Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-01
THE WHISPER IN THE WOOD


RODaH Morris ana his yOupC wife are sitting
In the snug paTinr OF an Inn at the little town 0f
OahhAnptOD on the confines " d It,no II, rho
season Is autumn. and the lime evening Lamp
aBd freight combine with the homrly sur
rounding, OF the remote h0Stelry IN giving a
Sc &c OF CHEEKY comfort Hey ,uDg Or Iai-
sDOuldered. strong Of lmo and urn OF oounte-
nance, blue-ey ed aud bro IN haired-is pOrinR
over map. She, rather younger. p Ale faced
but pretty. dark haired and with eyes to mat h,
and with delicate Jet well-rourded figure
book. Presently he speaks, half to himself:
Yes, / must have q look at that place; Ii
promises We'll As background for story.
have often heard OF tt-"
She. SOmeH hat alphabetically, inquiries
49, me expedition You are contemplating"
"Ye-, across the mo1r. caDnol quito make
our bow far 1t Is. but trace the WAY. aud It
must be within al easy walk. six or seven
miles; yes, thought OF going tn mo row, II you
VIII not be very much bored, dear Little woman,
BY being left alone for few hours"
"Oh, no. / shall manage To amuSe myself:
besides, It Is necessary You should see what
you want " was to get some local color, ~
you call 1t, that we came down to these wilds,
and there IL no reason because we are out on
our honeym0on that you should not do some
work.
lyon are the most sensible little wife, l be
lieve. sopby, that man was ever blessed wish !"
he says. looking up at her aith admiring afIec
ton, land va, never so happy Ia nv iifs!'
knock OF the room door precedel the en-
franc OF the landlord with two or three letters
his strong Devonshire dialect
"Ah, OF course; you do not get your London
letters here until very late, - responds IsoaIld.
way Is open to Plymouth it viii make some dif
ference to this part Of the w0rld.D
II should zay rud be likely tn. Not as 1 zee
TN be % much use tn we in this place: we han't
doubt It'll be a rare chance for gentlemen like
you that go jumping the country" and after
few mere words the man civiliy retire5.
lU ftnr1 NJ,
surprise, startling his wife from the olac,dl
with which she Is regarding him whilst he Is
looking ever his letters.
man died suddenly the day before YESTERDAY!
Bless my heart! l am very grieved. How
strange that it should ave happened just now,
so soon after all his kindness to me-to U.s."
"Wha.-not your uncle?" exclalms the wife.
Yes indeed 1t is: here is the letter an
noHl Chg the fact from BastOn, his lawyer l
shall bave to go to town. This Is what he says,
u II iDwith the deepest regret / have to
inform you OF the sudden death OF your uncle
Mr.. Matthew Morris. He was found dead In his
o. q, and II WEI tn 'refOre he necessary for you,
as his sole executor and legatee. to come to town
AMI produce his Will, that we may take out
letters OF admins ration; prove the will at
e.tabiish your Iignt, etc. This would have
been requisite In any clse but 1t IS the more
imperative since, through Mr.. Morris eccentric
views, he insisted On intrust!ng his Will to your
keeping
.'Ah! never told you Sophy. think, all
ABOUT that says the reader, breaking Off.
strange Old boy! You know how good aud
kind he has been to me, and how. bat for him,
we could not have married for years; and you
remember told you that the day before our
wedding he made his Will In my favor, leaving
OF his funny idbcy about the document He
drew 1G himself on sheet OF note paper, and
brought II with him the day on which he met
me at Baston's Office tthe day before we We're
10 yvCa
nounced the Will to be thoroughly legal, and
SAID that II only required signing and witness
Ing: he signed it then and there in the presence
OF Bastoh and one OF his clerks; and when they
had duly signed 1t, each being in the presence
OF the other, etc., as the legal formula goes, he
took the paper, and. handing 1t to me, said
and nobody but you, 1 desire that You should
keep possession OF it. Then, with some good
humored joke at the lawyers expense, he insist
ei that should put the will In my pocket.
uncle, If 1t is or any interest to him, but you
m 1oa = Keep ,ae original and mind you do not
Well, Sophy, did put 1t in my pocket. aud
having no bankers or strong box in which to
deposit II brought It away with me, and here
IL Is sun at this moment, in little fiat tin
case, with copy OF our marriage certificate,
and one or two more valuab!eS, here In my
breast pocket" and Ronald Norris strikes the
breast OF his rough shooting coat as he speaks
banker. But, upon my word, it is really very
sad,' he proceeds after o pause; II never
thought should be called on to produce it 80
s soon. Why, it Is not fortnight ago since he
element OF the explanation he has given sub.
sides. his blue eyes moisten. This quiet little
vile Uses and, putting her arms around his
tender, II silent, consolation.
soon he is talking vOiubly again, discussing
family affairs ard laying plans for the future.
This puts us beyond the reach of sixpenny
a0ytptfPS- al al not CyjyoI
pen could not bear to live An Idle life aud
what more. shall not give up my expedition
tomorrow. must have look at that queer
place before leave these parts. II We start
for town the first thing the day after tomorrow
II Will De quite soon enough. and we can get TO
Exeter In time ID catch the night mail the ga Us
evening. You Will not mind travelling by night,
Sophy, am sure. since 1t will give me to nor
moorlaId"
Tomorrow came, and Ronald Morris started
on the expedition he had in his mind. His little
wife, not from lack of interest In his purpose or
his doings, but from characteristic 1nexacu.
tude as TO details, failed already to understand
even II sne ever asked the question: the precise
So Ronald started, and. as he strolled away
up and on TO the bleak and solitary moor, she
stood for moment or two at the gate on the
road, OF which he turned watching him. In
little while he looked back, held up hts stick as
salute, and she In reply waved her little hand
after her easy. gentle fashion. Thrice this ac-
ltOh W % iSPCdtC0 O0 O0Su S1uSS5, tutu SHc SAW
his figure small ard clear against the sky line
on the steep hill Ridge, and then he disap-
peared-disappeared from her eyes forever.
Lost On the moor! The days and weeks OF
helpless, desperate, and at last, hopeless search
by the whole country eide which followed threw
no Aght upon the ms sIery. Lost on the moor:
that was the verdict-that was all that could be
said, and It was hO uncommon phrase In that
wild and treacherous region. Scores Of men had
SO vanished, and been never heard OF since
Natives even, accustomed to the dangers OF bog
crag, and fell, OF overwhelming binding mist
OF oyertaking niShtfall, of the sudden, deep
oh6curilg snow. and Of the lost track; natives
alive TO all these pc rilS have been lost on the
moor, nor any trace OF them even found What
wonder then that L0ndOner entirely unused
such Wild, should now and again share the
same fate The thing, indeed, was too common
70 create much more than the nine days aston
lshment. And. since no clew could be obtained
as to the direction the unfortunate man had
taken. the searching parties that volunteered
soon lost heart; their eXplor1ngs were too vague
at DfSt 70 give them announcement; aud final
ly, the kindly impulse which stirred the seek
ers died out, and the affair was given up az
hopeless
ISJ1s
Sophy Norris still young and pretty. and as
piacld as ever, pears traces erthe!eSs OF her
life SORROW, az how should 1t be otherwise? The
marvel Is that she survived the blow. In all
probability she would have sunk under IL, but
mat the flood OF newborn Wifely love- which
IN us outpouring had seemed TO carry the very
essence or her soul before IT, had found its
channel changed although not checked. AS a
mOtner, the devotion bestowed upon the stall