever-

rds; but those around her now perceived that her brain had mixed up this Lake George with that other Scotch lake they had heard of, and t