Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-12-01

| qualntance, she saw hIm beat ms laNor-
ite setter, Fanny, until the animal fell
senseless from n blow on the head. This
had been more than year ago, and
Goldie had only politely tolerated him
since. But, rs | have said, Mr.. Darrell
was not thin skinned, and Captain Grant
favored Ills suit. The Darrells were a
good family, and the Captain had II
weakness for family.
Nice people-nice people, Goldie,
he was wont to say. "Fawdon's brother
is the smartest lawyer i'll the county,
and Mrs. Dudley, his sister, was pre-
sented at court when abroad. And they
are rich. l want to leave you well pro-
vided for when die"
"Then don't ask me to marry Faw
don Darrell, dear papa" Goldie respon-
ded, little sadly.
| She knew that her father was mista-
ken in his estimate of these worldly and
selfish people. His honesty and sim
plcity did not fathom their brilliant
hardness. She had heard, too, that
Fawdon lived largely upon the bounty
of his brother-in-law, DIR. Dudley. In
short, the possibility of hen ever marry
ing Fawdon Darrell was long ago settled
when John Esmond came there.
In one matter Goldie and John Es-
mond were similarly agreed. She
thought she was the most wretched per-
son in the world, and he believed he
was.
One soft March day settled it all.
Esmond had met Goldie one day i'll
the village, and she had spoken to him
as sweetly and civllly rs if her heart
had not nearly leaped out of her breast
Mt sight of him.
1--WE are having some very nice arch
cry practice on the old ground where
we used to play croquet, you know.
Come and see us.
And John Esmond, condemninG him.
self for the folly of it, had accepted the
invitation. He had ordered his horse
brought round, and was going to drive
out to Cliff Cottage.
The frost was already ont of the
ground, the road hard, the trees bud
ding; in the air that spring hint of COM
ing life and enjoyment which may turn
idle fancies" to love, but it stirred
John Esmond's heart in his breast to
exquisite pain. He set his will resolutely
to smother it, however, and, touching
up his horse, bounded lightly over the
hard road.
Then he stopped for n moment TO
speak to an old day laborer, who, III his
youth. had been Johns fathers garden
er, but. us it CHANGED, only was requlted
by a drop of bitterness.
"How are you, Timothy?"
els it yerself, Masther John? But a
fine-lookin' lad We are. sure! An so
yer 'av' been down South? Well. that's
a good country for fruit-farming. lwlsh
I'd gone there when l was young; but
I'm too old to make any changes now.
An We left some fine orange groves a
growing up for ye', I'll be bound. |
Yes, yes, you'll be rich man some day,
Masther John. Well, may the Lord
prosper We! Which way was We going?
Toward the Cliffs ? An yorng Mr..
Darrell has been before We this three
hours, with glin.
EsmoDd was so angry with himself
that he WINGED. Of course Darrell was
there. since he believed that he knew
what lis habits were. The probability
was that he should meet so frequent a
visitor. Yet his brow darkened and he
turned his horse sharply.
The Car was not accustomed to the
sharp twisting of the bit and he did not
like it. He backed, got it between his
teeth and began to run away.
1t was a deliberate piece of malice,
for he was not frightened A spirit OF
resentment, lawlessness and recklessness
had entered into the beast, and he i'm
me1iately proceeded to do all the mis-
chief in his power.
Having dashed the buggy against a
mile stone, without, however making a
perfect wreck of it, he then tore away
down the finty road.
In the moment of the first furious
leaps, John Esmond found that he was
comparatively powerless. The horse
was running in a straight direction. but
in his anxiety he remembered that he
was heading straight for the cliffs, which
terminated high above rocky cauldron
of boiling sea. Ifhe went over it must
be almost certain death.
"I will let him go a mile. He will
soon cool with such running" John
thought grimly, as the foam flew IN his
face from the mouth of the leaping horse,
"When we get to the cottage, | car
throw force enough on the line to turn
him into the yard door,"
Fortunately, the front of Cliff Cottage
stood open to the road, the smooth
stretch of springing lawn grass being
dotted only by an occasional fiOwer-bed.
He saw it plainly as they tore down the
last rise.
They were few swift strides from
the spot of refuge, and John had already