Jeff Briggss Love Story | Page 6

to the danger, ma'am,--thar ain't any. Yer ez safe HERE ez ye'd be
in a Sacramento steamer; ez to your husband, he allowed I was to come
yer and fetch yer up to the hotel. That's his look- out!" With this
cheering speech, Bill proceeded to make two or three ineffectual scoops
into the dark interior, manifestly with the idea of scooping out the lady
in question. In another instant he had caught her, lifted her gently but
firmly in his arms, and was turning away.
"But my child!--my daughter! she's asleep!"--expostulated the woman;
but Bill was already swiftly splashing through the darkness. Jeff, left to
himself, hastily examined the coach: on the back seat a slight small
figure, enveloped in a shawl, lay motionless. Jeff threw the bear-skin
over it gently, lifted it on one arm, and gathering a few travelling bags
and baskets with the other, prepared to follow his quickly disappearing
leader. A few feet from the coach the water appeared to deepen, and the
bear-skin to draggle. Jeff drew the figure up higher, in vain.
"Sis," he said softly.
No reply.
"Sis," shaking her gently.

There was a slight movement within the wrappings.
"Couldn't ye climb up on my shoulder, honey? that's a good child!"
There were one or two spasmodic jerks of the bear-skin, and, aided by
Jeff, the bundle was presently seated on his shoulder.
"Are you all right now, Sis?"
Something like a laugh came from the bear-skin. Then a childish voice
said, "Thank you, I think I am!"
"Ain't you afraid you'll fall off?"
"A little."
Jeff hesitated. It was beginning to blow again.
"You couldn't reach down and put your arm round my neck, could ye,
honey?"
"I am afraid not!"--although there WAS a slight attempt to do so.
"No?"
"No!"
"Well, then, take a good holt, a firm strong holt, o' my hair! Don't be
afraid!"
A small hand timidly began to rummage in Jeff's thick curls.
"Take a firm holt; thar, just back o' my neck! That's right."
The little hand closed over half a dozen curls. The little figure shook,
and giggled.
"Now don't you see, honey, if I'm keerless with you, and don't keep you
plump level up thar, you jist give me a pull and fetch me up all

standing!"
"I see!"
"Of course you do! That's because you're a little lady!"
Jeff strode on. It was pleasant to feel the soft warm fingers in his hair,
pleasant to hear the faint childish voice, pleasant to draw the feet of the
enwrapped figure against his broad breast. Altogether he was sorry
when they reached the dry land and the lee of the "Half-way House,"
where a slight movement of the figure expressed a wish to dismount.
"Not yet, missy," said Jeff; "not yet! You'll get blown away, sure! And
then what'll they say? No, honey! I'll take you right in to your papa, just
as ye are!"
A few steps more and Jeff strode into the hall, made his way to the
sitting-room, walked to the sofa, and deposited his burden. The
bear-skin fell back, the shawl fell back, and Jeff--fell back too! For
before him lay a small, slight, but beautiful and perfectly formed
woman.
He had time to see that the meek man, no longer meek, but apparently a
stern uncompromising parent, was standing at the head of the sofa; that
the elderly and nervous female was hovering at the foot, that his aunt,
with every symptom of religious and moral disapproval of his conduct,
sat rigidly in one of the rigid chairs-- he had time to see all this before
the quick, hot blood, flying to his face, sent the water into his eyes, and
he could see nothing!
The cause of all this smiled--a dazzling smile though a faint one-- that
momentarily lit up the austere gloom of the room and its occupants.
"You must thank this gentleman, papa," said she, languidly turning to
her father, "for his kindness and his trouble. He has carried me here as
gently and as carefully as if I were a child." Seeing symptoms of a
return of Jeff's distress in his coloring face, she added softly, as if to
herself, "It's a great thing to be strong--a greater thing to be strong
AND gentle."

The voice thrilled through Jeff. But into this dangerous human voice
twanged the accents of special spiritual revelation, and called him to
himself again, "Be ye wise as sarpints, but harmless as duvs," said Jeff's
aunt, generally, "and let 'em be thankful ez doesn't aboos the stren'th
the Lord gives 'em, but be allers ready to answer for it at the bar o' their
Maker." Possibly some suggestion in her figure of speech reminded her
of Jeff's forgotten duties, so she added in the