Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-09-22
blands and full Golfers of Morbeck
Hall. Unfortunately for her schemes il

sistance on Lucy's part, and a course of
alternating nagging and whee1liug on
her aunts. l knew the main reason of
the girls steadfnstness we'll cnough--shc
would tell anything to old uncle John,
bless her! There was true love and
faithful troth between her and Young
Hugh Nelson of Gilthwaitc; and he was
OF my own blood too, though not so near
Lucy, and L had watched him grow up
from Il bright misunderstanding boy to the
handsome, brave young squire, for
whom every one had il smile and good
worI-]ust the man [ thought, to make
my darling happy. But, as l told you,
they could ito nothing independent till
Lucy was of age, so there was nothing
for it but to wait, and they did wait pr
tlently, whilst we three kept the secret,
and how the poor girl put up with that
Old wonon's vagaries all the time will
always be a wonder to me
However, the time slipped away, and
the twenty-tirst birthday came, and then,
by my advice, Hugh appeared at Nor
beck Hall, to greet his cousin and make
a formal offer of his hand and heart, AMI
need not tell you that she took him
then AMI there. You should have seen
Aunt POstlethwayte's face [ thought
she was going to have tit, but she
thought better of it, aud after torrent
OF abuse directed at Hugh, some flowers
OF speech specially devoted to me, and 4
general peruration relating to iugr.ti-
tube, conspiracy, and the like, she an
nounccd her intention of washing her
hands OF the whole affair and going back
to London rs soon as all her boxes were
packed-and precious glad VIC all were.
can tell YOU, when they were brought
down into the great hall ready corded !!
l fancy she managed to feather her
nest pretty we'll during these two wears !!
So, madam having taken herself Off in
lud genn, there Was nothing left to hinder
set on foot at once. 1t was to be a very
quiet little affair at my own little church
at Gilthwaite, and OF course I was to
marry them. So us it would have been
too tar for Lucy to lriv. in th,, morning,
and besides that, she could not we'll bs
married from her own great lonely house,
we settled that should fetch her over on
the previous evening to sleep ut the rec
tory, and that the wedding should take
place from thence. and now comes
the sad and strange ,:;lt OF the story.
1t was carly III February Il week
after C,nllrmaS, rs [ remember only too
well--wllen / arrived, lat, in the gray
afternoon at Morbcrk, where I was to
dine with my ward hetcrH We started, for
Ghthwoitc rectorv. The winter had
been IN unusually severe one, even for
these parts; but i'll the lust days t., .JHn,,-
airy the frost had broken ND, and it
seeme.las if our Old nurth-cnllntrv ~ ;ii-
as to wet Contllemas WAS to he carried ont
, tor ever since the 2n1, when ii lla> been
more constant uuNnprur, there had
been succession of mild, nugyy days,
with an overcast sky and al invo
drlzzl'. As the carriage that had been
sent to fetch NE drove up the avenue in
the falling light OF the afternoon, there
WAS something in the mir that seemed to
weigh ones heart down: Il cool, lank
smell rose up from the earth where last
years leaves lay rotting under the bare
branches that lrirpeI slowly as the
thick mist crtpt and chung around them.
But the feeling of depression passed
away as We drew up at the open hall
door, from which the rudy glow Of a
great fire streamel out into the dim air,
and Lucy, looking lovelier than ever,
with a plaid thrown over her golden
hair, came running down the steps to
open the carriage door herself, and as
she flung her arms around my neck, her
kiss seemed to charm away all fear. So
we went in together, and before long
were seated opposite each other at rs
!! good dinner rs a man might wish to
see. How bright and CHEEKY, she was,
my poor, dear lassie, how happy in the
thought Of the morrow! Her spirits,
were almost wild at times. Did you ever
hear of what our Scotch neighbors call
being fey ?-that sudden flow Of spir-
it's from no particular cause, which they
hold to be a presage of mislllp t. the
person in whom it was seen? I think
Lucy Gedge was fey that evening.
The dinner came to an end at last,
and it began to be time to think of NOV
ing; we had some way to go, and the
weather was none of the best after the
weather we had been having. Lucy
arose to prepare for our journey, leaving
me to finish my glass of port by the fire,
when as she reached the door of the
room, she turned and said:
"Oh, uncle, forgot to tell you; it is
such horrid weather, and the roads arc
SO bad, that am going to have the car
rage brought round to the garden door
that opens on the Broad Terrace. It
will save us half Il mile"
F.! Then she went to put on her hat and
! cloak; it was nothing to me which door
we went from, and in fact I felt rather
glad at the prospect OF shortening our
journey, even by half a mile; so in, due
time Lucy came back and we started out
for the carriage. I must tell YOU that
in order to get out of the way of the
Broad Terrace we hal to traverse little
used part of the old house, and came
out at last through long passage by a
small postern door, with flight of sew.
eral steps outside. The unused rooms
and the passage smelt damp and musty,
and was glad to feel even the clinging
outside air when the little door creaked
open at last to let us out. As l went
down the steps, they were SO slippery
with the wet mist that it was all [ could
do to keep on my legs, but Lucy trippcd
down after me like Il nymph and VIC
reached the carriage safely. We had not
gone far before she stretched out her
hand caressingly to me, and said, "Un-
Gle John, are you sure you are wrapped
up warm enough? Your hand felt SO
cold Just now as you helped me down the
steps"
81 help you, my dcar!' said I, 81
never helped you: I had quite enough
ado to keep my own legs"
"Oh yes, uncle, don't you remember?
AS I came through the postern, you
stretched out your hand and let me down
the steps and it made me shivor all
through-your hand was like ice Are
you quite sure you wrapped up enough? o.
would have taken my oath in any
court Of law that I had nothing to do
with the girls safe exit, and she would
have sworn on the other side; so I held
my tongue and allowed her fancy. You
know what old Sir Samuel luke says:
elf she will she WILL you may depend ont:
And If she won't, she won't, and there's an end
! on;t?;'
So we rolled on, chatting of this and
that until we reached what was the only
really serious obstacle to our drive.
There is dip i'll the road, at tho bot
tom OF which runs IL brook, with broad,
! level mpaGOuc on tho otbor Gil, r.,