Viola Gwyn

icking her way gingerly, mincingly, along the narrow path at the roadside. His mind was so fully occupied with thoughts of a most disturbing character that he paid no attention to her, e

turned and walked rapidly, with scant regard for the puddles, in the direction from which she had come. Fifteen or twenty paces down the road, she c

l of the hunter, he abruptly whirled and retraced his steps. With the backwoodsman's cunning he hastened over the ground he had al

His long legs carried him speedily to the outlet and there he posted himself. He could hear her coming through the brush, although her figure was still obscured by the tangle of wildwood; the

she was being followed. Her skirts were drawn up almost to the knees and pinched closely about her grey-stockinged legs. He gallantly turned away and p

e crimson, and her dark eyes, peering out from the shade of the close-fitting hood of her black bonnet,

fting his hat. "I was wondering w

to avoid you?" she demand

u off. I trust you will not turn around and run the other way, now that I have

she cried. "I don't want t

ur house to see you?" he challenged. "I suspect y

r with some uneasiness. "W

see you, and not I," she said, almost insolently. "Are you

he said. "Pl

il you g

nt to talk to me?

as never done you any harm. In the second place, I resent your interference in my affairs. Wait! Do not interrupt me, please. Maybe you have not exactly interfer

imed. "I haven't the slightest i

guilty look in your eyes. You two have been putting your heads together, in spite of all the ill-will you bear each other, and there is no use in denying it. I am a na

at all. Little girls in tantrums are always amusing, but not always naughty. Permit me to assure you that

slipped out, didn't it? Now I know you were discussing my affairs and nothing else. Well, what is the verdict? What are you going to d

thicket, undeterred by the ominous li

me about something. I was prepared to help you, or to advise you, or to do anything you wanted me to do. You were not there. I felt at first that you had played me a rather shabby trick. Your mother,-my step-mother,-got me there under false pretences, solely for the purpose of straightening out a certain matter in connection with the-well, the future. She doubtless realized that I would not have come on her invitation, so she used you as a decoy. In any event, I am now glad that I saw her and talked matters over. It does not mean that we s

g for it," she

ried in a more or less regular s

ly. "I shall get married when and where I

your brother, Viola, I would su

you as a brother, or to rec

I deplore the evil fate that

t doesn't sound very-pretty

carecrow. I don't mind confessing that last night I said to myself, 'There is the most beautiful girl in all the world,' and I can't begin to tell you how shocked I was this morning when Striker info

escribed as brotherly. She looked away, suddenly timid and confused. It was something she had seen in

said, nervously, "I suppos

ou need not feel flattered.

"Who told you about Barry L

t's adventure?" he counte

se some one has-Oh, we

you to betray

dear Viola!

l me your

y you cannot expect me to address

, if you must hav

er," said he

ly. She turned her face away, but not quickly enou

may as well say that I think you conspired to take a pretty mean advantage of those good and faithful friends. You deceived them in a most outrageous manner. It wasn't very thoughtful or generous of you,

er ears. Why, he was actually scolding her! She was being reprimanded! He was calmly, deliberately repr

t thing in running away from home to be married. I think I mentioned to you last night that I am of a very romantic nature. Lord bless you, I have lain awake many a night envying the dauntless gentlemen of feudal days who bore their sweethearts away in gallant fashion pursued by ferocious fathers and a score or more of blood-thirsty henchmen. Ah, that was the way for me! With my lady fair seated in front of me upon the speeding palfrey, my body between her and the bullets and lances and

he knew they were born of speechless anger. He had hurt her sorely, even deliberately, and he was overcome by a sudden charge o

ing him even so much as a look of scorn. He stood aside, allowing her to pass, and remained motionless, gazi

cal's sweetheart, if all they say is true. Gad, how beautiful you are!" He was walking slowly through the path, his

to pick it up, but before his fingers touched it he straightened up and deliberately moved it with the toe of his boot to a less exposed place among the bushes, where he would have failed to see it in passing. Then he strode resolutely away without so much as a glance over his shoulder, and, coming to the open road, stepped briskly off in the direction of the public Square. His conscience would have rej

t before, at the same time confessing that she was absolutely in the dark as to how her mother had found out about their plans. Suffice to say, she HAD found out early in the evening

u, but I also love her. Please be kind and reasonable, dear, and do not think I am losing heart. I am just as determined as ever. Nothing can change me. You believe that, don't you, Barry dear? I know how impulsive you are and how set in your ways. Sometimes you really frighten me but I know it is because you love me so much. You must not do anything rash. It would spoil everything. I do wish you would stay away from that awful place down by the river. Mother would feel differently toward you, I know, if you were not there so much. She knows the men play cards there for money and drink and swear. I believe you will keep your promise never to touch a dr

ffie Wardlow's young brother, reached the tavern just in time to see Barry emerge, quite tipsy and

turned it to the sender, who, after listening bleakly to a somewhat harrowing description of her lover's unsteady legs and the direction in whic

lf of ALL responsibility and charged everything to her meddling relatives. Her encounter with the exasperating Kenneth, however, served to throw a new and most unw

ain, she consigned it to the flames. She was very glad it had not been delivered to Barry. The part of it referring to the "place down by th

than a severe headache,-an ailment to which he was accustomed and which he treated very lightly in excusing himself when she took