Under the Country Sky

rticularly hard with her if she had to hate them; love turned to hate is such a viru

ld set the old manse living-room in its pleasantest order, build a crackling apple-wood fire in the fireplace, and get out her best thin china and silver with which to serve afternoon tea-she made it chocolate, with vivid recollection of their tastes; and added deliciously substantial though delicate sandwiches, with plenty of the fruiti

t her tender heart. But for the first hour of their stay Georgiana had been her gay and brilliant self, flinging quips and jests broadcast, asking impertinent questions, making saucy comments, quite as of old. It was only when Dot Manning, toward the end of th

n settlement work-"crazy over it" was, of course, the phrase. Dot Manning was going abroad next week for a year of travel in all sorts of beguiling, out-of-the-way places. As for M

ourse, that they meant to let her see this, but it showed in spite of them. They wanted to know what she did with herself, whether there were any young people, and any good times going on-Georgiana led them to the window, just at this point, and

only one precisely "like that," Dot had inquired if Mr. Stuart belonged to Georgiana, and, being answ

ere doing anything worth while, using that pregnant modern phrase which has been de

e one of his bad, spine-achey days, for he'd be a good and sufficient answer to that question. Father Davy is one of the Lord's own saints on earth, and he possesses a magnificent sense o

eadfully lonely without you. At the same time, it doesn't seem as if he could absorb all your energies. You remember the splendid things Professor Nichols used to say about the duty of the college girl, after college, par

"The only trouble with that sort of thing," she answered with suspicious quietness, "or rather the two troubles with it are these: In the first place, the women have pretty nearly a club apiece already, which suits them much better than anything I could 'stimulate' th

ing, when Georgiana, obeying an impulse, walked away from he

ssibilities for serious labour in a world of woe offered by my resid

aircase, through a chilly and unfurnished upper hall, and up a still chillier narrow second staircase, into an attic reg

the beholders did not instantly recognize. Phyllis was the first to cry out: "A loom

a pile upon the floor. "Such rugs as the

r, with a smothered shiver at th

d Indian red!" came tumbling from the mouths of the eager girls, as in the fading light from the attic window they examined the hand-woven rugs

and I'm weeks behind. They go to certain ex

mine. I'm so glad!" congrat

ework, too," acknowledged Georgiana. "However, it does very

have known it would, to delicately worded expressions of hope that she

d, as I told you. But-I'll send Madge a gorgeous one for a wedding present, if she'll tell me her preferences, and I'll do the same for each of you, when you meet your fates. Now stop talking about it. I only showed you to demonstrate that

ekly, nibbling at the delicious morsel, while her hostess rapi

and capes made of or lined with chinchilla, with otter, with sable; handed gloves and muffs; and listened to all manner of affectionate parting speeches, every one of which contained pressing invitations for visits, sh

ry for me! The old manse is shabby, and every girl of them knew how many times this frock has been made over-I saw Celia rec

re in an old-fashioned dressing-gow

l better? If I'd known it, I'd have brought you in

s, daughter, but decidedly better and corresp

which had lain folded upon it. She dropped upon the hearthrug and sat looking into the fire, while her father regarded the p

less a man because he had to spend many hours of every day upon his tortured back. It was three years since he had been forced to lay aside the care of the village-and-country parish of which he had been minister, but he had given up not a whit of his interest in his fellowmen, and now that he could seldom go to them he had taught them to

ateful, envious, black-browed time, disguised as much as might be unde

startling statement. "The sounds I heard did not strike m

s sumptuous chinchilla coat, Madge's perfectly adorable hat, Theo's bronze sh

pe!" mused Mr. Warne. "Now, I can never recall hearing any man, yo

ir acres, their horses, their motors-and their books. Own up,

u have me," he owned. "But tell me, daughter-it was not onl

eed it just as badly as I do-you, a suffering saint at fifty-five when other men are playing golf! And I-simply bursting with longing to take you and

r lay and silently watched her, with a look in his eyes less of pain than of utter comprehension. He said not a word, while she bit her lip and stared again in

r Davy! I just bind the load on your poor back and pull the knots tight, every time I let myself break out like

not forgotten. And the Lord Himself doesn't expect a young caged lioness to act like

s and patted the thin cheek, said cheerfully: "I'm going

ng open an outer door and stood s

something would just keep this evening from being like all the other evenings! I can't sit and read aloud-to-night. I can't-I can't! And the only interesting thing on earth that can ha

d brass knocker on the front doo