Ruby's Reward — page 276: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“T guess I'd better clear out now," he said, wiping the perspiration from his flushed face. “If I should stay much longer I’m afraid I should let out more’n would be good for any of us. I sha’n’t go back home, though, for two or three days, and I'll see you again before then.” Ruby accompanied him to the door, where she shook hands with him and bade him *zood-night,” and then ahe aped up stairs to her own room. She sat down by an open window to caln herself, for she was fearfully exeited, and every pulse was throbbing painfully. But the night was very warm, and she could not seem to breathe, while she was 80 nervous that she felt aa if she could not keep still; as if she must get out of that hated house and away from the.sound of those murmuring voices below, which, to her excited imagination, seemed to be plotting still further mis- chief against ber. She started ay at last, and, throwing a long dark circular around her to protect her from the dew, she atole softly downthe back stair-way, out of a side door into the grounds, The night was very dark and still, . It was one of those evenings in midsummer when one feels al- most awed by the oppressive gloom, and sultriness, and silence, : The young girl wandered aimlessly about -for awhile until she began to weary, yet was still unwil- ling to goin, and finally sat down upon a rustic seat that had been built around a mammoth oak that stood ‘about half way down the avenue. She must liave sat there nearly a half-hour, when she heard voices and steps coming toward her from the direction of the house. She slid around behind the tree, slinking close to the huge trunk, and wrapping her dark circular tightly about her, hoping thus to eacape observation, for the had Sp cheery the voices us ees i cing to Mrs, Gordon and Edmund Carpenter, and shea bad no de- sire to encounter either pol poh again t patted