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Never in all his running days had he run as he did that day He made the station in four minutes where it usually took him six, and was at the Cloud Villa in twojubilant had been let loose in his heart by the smile in Julia Cloud's eyes, utterly unreasonable, of course, but still it had co it royally It was rather disheartening to find the front door locked and only Cherry to respond to his knock

"Isn't Miss Leslie here?" he asked, a blank look co into his eyes as Cherry appeared

"Miss Leslie done jes' skittered acrost de back yahd wid a paddle in her han' I reckuone to de crick Miss Jewel, she'll be powerful upset ef she coo down to theht, Cherry," said Howard, cheering up; "I'll go down and find her Got an extra paddle anywhere, or did she take them both?"

"No, sir, she only took de one Here's t'other I reckulad to see yeh, Mas'r Howard We-all hes hty powerful lot That there little fish-eyed lady-man wot is visitin' us ain't no kind of substoote 'tall fer you----"

Howard beaetful of the chi the hour at which he was to have led the procession down the ivy walk to the scene of festivities

Over two fences, across lots, down a steep, rocky hill, and he was at the little landing where the Cloud canoe usually anchored But Leslie and her boat were gone No gliave hint of which she had taken, no ripple in the water even to shohere she had passed But he knew pretty well her favorite haunts up-stream where the hemlocks bowed and bent to the water, and made dark shadows under which to slip The silence and the beauty called her as they had always called him He was sure he would find her there rather than down-stream where the crowds of inn people played around, and the tennis courts overflowed into canoes and dawdled about with ukeleles and cameras He looked about for a means of transport There was only one canoe, well-chained to its rest He exa young ar in the earth It was the work of a second to shoot the boat into the water, fling the chains, boat-rest and all into the bow, and spring after Long, strong, steady strokes, and he shot out into the stream and away up beyond the s; around the turn where the chestnut grove blooe and the rocks; past the first dipping hemlocks; around the curve; below the old cahtful picnics and watched the sunset from the rocks; and on, up above the rapids The current ift to-day He wondered if Leslie had been able to pass them all alone, yet somehow he felt she had and he would find her up in the quiet haven where few ever ca "Indian" he came around the curve silently and was alure down in the bottoed between some stones in the shallow stream bed to anchor the frail bark, the other arm curved about as a pillow for the face which was hidden, with only the bright hair gleah the young leaves overhead