Cover created by Transcriber and placed into the Public Domain.
THE HILLS OF DESIRE
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
NEW YORK · BOSTON · CHICAGO · DALLAS
ATLANTA · SAN FRANCISCO
MACMILLAN & CO., Limited
LONDON · BOMBAY · CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.
TORONTO
THE
HILLS OF DESIRE
BY
RICHARD AUMERLE MAHER
AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST
BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
NEW YORK
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1925
All rights reserved
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Copyright, 1919,
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 1919. Reprinted
February, 1925.
TO
ROSE AND CHARLES HIGGINS
THE HILLS OF DESIRE
I
"Well, I was wan. The two Maddens was two.Eddie Carey was three. Jim Powers was four. And—and—Butthere was five of us, an' I know it. Wait.I'll count fresh.
"I was wan. The two Maddens was two. Eddie Careywas three. Jim Powers was four——"
"Shtop it, Casey! I say, Shtop it! I'll be as crazy asyou next. Altogether, I say, altogether how many ofyou was on the picnic? All-together!"
"Five, I repeat. On me honor as a bricklayer! Five,I will have it. But I cannot, for the life of me, recollectthe fifth. I'll count again——
"I was wan. The two Maddens was two——"
Augusta opened the door to announce tearfully:
"Mister Jimmie, the boarders are saying that theycan't stand it!"
"To arms!" cried Jimmie Wardwell, leaping up fromthe table and typewriter where he had been laboriouslypounding out Casey's count of the picnic, "to arms torepel boarders!"
And he caught the wholly unready and dignifiedAugusta full in his arms and kissed her fairly.
Now Augusta is somewhat incredible. I suppose Ican hardly make you understand her—as much of her,I mean, as I could ever understand. But, having awhole book before me in which to deal with her, I amgoing to try to explain to you the things about herwhich may be explained.
[2]There was, for instance, Augusta's look of seraphicinnocence. Women looked at her the first time and shelooked back at them with her friendly, ready-to-wear—"Goodmorning, I hope you are as happy as I am,"look.
Then they drew away from her with a defensivepursing of backs, saying:
"She can't be so good as that! Or so innocent!"
But then, as they continued to study her, they sawthat she was just the