Free Phoebe Deane by Grace Livingston Hill

Never, for now she had seen a man, who had looked at her as she felt sure God meant a man to look at a woman, with honor, and respect, and gentle helpfulness, and deference.
     
    All at once she knew that her mother's prayer had been answered and that something beautiful had come into her life. It would not stay and grow as her mother had hoped. This stranger could be nothing to her, but the memory of his helpfulness and the smile of sympathy that had lighted his eyes would remain with her, a beautiful joy, always. It was something that had come to save her at the moment of her utter despair.
     
    Meantime, under the chestnut-trees but a few rods away the baskets were being filled rapidly, for the nuts were many and the squirrels had been idle, thinking they owned them all. Nathaniel Graham helped each girl impartially, and seemed to be especially successful in finding the largest and shiniest nuts. The laughing and joking went on, but Nathaniel said little. Phoebe, from her covert could watch them, and felt that the young man would soon pilot them farther away. She could hear bits of their talk.
     
    " What's the matter with Nathaniel ?" said Caroline Penfield. " He's hardly said a word since we started. What deep subject is your massive mind engaged upon, young man?"
     
    " Oh, Nate is thinking about Texas," said Daniel West- gate, flippantly. " He has no thoughts or words for anything but setting Texas free. We'll hear of him joining the volunteers to help them fight Mexico the next thing. I wouldn't be one bit surprised.
     
     
    " Don't, Daniel," said Janet Bristol, sharply. " Nathaniel has far more sense than that."
     
    " I should hope so! " echoed Maria Finch. " Nathaniel isn't a hot-headed fanatic."
     
    " Don't you be too sure!" said the irrepressible Daniel. " If you'd heard the fine heroics he was getting off to David Spafford yesterday you wouldn't be surprised at anything. Speak up, Nate, and tell them whether you are going or not."
     
    " Perhaps," said Nathaniel, lifting pleasant eyes of amusement towards the company."
     
    " Nonsense! " said Janet, sharply. " As if he would think of such a thing! Daniel, you ought to be ashamed to spoil the lovely afternoon with talk of politics. Come, let us move on to that next clump of trees. See, it is just loaded, and the nuts are falling with every breath of wind."
     
    "Just look at that squirrel, leaning against his tail as if it were the back of an easy chair. He is mincing away at that nut as daintily as any lady," called Caroline.
     
    The merry company picked up baskets and began to move out of sight, but the young man Nathaniel stood still thoughtfully and felt in his pockets, until Phoebe, from her hiding- place, could see none of the others. Then she heard him call in a pleasant voice, " Janet, I have dropped a letter. It cannot be far away. Go on without me for a moment. I will be with you right away."
     
    Then came Janet's sweet, vexed tones:
     
    " Oh, Nathaniel! How tiresome! Can't you let it go ? Was it of any consequence? Shall we come and help you find it?"
     
    "No, Janet, thank you. I know just where I dropped it, and I will be with you again before you have missed me. Keep right on."
     
    Then he turned, swiftly, and came back to the laurel, before the startled Phoebe, who had intended running away at once, could realize that he was coming.
     
    She sprang up with the instinct of fleeing from him, but as if the laurel were loath to part with her, it reached out detaining fingers and caught her by the strands of her fine brown hair; and down came the soft, shining waves of hair, in shameless, lovely disorder about the flushed face, and rippling far below the waist of the buff frock. The sun caught it and kissed it into a thousand lights and shadows of brown and red and purple and gold. A strand here and there clung to the laurel as if the charm were mutual, and made a fine veil of spun gold before her face. Thus she stood abashed, with her hair unbound