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Rh 1868.]

59I

DALLAS GALBRAITH.

breathed; and you have no idea how dumb I am. My head does ache horri bly !” giving the “ Cosmos” a push and

coming to the window. “Yes; go put on your habit. I am going down the river-road. I will meet Doctor Pritchard somewhere there, and

bid him good-bye.” Honora put up both hands to shelter her face from the sun. “ No, I will not

“You need not keep them then,” eagerly. “Give them to your friend,

Doctor Pritchard, if you choose.” “ From you, Honora ?” “ No, uncle. My name must not be mentioned there,” with sudden emphatic gravity.

After Mr. Galbraith’s horse had trotted down the road, she leaned a long time on the gate, thinking.

She was sure

that Dallas would guess that she had

ride this morning,” in a low voice. Mr. Galbraith pulled his spectacles

down over his eyes to look at her.

cut the ﬂowers for her uncle. She pic tured him, gaunt and hollow-eyed, this

“The air is from the mountains,” he

morning, at the thought of her displeas

persisted. “I thought it would be but friendly to meet Pritchard and bid him

ure, manceuvring to possess himself of one—hiding it, wearing it, as a knight of old was wont to wear his lady’s colors, until he came back at the end of the year, having won his golden spurs, to claim—his own.

God-speed.

It is a long, dangerous

journey the foolish old fellow has under taken.”

“ You had better go with your uncle, Honora,” said Mrs. Rattlin, who came up just then, patting her on the shoulder

I hisDallas breakfast. always liked a hearty at thatHemoment was ﬁnishing

in her motherly way. But, to her dismay, the tears began to

roll down the girl’s pale cheeks.

“I

wish you would not worry me, uncle!” she sobbed. “ How could you ask me to do that? How could you? I did not know it was a dangerous journey.” “Go take your ride, Mr. Galbraith,” said Mrs. Rattlin, quietly. “Don't be uneasy about Honora. It’s her spine. Girls are all weakly, nervous things now a-days. Go and lie down a while, Ho

nora dear.” But Honora slipped away from them both. and went down, slowly, to the gar den—to the orchard—into the green house. As she watched her uncle’s

horse coming to the door, ready for him to mount, the tears dried and her face

breakfast. It was a question whether he or Matt had done most justice to the chickens, and waﬂles, and cream-gravy.

As for Lizzy and Mrs. Beck, they ate but little, and with that little Peggy lit erally mingled her tears. Mr. Beck, last night, had given them vague ideas of the vast wildernesses waiting to be explored

by Dallas, and they had sat up until near dawn to talk of it. “ Miss Byrne took it worse than my wife,” said Beck, when they went up for Galbraith’s luggage. “ One ’ud think

your road was beset by cannibals, by the way she watches you. Women beats all. If you stick an idee in their heads as bare as a broom-stick, they’ll have it

began to burn hot as the cactus-blooms

up and ﬂourishin’ like a green bay tree

behind her. In a little while he would be on the hill-road, where Doctor Pritch ard must pass.

in no time.” “I don’t know much about them,”

A quarter of an hour afterward, when

time to speculate on women or their idiosyncrasies. There were some bits of rock which he wanted to take with him for comparison, and he had not yet

Mr. Galbraith stopped his horse to un fasten the gate, there stood Miss Dun das waiting, eyes and cheeks aﬂame. “I cut some ﬂowers for you, uncle.” Mr. Galbraith saw that his green house had been altogether riﬂed. “ But I like out-door ﬂowers best, you know, Nora.”

said Galbraith, indifferently.

chosen them.

He had no

He began to choose and

pack them now. Now that he had his work in hand, it was curious how the image of Honora,

over which he had been brooding for