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Show IMm Johnstone frowned intently, as ho ad- M Justed to Ills shoulders the bamboo frames v. itli their squares of yeailct silk. H 11c stood upon a. rlso of ground In i H big field. Buttercups and daisies spread a whlto-nnd-gold pattern over the thick H green grass. There was a scent of red Kj clover; nud bees, at their aclf-appolntcd H task. Lwungled like liny viols. But Johnstone was not bothering hlm- self much with the picturcs'iuoncBS ot the spot. A slone's-lhrow distant, rose a 1 hillock', and beyond 11 lay another Held U shut off at Its farther sido by u high "I believe I can make the hedge today," ho said to himself. 1 -Hero goes!". He ran swiftly along the 1 top of his knoll, cleared the end of It with a long Jump and glided off Into SPUko a huge tropical bird he spread, through the air to the second lutpl . He felt his feet swish through the high H grass, and he chuckled as the machine Hj Kept up Its speed. , Half-way across the second Held the j summer breeze died down, the impetus of tho aeroplane slackened. Then tho mmm hedge approached. Johnstone raised the front planes a bit. tho wings lifted in n a last spurt, and he topped the highest bit of the hedge, giving It a tremendous Hl kick as he passoo over, and tho scarlet 1 wings sunk gently to earth, doposiilng WKl Johnstone at tho feet of a littlo brown mmWX creature who dropped a pair of opera 1 glasses and stared dlsbcllcvlngly. Ml "1 beg your pardon." said Joimstone. mM "1 was looking for a bee," said the l"l must have frightened you,"' s-ald HI Johnstone, and reacned for her opera BM " -Thank you." said the girl, taking IfUjfl them. "Are you are you on your way IttJ! anywhere?" IImI 'I have arrived." replied Johnstone. "1 n go a little farther each day. Today I bMJ tried to make the hedgo. The girl had been staring at blm. Her IBa brown eyes wore big and solemn, like IH a frlgntcncd child's. m Suddenly sho sank to the ground, buried KM her face In her hands and rocked to and UH "I liavc frightened you half to death," cried Johnstone, remorsefully ! He tugged at the straps that held his oMU wings, but the girl looked up and waved J at him a small protesting hand. HBj "Oh. don't, please don't tako them off " she begged chokingly. "I'll not laugh any HJ more." Sho searched for her handker- Hh chief. "Please keen them on. It wasn't H really funny, only I'd never seen any bo- fore close to. They're lovely! And Its I such a nice way to go about. Isn't If" HI She rose, wining her eyes. Johnstone HI now had the planes off; they were -lying, two big stretches of scarlet, on tho j ground. The girl pointed toward them. M "Oh, would you, will you please lot me She raised an adorable little face to mm Johnstone, who hardened his heart and mm looked upon her coldly. MJ! Certainly not!" he said. mm No woman might laugh at Johnstone mm with impunity I "You are angry." said this suddenly Jmm soft-eyed, beseeching trorson. "And I mm don t blame you. But I was looking for mm a bee " her mouth quivering again. Hi "A bee?" questioned Johnstone. J "Yes. I am bec-hunting. But what aro Ma bec-s compared to flying machines?" H ' Bees aro Hying machines." argued Johnstone, ug "Oh. yes. fo course. And you are sure, Ml qulto sure?" j As she asked tho question sho nodded Ml her brown head toward the scarlet mass mm on the ground. J "Yes. quite sure." replied Johnstone. mm very decidedly. MM The girl sighed, then walked a few ffl stops away and picked up a brown box mm 'from thc grass. She looked around mV "M must have dropped the opera glasses mm again." sin said. "I'm always losing mm them. They're father's." MJ Johnstone returned them lo her for the Ml second time. jKj She smiled at him. MJ ' I shall etll father that I have seen an ( aeroplano nad a man dying It." she said. llH ,J0 Interested. Good omrning." vMn What Is the box for?" asked Johu- wk "There Is honey In It. A bee goes in mm and then out again. You follow the bee. wjml Good morning." Hj "That I s where you need the wings," MB said Johnstone, relaxing to a smile. MJ "Thoy would bo convenient." ndmit- MJ ted the girl. "But one can awlk after a jn bee very easily. When you lose him. you aRm wait a Jlttlo and nlways another bco fKT Sho looked at Johnstone speculatively, 1IMII "Good-bye," Bhc said again. jj "jf ""j''" JU "ow l,,cm-" iR Tho girl sank down on tho soft grass W&m again, and laid aside her box. WE "you must know," she explained pa- fjm tlently, "that bees store their honey In a EH tree " th ''Vht ,"VCR?" as,ed Johnstone. "I jM "Wild bees." still with an air of p'a- lH i6"0"' .'."rnen yo11 ' l'c trcc a,lt- CUL iWm "A simple and natural process." com- UBH minted Johnstone. "An ancestral oak for lfM a couple of dollars' worth of honey!" BB The girl rose to her feet. M '"It Isn't such an exciting Bporl as fly- NJ ing." she said, '.'but., after all. no one HP hurts tho beo. and one can always use lalC lno an,cc5,,' onk one's ancestral llro- SM Hor sunburned, freckled face looked KM pleasiintly on Johnstone. A frilled sun- wM bonnet hung at her neck, and her brown- checked gingham dress was open a bit mm at the throat. She held the cigar box B carefully under one tanned half-baro arm; BHi th' abused glasses hung carelessly from slim brown fingers. Hi Of a sudden it seemed to Johnstone. BH inventor by choice, and professor of "ARB YOU ARB YOU ON YOUR WAY ANYWHERE? ' ' mathematics by education, that a personally per-sonally conducted bee hunt was tho one thing ho Craved. Ho remarked with diffidence. "If you aro quite sure 1 won't bo in your way " ho paused. Tho girl looked startled for a moment. Then her solemn eyes eyes tnat belled the mobile mouth took on a soft shining. shin-ing. "Of course, there's really no reason why you should ho In my way. The fields arc wide enough, there aie plenty of clgar-boxos. and as for the bees " "You know I mean may 1 go with you?" he said. The brown littlo face flushed under Its Ian. but she looked gallantly Into John-stono's John-stono's face. "Why not?" oho asked. "Perhaps It had better he the opera-glasses," opera-glasses," returned the girl. On a shaded knoll they rested after a time The cigar-box with Its scducive contents was set to lure some passing hco into Its depths. But the bees' droning was a mild, interrupting sound, and several sev-eral bees had their fill while this conversation conver-sation wont on. "And you roally invented It yourself?" "Well, no. not exactly. I've Improved on an old Idea. I think In time I'll get It so it will be practical." "I'm sure you will. And you're roally tho man who lives in that dear little trolley-car house? Father and I have often wondered who had had the Ingenuity Inge-nuity In make use of that stranded car. It must be very delightful to do qtdto what you want to do. Now, I can never do quite what I want lo do; or. If 1 can, It Is only for a very short time." "Poor child!" though Johnstone, "she longs to llvo in Iqwn, I suppose. In town whore sho'd lose ull this simplicity, this remarkable attractiveness, tills " "Not that 1 want to live in a irolloy-car." irolloy-car." laughed tho girl. "I should say not." cried Johnstone. "What a wonderful sound laughter is!" he thought. "Jlke a bird's song, like rippling water, like " "What do you want to do?" he asked earnestly She looked, it may be a. trifle anxiously, anxious-ly, at Johnstone. His tone was unexpected. unex-pected. "There goes .a bee!" and Johnstone found himself on his feet and watching anxiously for two big brown eyes that wero hidden from him behind opcra-glasscs. opcra-glasscs. , "Don t you want to go to town, whnrf you would be spoiled," ho found himself protesting. "I won't say It," sighed the girl, hor eyes still hidden. "I'm almost quite contented con-tented at the lodge." So she was the lodge-keeper's daughter. "It Is a lovely Utile place," assented Johnstone wormly. "It Is," agreed the girl. "Sometimes 1 think I ought never to want anything different. Tho bee wont in llml direction." She pulled tho 3unbonnol over her head, and -starled across the Held. Johnstone walked beside her. "Of course, you have your hooks in winter," win-ter," said he. "I have my books now," said the soft voice. "What aro they may I ask?" "Cook-books, mostly " Johnstono tried lo see her fact, bui tho frill of the sunbonnet flappod and blow in the soft, breeze, giving only glimpses of an oval cheek, a small nose, and a bit of flying hair. Ho felt an uncany stirring of his sympathies. It would bo loo bad lo have this natural, simple child spoiled. On tho other hand, to make a cook of hor I "It Is well for a woman to know how-to how-to cook," he said, lamely. Tho pink sunbonnet flashed around toward him, but he lost the searching glance of suddenly scornful eyes. "Suppose we each tako a bee." suggested sug-gested the soft .voice. "No." objected Johnstone, swiftly. "No, I think I really ought to uko your bee. You see I'm totally unacquainted with bees, and I'm rather near-sichted. too. Is that one?" pointing to a big devil's darning-needle that, just then, swept by them. "It Is not!" "Ah!" sighed Johnstone, "you sec " "Yes," said the girl. "I see." Fleecy clouds flecked tho sky. Uut- torflios hovered over the tall grasses. In the woods at the edge of the field a hundred birds poured forth a riot of song. It was young summer and youth had met youth. Whcro was I ho joy of Invention? Whore had the pleasures of difTorcnlial calculus flown to? Where the delight.! of a trolley-car house and freedom from collars and polished shoes?. All. gone! Fused and molted Into the glorious happiness hap-piness of walking through Klyslan Holds, with brown eyes that glanced from under un-der the pink frill of a sunbonnet. with a wonderful month that etirvod Into smlloi!-, with a littlo slim llgtiro that floated along on white canvas-shod feet that scarcely crushed tho grass beneath them. Tvlany times Ihoy stopped, losing the trail; for the Might of tin; bee Is not easy to follow. The Utile brown honey-bearers honey-bearers splialed upward, paused In air. then shot away diminishing dots against tho blue. Into the woods they wnndcred. Her gaze was upward, among tho higher trees and trunks. But Johnstono had no cyou for tho bees; ho watched the sweet, upturned up-turned face, and touched her arm gently gent-ly to guide her when hor stops wero threatened by the roughness of their untrodden un-trodden way. Presently they heard a faint humming. hum-ming. They were at the base of a large I gnnrled trunk, :i huge tree, a very mon-1 mon-1 arch of tho, woods. sro" She pointed 'to a bole twenty t r.-ct altove them. Through a hole In ho 1 1 link busy little workers were passing in and mil. Then she looked at him. and ln-r face sobered. It In an ancestral oak." alio stUd ( softly. , , l Yes." he replied, "an ancestral oak. Ten centuries of lineage there. nndUie beo- store their nwoct in its crown. , Wo mustn't cut it down.' It's on the estate of a pretty Important Import-ant person." remarked Johnstone. "Is If" ' "You "nuujt know," he spoke reproachfully reproach-fully : "it s vour own estate. Mv own estate!" a Hash of startled '""Didn't you tell me your father was "Oh!0 Shoookod critically about hor. Yes of courne. we are on the grounds. Wo soeni to have conic a long way. i think we'd better go back. But Johnstone put out a detaining '"No," he breathed, "no. let us rest '"she looked at him oddly for a moment. mo-ment. But tho touch of fear. Ii fear it was. vanished swiftly, and she sat down on a cluriip of moss. i, johnstono stood above her, leaning against the gieat tree. Th.-rc was 3llence. and yet the air Hoomf. full of voices. VoIcch Insistent, peisuading. In tho man', oars; pleading. m., powering, in Uio glrl'fl. A long time tl-.ov remained so. Then. :is if agnlnst her will, the girl's eyes lifted slowly and Inokod into Johnstone's. Ho' broke the nllenco. He loaned toward tier and spoko rapidly, earnestly. Listen, ' ho snld. "You do not know mo. and I do not know you. But something some-thing strange, something wonderful, has .-ojpe fo usv T feel II. I know it. ou -ou must feel it, too." The girl's eyes dropped for a second, hut came again bravely to his. What If wo do not know each other tiv name?" ho went on; "I can say to bu 1 am a teacher of mathematics for my living; an Inventor from lovo of It. I am respeclable. Oh. little girl, what does all that matter? Yon aro you and I am I and we have met!" "We have met." murmured the girl. "You are the lodge-keeper's daughter, sweet (rue. pure as one of God o angel?. I know It. Can't I see? Haven t I eyes, Ilo'dropped' on one kneci beside her and took hor unresisting hand In his. "I had hoard that such things had happened hap-pened to others." ho whispered. Tno girl put her hand to her throat, and a sob shook her. "I have never believed In love coming like this till now." lie went on. Then a trembling went over hor wnolo bod v. and her head drooped, bu t ho heard u faint answering whisper "Till now. He kissed hor hand and laid- It gcntli on hor knee. FA-erything was still except the Krpve old oak. which rustled softly. And after a time she lifted her face, and lone they looked Into each others eyes. Then sho placed two cold littlo hands In hlThoro was a small lodge along tho road from tho ancestral oak, their oak of be-troihal. be-troihal. Johnstone called It. "That's the little lodge." said the girl, a? thoy nenred tho place. "I'm going ahead, and got Mrs Roberts that b tho koopor to give us aome luncheon. And when they came, to the small lodge the girl ran ahead. "I'll fix it up with her. she called back. . , Johnstone, walking slowly up the steps of tho little porch, heard the words, Oh, Miss Alice." and then his little lovo came out. and walked straight to him. "Wo will have luncheon hero." she said, with im odd note of authority In her VOleO. Johnslonc IhoiiRht how well it became her. and ho soatoll her In a chair by a green porch table that had a. bowl of wild flowers In It. A bee was humming above a yellow daisy. "Where arc the opera-glasses? asked the girl. 'Tnder our oak." said she. "I will send Roberts for them." Then sho Mushed. "I will ask her to go." she amended. "Isn't It wonderful?" asked Johnstone. Ho sat on the porch slop at her feet. "I an't think about it Just yot, said tho girl. , "I can't think of nothing else." said Johnstone. Ho loaned forward and pressed a fold of her dress lo his lips. "Before God," ho said in a low tone, "you shall have nothing to regret for this day." The girl's hand reached down to him. "I kiiow It," she replied with a lovely smile. In a few minutes an old woman came out with a tray. Sho fairly scowled at .Tohnstonii. and she set the tray down with unnecessary strength. "Sho is very deaf." said the girl. "You needn't try to talk to her." The old woman came out after a time, and scowled over their djshes. to see If there was anything thoy wanted; but the girl waved her away "There's nothing more. Is there?" sho nsked Johnstone. And Johnstone, his mind on one thing, said. "Of course 1 must see your father." The girl sat up straight In hor chair. "Couldn't wo put it off a little?" "No," said Johnstono Mrmly. "I rrjust toll htm right away what has happened." "Yes," slad she meekly, "of course you must." "But," he went on to encourage her. "I have five thousand a your now. and more boforo long. And ho can surely seo how I lovo you." Looking Into his eyes the girl thought, with a throb of Joy that, was almost pain that her father or any one who looked must surely sec that he loved her. She leaned forward and placed her hands dn his shoulder. hrlllcd to h em ""i ifl-' 'C lo deserve It." ' 1 wl t iL Around tho corner nt . i i v their Eden came r 2,1.1th!! A L-allcd out to the bS? i1 ' bu ievll have y, i bc5r,:A? 'VP :len's over at tho t0igc I'y. fal because you dldiVt m ' 2 JUBt telephoned me Jvf1 iT, J "I have dccldcc not t Vfi den. father." not t0 tf Is It?" asked Alice. M '"'" B. I1'1 t0 "-eft you" 15 eager y. "I'm decidedly hh2 f machine of youm fi iii1" J that you were dolng'S K I have done wondm J Johnstono. "I don't kno believe me. but I have rfiS $ of your daughter.' ir "l-lve.ry one does that" "i as If dismissing th mhitJ bcp Scldon now. All3 l" child. J want to talk tvU? ii about those pianos. ciA p sir, If iho amount of ari cceds the dclght-' "But I love your daughter 'Li r.tono raised her hand an"; i had Us result. no; Lu' "Here. here. sir. that's c too far She's n young & ' stone, for all she looknlff if Jlnro thai, that, nhe's "B 4K io Lord Sclden. who la ca F? on the lodge porch down a 1 11 Run along. I tell you. Allct fr But Alfco, moving deirb. VJ her bare brown arms and 'S'l Johnstone's neck Then "i i , softly on tho check, aivV '' over her shoulder at her f ifi "There!" she said. j IV, "A Hco!" ; j; The glasses fell froms VtU startled eves "Alice, niy 1 "nT Then she was In her fath Zi the tears that wot her c also. " He sal down In the rfed'i her like a baby. "Forclvo your stupid 61, jtfj. ling. Tell me don't be ai what has happened? I'll V my girl agnlnst everyboi ?'., that even against your i f ? nddod thin with a sort of i So Johnstone told him. And what h told llJm, supplemented by the llttlt'j i iw father's arms, must hare! lory, for tho father raised Kj, and said, rather ruefully,-; pose I've got to be tho oi j's to Seldcn." , e." "It was mothor'B fault, iii "Sho said I'd marry him. tur He came over he on th Si know that, father. Mothe l come. J'm sure she nli she sail for home the flfl "" Her father nodded. Bhi hla lap "The Mftecnth! And ta A, teenth. There's no time-' " Sho sank back on her fatt M, laughod. BJ "A lot can happen lh!, . said. Then sho blushed VJ Johnstone was boalde hw " "Would you want h lord," he asked the burij you must know she'd be h fiTJ me?" "I wouldn'l," said lh promptly, "but. I'm almo ., mother would." ! "If wo were married ri( 1 H her mother couldn't!" J ic triumphantly, h "That's so." said Allcq B Roberts camo out on i then. Alice raised her vod gf a finger nt hor. ti "You're a meddler, slw The old woman scowltd 'm "It's all right." said Al Then the old woman I S Injured air she address L. "Mrs. Summerslelgh ST) Alice when sho went Alice's sister, tho ConntetiB'' Then Johnstone went whM. "You arc Summcrs!clshB', the burly man. gf.. There was a slloncc TWT.i. did not deny that he ms'WE for ho could not. So and leaned back In his ccfgr, "It's a protty place. ,Jr, said Mnally; "don't you llk"H nut Johnstono Ignored .MS Then he said grimly, tuntf!v a m nol going to let the Alice Summerslelgh Intcrfg a happiness. I have flvo "And more soon," put ln -I stuned on less." coraM' "But you said you lived objected Johnstone. , 'JIIt. Ho did not liko to talg had deceived him. iWr "Wo do." interposed nttW house is being put In ordJ "Ah!" said Johnstono tone. . i?Mi "And I have got "ma-haven't "ma-haven't I. daddy?" t ?M "A whole stack of tm. . yesterday." , "They're to sell at the Tl: plained Alice. .'mil "Ah!" said Johnstono aflf "I shall always tell said Alice. ,Jmt "Then toll me" snld Jon reaching for her hand. Mrs. Roberts's fact "'"be she took hor tray nto jl Alice's father trncd as'-plcion as'-plcion of a sob. for Alice before them both. nnd. one but Johnstono, had sal dp i, do love you." illl |
