The Riverman

ked to his mother, as he arose from the table. This was his

house, in consequence, was popular with the younger people. Every Sunday she offered to all who came a "Sunday-night lunch," which consisted of cold meats, cold salad, bread, butter,

ying to balance a croquet-ball on the end of a ruler. The ball regularly fell off. Three young men, standing in attentive attitudes, thereupon dove forward in an attempt to catch it before it should hit the floor--which it generally did with a loud thump. A collapsed chair of slender lines stacked against the wall attested previous acrobatics. This much Orde, stand

g face, of which he could see only the outline and the redness of the lips where the lamplight reached them. She leaned slightly forward and the lips parted. Orde's muscular figure, standing square and unc

ane in her lazy, good-natured way. "Come and meet

her small head with the glossy hair. The Incubus, his thin hands clasped on his knee, his sallow face tw

ressed him genially, "ar

d the Incubus as tho

exclude all others. Orde surveye

ther fellow from get

!" replied

d Incubus, chair, and all, and set him fa

d he, "I've brought y

n against her lips, which brought her head slightly forward in an attitude as though she listened. Somehow there was about her an air

ne," said Orde, swinging forward a chair,

girl asked him, without changing either her graceful at

d!'--so you couldn't have any more conversation from him. If you want to look a

t what you want?"

lau

e wants, if only he wants i

inally lowered and opened her fan, and thr

ing I am glad you came. You look to have reached the age of discretion. I venture t

me he had supped at Jane Hubbard's

re very old and wise. But having a noisy, good time is

ward, a sparkle of

going to fight?

turned Orde squarely, but

he girl closed her fan, and leaned fo

e to say mean things about your fri

with sudd

o throw bre

k with a movement of satisfaction

me; what

o?" asked Or

out West here. It's a disgrace

s! I'm a river-

more leaning forward. "Why, I've just

o?" he

rom Mrs

a drunken, swearing, worthless lot

me subtle way she broke t

s Half-Mile," s

ook work to scare your city men up a tree and into a hole too easy, risked your life a dozen times a week in a tangle of logs, with the big river roaring behind just waiting to swallow you; saw nothing but woods and river, were cold and hungry and wet, and so tired you couldn't wiggle, until you got to feeling like the thing was never going to end, and until you got sick of it way through in spite of th

sture. She was looking at him int

iled to herself. "But they are a hard and heartless class in spit

isn't a man on that river who doesn't chip in five or ten dollars when a man is hurt or killed; and tha

bbard behind them. "Can't you make it a to-b

" chimed in

ng-room where the table, spread wit

long the table with her eye on the arrangements, "and some of yo

s tapering; her wrists were finely moulded, but slender, and running without abrupt swelling of muscles into the long lines of her forearm; her figure was rounded, but built on the curves of slenderness; her piled, glossy hair was so fine that though it was full of wonderful soft shadows denied coarser tresses, its mass hardly did justice to its abundance. Her face, again, was long and oval, with a peculiar transpar

he supper. Only Orde thought to discern even in her more boisterous movements a graceful, courteous restraint, to catch in the bend of her head a dainty concess

ow out, and then all returned to the parlour, leaving

de his way to Miss Bishop'

l as a mean little snip," said sh

epeated Orde. "I

eath their shoulders." She moved gracefully away toward Jane Hubbard. "Do you Western 'business men' never

," acknowledged Or

m in the middle of the r

she ch

?" asked Or

s you wanted to a

hy

ined, the corners of her mouth

to talk to yo

Well?" she conceded, with a shrug of mock resignati

clamoured. "

es as she sat. She struck a few soft chords, and then, her long hands wanderi

it be?" sh

e rack in front of her. The others gath

iano, her head thrown back idly, her hands wandering softly in and out of melodies and modulations. Watching her, Orde finally saw only the shimmer of her white figure, and the w

e arose and

uaint and beautiful thing

cking had gone from her eyes and mouth, l

like it?"

rdly. "It was so still and soothing, it made me th

ything. I was

e it up

, and wander on until I lose myself in it. I'm glad there

p at him, her

She struck a crashin

d up at the sud

d in chorus, as though each

flash of an especial understanding between them to th

ndolently forward. "You just ought to hear her play the harp,"

d, according to their usual Sunday custom, been spending the evening with a

ulders in to screen Carro

aying here?

eyes wide at

eplied at length, with an

e here long?" was O

t a m

e you," announced

the outer door had closed behind him. Not once did he look back. Jane Hubbard, returning after a moment from the hall, foun

through the still-bare branches of the trees. With few exceptions the houses were dark. People "retired" early in Redding. An occasional hall light burned dimly, awaiting some one's return. At the gate of the Orde place, Orde roused himself to say good-night. He let himself into the dim-lighted hall, hung up h

ck?" queried

treet-lamp, filtered through the branches of a tree, flickered against the ceiling. By its aid he made out the

low voice, to avoid awakening grand

ed Orde, in

was t

t the usu

ted silence, which endu

y, at last, "I've met the

rde sat u

he?" she

op," said Orde, "and she'

insisted Grandma Orde

at her in th

for the second time that