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Show sp'.-lmens thst we are apt to meet la the whirl of society are merely the overtone the prMucU of a uaelewa degree of reflaeniei.t. She rp:Mtu cot to much in Individuality as a type. Lot with such g.rl ! an Instinct. And It li from Instinc; that we get the highest form of p.:!,- expreMtoa. Don't you think no. love?" No answer came. "A nature of this tpe couM no mor think of treachery than of uh-i.li. Any promise made would be fulfill without a moment of hesitation. Tj rery ll.-a of non-fulfillment would never rould never come Into uch a mind. The Il:li!lcal atmojniiere with which we have clothed Una pia-e la a nttint; habitat for uch a aoul. She would be faithful and true In the face of anything. Sae Hands for sa is an epitome of the constancy of woman! Don't jou agree with me, Minerva?" No anjwer. "Minerva! " Vhat? "Don't you think you ought to answer an-swer me when I fpnk to you?" "Itoubtless I wouid. my lord." she replied with a little yawn, "but I can Imaxlne some excunabie circumstance. Suppose I was aj,le.p?" Oh!" Three weeks from that day Mlnerra and I asain sat on the Ion porch near the honeysuckle Tine. Two figures crossed the broad foot-log spannln the lirook B.or. The first a stout girl dressed In a s.ant white itown with a bright green ribbon about her waist; the second, a small, dark man with a OamltiK tie at his throat. As they approa, hed us I retreated Into the shadow of the hallway. Rebecca Re-becca paused In front of Minerva, and taking the man by the sleeve brought Woman's Constancy. BY IRMA U HfLL. JtOpyrliat. t,l. by Uaily Story Pub. Ce ) Wa were spending the summer at aa old Pennsylvania farm-house. Just out-alde out-alde a village, shut off from the reat of the world by towering pine-erested mountains. In front of the wide porch rippled a little "run," aa the natlvea aJled It, spanned by a broad foot-log, with a rickety hand-rail on one side. Minerva railed the place Becrsheba, and I had persuade! myself that thla Stream was the Brook Bewor. The lone, conical shaped mountain, towering up at ths south, straight in front of us, we railed !t. Sinai; and the farmer had Informed us that the Ion? range at the wtwt was the "B'sgah mountings." "If this Blb'ican atmosphere doesn't cure you. Minerva." I remarked, as I raj-.-f.illy eet.ililished my Invalid In the ll,w st-amer chair, "it'll do sonie- hliR "!se. I'm thinking. Po you know 1 discovered this morning that that bifi array cat which has taken such a fancy to you Is named Kbenezer. and the torse which pulled us from the station Is Hoeea!" "It seems sleepy, but its the kind Of sleepiness that It does one good to slip away from the unending turmoil of the world and get a taate of. Listen!" Lis-ten!" Krom somewhere within the house came the faint sounds of a soprano voice alowly singing: "Let not a wave of trouble roll Across my peaceful breast." Above us the branches of the great elm tree brushed gently against the piazza pi-azza roof. The scent of the honeysuckle honey-suckle was In the air. The water rlp-pl4 rlp-pl4 on unceasingly. . n some Inez-pllcabie Inez-pllcabie way It all went to my head like wine. Minerva ran her fingers through my hair soothingly. I closed my eyes snd ttled myself more comfortably sgalnst her knee. I got to thinking hazily how much more appropriate the name Minerva was to h.-r than her real name "Klsie." The ripple of the UrtKtk !!-:or sounded In mv ears aa the tinkli-g of a fountain. 1 dreamed that Minerva and I were wandering hand In band through l'alestine. At Ia4t I became aware that something more than the sound of the Brook Be- nim forward. "We were married thla mornln"," she announced, a dull red overspreading her freckled face. "This Is my man, Dan Smith, Mia' Rogers." The man bowed In an awkward fash-Ion fash-Ion and touched gingerly the little white hand which Minerva extended to him, and then muttering something sbout "seeln' to hookin' up the hoise," shamblej around the corner of the house. "But, Rebecca." began Mlnerra, as he disappeared. "It s queer. No doubt I was mistaken, but 1 waji quite sure, that the boy you told me about was a blonde, and I thought his name waa Jake." "Oh. that one." simpered Rebecca. Angering her green belt-ribbon, "yea his name was Jake. But he was killed last week. You heern about It that Mler that fell off the barn up In Unmounting? Un-mounting? And I had my dresa all ready V everything. V Dan, he'd b-en a p..,:e.in u.i Tr i ,:.,. i;.. I jeBt roncluJeJ that he'd do1" And the foiluwej her husband around the house. I stepped out on the porch again Ktlrt e.tyt-.i at tlo, -- ;......, . .jr was in my ears. I lay qui!e gun, not ezerting myself to open my eyea! Finally I realized that the sound waa that of a feminine voice and came from somewhere the other side of Minerva. Min-erva. "Yea, ma'am," the voice was saying, "I'm engaged. Jake give me this ring. And we're goln' to be married la about two weeks. An' 1 was Just a thinking' that seeln's you're from th city. aj how mebbe you'd advise me a l.ttle about my dress. See here "and I could atear the rustle of paper "I got these samples, i sorter had a leanin' toward to-ward this here lilock. or else Utat there Pea-green, but I thought mebbe you'd know betler what was Just the thing." Minerva's voice broke la. her clear sweet tones In pleasing contract to the nasal twang of the other. "Don't you think that a while dress would be nicer? I always prefer brides dressed In white." A vision of a slender figure, aownerf ft Bv-i iiueiie lace 1 Two figures crossed the foot-log. as she lay back with closed eyes In the steamer chair. At last she opened them and looke.1 at Cie wickedly. "I was Jn-t thinking." she said, "or w-hat an epitome of the constancy of woman thai gitl represents," in pure white with a shlmm.-ring veil over all. and carrying a cluster of white bride-rose,, came Into my mind and I did not hear the conversation which followed. Soon there came a shrill call from the house: "Rebecky! Re-beck-y-) ! " I rouied myself Just in time to see a stout fis-tir ciad In blue calico vanish van-ish around the corner, her heavy shoes resounding on the bare boards. "The H.bllca.n nomenclature does not fall yet." I remarked. "Who Is she. Mlnera?" "The 'hired help.- I believe," she re-r!!ed. re-r!!ed. Uiily slLkiug down among the p. Hons. I go: up. yawned, stretched to the eight of my six fe.-t two Inches and walked up and down the loni; p,a;za three L:nes. Then I sank down at Minerva's f.-et ai;.iin. "Do you know, dear." I began mus- ' Ingly. "I admit that It's funny and all that, but still there s something touching-something of the real thing about the love affairs of a girl like that. She Is a sort cf diamond In the rough, as it were, unpoll.'hed. un.pol!ed by our so-called modern culture." Minerva wa s.leiit. I think she Is somet.mes conscious of her slight deficiency de-ficiency in poetic insight and feels a kind of hesitation In conversing with me. I rambled on: "That type of girl represents the force the masses of humanity. The etheraallzed cultured I gave I to Minerva. "I fee! better already." she assured zne. I sauntered down along the brook, puffing leisurely at a cigar. When I had reached the bnd where the brook turned iIltii the little strip of rocky jo-s;ure land. I leaped across the water al a narrow place and came lack up the other side, pausing now and then to gatl.er some wild blackberries and I-.ir them on a long blade t,f grass. I save It to M nerva wuta I rejoined her on the p i.-ea where the ree.lned, ci.-e.i:ning la theerful loueiir.ea. "Hid you ever str.ke a place so utterly ut-terly s.i.py m jour life?" I asked. Minerva linked at me thoufrti:f;il!y "he l.ifiire! c.uuchcJ a bl.ukl.erry and drew iiiu'ilt from the s'.em. holding hold-ing it puise.j daiLtlly between her slender forefinger aud thumb. At last he n pl.ed. "Do you know, perhaps 11 1 strange. Socrates, but It seems to cie that I never exactly struck a place In .my life." i If M. nerva has a fault, a thing which 'I am usually inclined to doubt. It la that at times she has a tnndency to taae some of my remarks rather too .literally. I am always careful not to appear to notice this shortconiing. ao I seated myself on the porch-floor, and leaning my head against her knee, made no reply. She dropped a big blackberry Lato V my mouth aa she continued. j |
