3 io The Leather Plater. 



out-of-the-way places as Holliwell to seek their mates ; and Annie 

 instinctively felt that the first act to be played out in the drama 

 was to leave the old Lodge, and come out into the world and show 

 herself. Although a heartless coquette, Annie was an affectionate 

 girl where she took a liking > and it was not without a pang that 

 she made up her mind to quit the old Lodge for ever. Rough as 

 old Jack Radford might be, he had been always kind to her. He 

 was in her firm belief her father j and, as Sam Slick says, " this is 

 a large word when it's spelt in big letters." She had, moreover, 

 conceived a romantic affection for the wild district in which she had 

 been reared j and had it not been for her ambition and love of 

 admiration, would, no doubt, very willingly have taken Frank for a 

 husband although the odds are that she would soon have broken 

 his heart afterwards. However, she felt that she had a destiny to 

 fulfil, and she set about her task just as we should expect a woman 

 of her determined character would do. 



One evening, about a week after the day on which I had bought 

 the bay colt, Annie and the young rough-rider were sitting by the 

 fire alone. Old Radford, who was rather unwell, had retired to 

 bed early. The young man sat, as usual, propped up in his chair, 

 and Annie sat on an ottoman at his feet, her beautiful head resting 

 on his knee. He had been pleading for her love with more than 

 usual earnestness, and the girl, whose manner towards him appeared 

 of late to have undergone a complete change, treated him with 

 more genuine affection on that evening than she had ever done 

 before. One of her hands was clasped in his, and as she looked up 

 into his face her countenance was tinged with a tender melancholy, 

 and there was a softened expression of pity in her deep blue eye. 

 Beautiful as he had always thought her, she never appeared in his 

 eyes half so beautiful as on that sad evening. They sat thus for 

 perhaps ten minutes without speaking a word, when she suddenly 

 rose, and gently disengaging her hand from his, she kissed him on 

 the forehead and bade him good-night in these words, which he 

 never afterwards forgot : " Good-by, Frank ; God bless you ! 

 You'll never forget your poor Annie." She gave him no chance 



