Part 2 (2/2)

”He ined that you saw hihtfully, ”He'd reckon that you were the greatest danger he had to guard against”

Featherstone stopped and caught his co the track they were about to cross, and the harsh tolling of the belldifficult When the cars had passed they let the matter drop and went back to the hotel where they had left their automobile

III

FOSTER MAKES A PROMISE

There was been frost next evening and Foster drove to the Crossing without his coht it wiser to stay at ho to attend was held annually by one or two mutual-improvement societies that coun with a lecture on art or philosophy, but had degenerated into a supper and dance Supper caenerally served about six o'clock

The wooden hall was decorated with flags and cedar boughs, and well filled with young men and women, besides a nuood, and Foster enjoyed two dances before he ht her out, because she was surrounded by others, and he knew that if she wanted to dance with hienerally wise to wait Carmen's pleasure

When he left his last partner he stood in a quiet nook, looking about the hall The girls were pretty and tastefully dressed, though generally paler than the young Englishwomen he remembered The men were athletic, and their well-cut clothes, which fitted sohtly, showed their finely developed but rather lean figures They had a virile, decided look, and an ease of manner that indicated perfect self-confidence

Indeed, soressive

A large number were employed at the Hulton factory, but there were brown-faced farmers and miners from the bush, as well as storekeepers from the town

On the whole, their dress, manners and conversation were American, and Foster was sometimes puzzled by their inconsistency He liked these people and got on ith them, but had soon discovered that in order to do so he hbors often showed a certain half-hostile contempt for the customs of the Old Country, and he admitted that had he been less acquainted with their character, it would have been easy to ian instead of Ontario Yet they had rejected the Reciprocity Treaty on patriotic grounds, and in a recent crisis had demonstrated their passionate approval of Britain's policy

He had no doubt that if the need came they would offer the enerous enthusiasood

By and by Car raceful motion of her fan He crossed the floor, and when he stopped close by with a bow that was hulance Foster enty-eight, but looked younger Though he had known hardshi+p, his face was sood-huuid air He was tall and rather thin, but athletic toil had toughened and strengthened hilove that looked significantly slack covered his left hand, which had been maimed by a circular sahen he worked in his mill

Carmen was a blonde, but with none of the softness that often characterizes this type of beauty Her features were sharply cut, her well-proportioned figure was firmly lined, and the lack of color in her face was made up for by the keen sparkle in her eyes As a rule, Carmen Austin's wishes were carried out She kne to command, and rival beauties who now and then ventured to oppose her soon found that her poas unshakable

”You haven't thought it worth while to ask for a dance yet,” she remarked, and Foster could not tell if she was offended or not

”No,” he replied, s a disappointagements in case you sent for me One finds it best to wait your orders”

Carenerally take the proper line; sometimes I think you're cleverer than you look Anyway, one isn't forced to explain things to you Explaining what one wants is always annoying”

”Exactly My business is to guess what you would like and carry it out as far as I can When I'ives ent”

”Our boys are a pretty good sample, but they don't talk like that I suppose you learned it in the Old Country You know, you're very English, in some respects”

”Well,” said Foster, ”that is really not lish, but I'll admit that I've found it a drawback since I came to Canada”

Carmen indicated the chair next her ”You may sit down if you like You start for the Old Country on Thursday, don't you?”

”Thank you; yes,” said Foster ”One likes to be in the fashi+on, and it's quite the proper thing to make the trip ork's finished for the winter You find es to buy a ticket, and the Manitoba ood harvest As they often maintain that the Old Country's a back nuo”

”After all, I suppose they were born there”

”That doesn't seem to count As a rule, there's nobody more Canadian first of all than the man who's only a Canadian by adoption”

”Then why do you want to go?”

”I can't tell you I had a hard life in England and, on the whole, was glad to get away Perhaps it's a hoeon's, and perhaps it's sentiment We came out because nobody wanted us and have made ourselves pretty colish patronage, but every now and then the pull coh ouldn't like to stop there It's illogical, but if there was trouble in Europe and the Old Country needed help, we'd all go across”