, 1875-11-07


shads that fell upon tbs fern-c1othed banks and
huuer-cro"nsd hedges. little rivaet, merely
| silver thread OF water, sz1cklsd clon2 At the
basa Of either bank, and d: tbs cad Of the lano 3
I thick wood loomed. offering us the grateful
prospect OF shade and coolness.
There were two or three bzidle-pa:hs through
this WOOD and, acting u1der the induence ofthe
fear that Maj Barton and I might take one. and
the contumactous pair behind lis another. lp-
sisted On coming to \ hals at the entrance until
the lagRa1ds rode up and joined us.
There was DO mistaking the expression Of
their faces as they approached US. His eyes
were bent on her with . hook Of intense passion
ate admiration. An eager, reckless look 1t
WAS. and I. turned with anger and
alarm to see how she met it! Hsr a1~aTH pale
face was like white frs now, and her lids
dropped heavily over her eyes, in vain attempt
| to veil from u.s. who were regarding her, the
sseret of tho triumph she had won orer mana
heart and honor.
More with view OF reminding them OF our
presence than for any other reason, called out,
| coldly. as they cau1s up:
''Iou're handling the little mares mouth very
| badly, Capt Meredith. never take her on tho
curb. Just See how bloodshot her eyes are.
| You have put her In PASSION
They neither Of them spoke and saw With
unfe'gued alarm that Maj. Barton was taking
keen cognizance OF their abstraction.
I'm nervous" said, in Al explanatory tone
to him. 1t avaYs upsets me if see Guine-
vore mismanaged in the slightest degree"
"And Two GuinevereS At the same time must
! tax any mans powers Of management" he said,
| in 4 low voice but low as the tones we're, they
| pierced my heart. by the power Of the pain that
| was IN them, and trenble.1 for the natural con-
sequences OF this folly. ~ realized that afai.
Barton Was assigning the parts Of the King,
Queen, and faise Knight to himself, Laura, and
| Meredith.
As we rode on through sun and sbade."
tho crisp, rapidly -hronzlng ferns cracking
undar our horses feet, and sending up waves
be NO doubt Of the beauty OF the picture
Of which We formed q part ''The
green trees whispering low and mild = tha blue
! unclouded weather; the fine forms and soldierly
bearing OF the two men the large lazy beauty
Of the fair vomaut who was the Eve and the
serpent Of this paradise in one :; the sinuoust
subtle grace Of the fascinatingly lll-tempered
| little mare; aud even the picturesque rugged
ness Of the Kelplo--al these parts, perfect in
themselves were harmonizod into Thole that
Was more perfect still.
| Presently Laura got close to my side. ADD
| whispered, "Les Us yet homo Al soon as NC can,
Nellie. I have made promise to, and exacted
a promise 10 return from, Capt Meredith, and
We must get home at once, in order that they
| may be Kept"
She looked at me With strange mixture
Of appeal aud detiancs in her eyes Ii she
| spoke, and I-feeling that it would be
/
| appeal and only responded to the defiance by
| saying, with futile energy:
| II would not curEau my ride one half inch in
order to enable you to keep any promise to Capt.
Meredith: you'd no right 10 make one to him!
Laura, Yon're mailing mischief. and. il you haze
me for it, / nil thwsrt you it can"
| Sick with annoyanceE, faint With forebodng
Of evil pulled my pony up abruptly. and turned.
| raising my Whip in warning 10 those behind mo
| as did 30. Slight a. it was, the action reused
| hititprks dormant 8nyi1 in thA lttfla
| mare, and with . shrieking anoTt sho bounded
past I'd, out OF her riders CONTROL away into the
! thick Of the wood.
To follow that crashing career was useless;
to remain quiesccnt waa impossible. For mo-
ment or Two We stood horror-strucs, listening to
tho progress OF the creature possessed by her
never-long- absent demon. At the expiration Of
those moments We moved, speaking to one an
other in incoherent wcrda that seemed to orum-
BILE on our lips before they could be uttered.
'She can't go far in this thicket," Laura said
presently, and though she endnavored to make
her tone assertlve only, it was so plteoualY ap
pea!ing that all hope died ont Of my own heart
~ l listened TO her,
We gal]ored along cross bridle-path thas
would ne su1nised, cut through the mazes Wild
route.
III she only steers clear OF the trees and
comes out on this side, wherc he can giye
land, he W1n be all right" I gaaped as We tore
along, and could see that Laura's face blanched
to an even deadIier Vhite as my words conjured
up vision OF the only other alternative If the
mare did pot steer clear Of the trees. No wonder
she shuddered as tbe vision no wonder that ITO
all shrank from the reality that MAS forced upon
us soon.
We came to standatill On the margin
OF the wood, ani looked distractedy down
into the open, hoping to $50 the flying form OF
the mare in somo place whore her burn: @or free
dom would not end SO dlsastronsly as it probably
would IN among the big, ;mmovahle, cruel
trunks Of the trees But We looked in vain-
Guiuevere and her rider were nowhere 10 be
seen, and with an exclamation that was almost
groan. Laura led the WAY into the heart Of the
groTo-
Silently xnd slowly Ne picked our way
in terror aud despair over the high thick carpet
OF ferns, for 1lnt appeared an inteEzninable
time. Once or twice we muttered to one anoth-
er, muttered words Of counsel as to our course,
or ejaculated Hush!" or - Hark!" n fancy
formed some sornd in our ears. which We took
for the flying horse. But during al that dreary
progress ne never SO much as dared to murmur
word Of hopel
It was ali SO horribly still that ! thought
the very heavens would have been rent by
the shrek that came from Lauras lips,
when our guest ended at last by the side Of tha
by the force Of the blow she had given herself
against low-gowing bough. and she had fallen
straight down on the spot where she had been
struck, and her rider had beon shot to distance
OF or 8 yards On the near side: AS Laura
leaped from her horse and knelt down by him.
wrcathng her srms round the insensible form that
had never felt her embrace Ii life, and pressing
her face down on the cold lips that had never
touched hers, realized that abe WAS the bride
OF the dead. and that she would never violate
the Yows OF her awful betrothal By marrying
Mai. Barton i-AN the Year Round
Waiter savage Landor.
It VAS at breakfast in Kenyo,-'s house that