The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-05-23

has passed the arbor, clambered oysl
the little stone pArapet. and, without
waiting TO think Of its depth, has jumped
into the moAt surrounding the terrace
Here she pauses TO listen; but NJ
sound, nor sign, save the bleat Of th,
sheep and Whitney Of the colts in th,
grass park, and the quick palpitationl
Of her own heart.
Little did she suspect that within A.
teen feet Of her in the arbor, crushing
down his wonder and excitement, sal
the young squire, who, to avoid parent.
81 objection, was enjoying his evening
Havana under the moonlight; and wht
had half recognized in the black-cloakei
figure fitting past the arbor Patty Hol
den, the girl Of all others he mos
wished to have word with.
Where could she be goinga To ses
whomf were the questions that puzzled
him. To see some relation or sicl
friend, she would have openly asked fol
leave or for On escort. No. Thil
pointed to some clandestine meeting
the which he would take steps to sec
and by taxing her with it turn it to hi
own profit.
AZ Patty's football died away on thu
soft turf, the young Squire slipped out
Of the arbor, and, vaulting over thu
railing, dropped into the shadow to fol-
low her footsteps 90 soon o. she should
be fairly hidden in the Lime avenue.
The Limo avenue! How sombre Il
seemed to poor Patty, needless Of thu
scent Of the last few blossoms dying up
on the nlght-of the great moths that
swooped and futtered in and out. She
saw only roof Of foliage arching in 9
great shadow, the gray and grisly stems
and the glare Of the moonlight outside
into which she longed but dared not te
step. Any one from the house, or some
of the men coming home, might see he,
there; while in the gloom she was safe
from ell save the dread Of nameles,
something" stepping out and confront.
ing her from behind every tree-trunk.
The end Of the Lime avenue is reached
and the Winchfield road crossing he,
path at right angles CLEANS white in
the moonlight-the crossing sentinelled
by four giant silver pines, from whose
lordly tops single jackdaw begins tc
chatter as he sees her, and as the whole
roost take up the cry, she shrinks bach
in terror against the stem of the last
linden.
But IL is too late to 60 back now
Willis life-her own-depends on the
success of her venture. The long grass
moonlit ride, fringed with heather and
marked with scattering frs, would soon
give place to the darker forest, in which
there would be more safety; and after 6
moments hurried prayer, she sped
wildly up the ride amid chatterine
volley from the jackdaws. The great
silver fir-scarred and scored from crest
to boil by lightning, the wonder ofh
childhood-is passed, and many another
noble landmark Of the chase, till she
stops at last on the edge of the thicke,
forest under the shade of the we'll
known Deformed Scotch Fir, which
unable through some youthful injury
to rear q head as proudly as his brothers
on either side, had perversely grown
outward and downward till it has
formed bower fit for the Fir Maiden
herself.
As soon as the excitement Of movement
had passed, deadly fear of impending
evil came over Patty; but the brave lit.
tie spirit would not quail and out again
only to shrink buck with cry, q,
through the pines overhead, with every
undulating motion, there swept bro.
ken sheet of white twenty feet square
and then silently faded into the distance
Poor child little did she deem, as she
covered under. the fir branches, that
the same sheet which had scared
many one before, and should many q
one afterward, was only herd of swans
vending their nightly way from Dc
gamesfeld to Brsmshill, from Brams.
hill great pond to the Lodden at Swal.
lowfeld. But to Patty, as to others, il
was veritable moving apparition of the
ghost and body of her childhood; and
long it was ere she could muster cour.
age for another start. She could but
die; and what if she did die for Wills
sake? Better that than have him killed
and leave her desolate. Then, fancy,
If she was successful If she reached the
fern seed, gathered it and gave it to him,
so that he would henceforth walk invis-
ible among the poachers! For that
meant absolute safety.
Yes! up and on! till the pine needles
crisped under her tread.
With an occasional start as night
jar swoops into her path in pursuit Of q
moth, rabbit scuttles into the fern, OF
q flock of snipe walls across from the
moor down to the cleaning reaches Of
the river below, at length she emerges
from the forest on to chine, on the
further end of which glints white the
summer house. On either side the hill
slopes down abruptly, covered in with
bracken.
II is not, however, to the right, where
far below the thorn bushes rise in the
dell, but to the left she looks anxious
ly, where the cleaning stems of the
silver bircl.es mark the boggy stream by
which grows the king fern. She can
hear the dogs at the keepers, half q
mile away, break out into answering
tongue as fox sullies the stiffness
with querulous bark, which
reminds her that she is standing
ont in the open moonlight, where
some of the keepers or Watchers may
see her. So she plunges down the lit
tie moor path, and disappearing in
overarching fronds of bracken is lost to
sight to the young esquire" who. more
and more puzzled with her maneuvres,
has almost made up his mind to betray
himself But, perhaps this dell may
tell its talei and cautiously he too dives
down into the bracken, and is lost Ia
sight to a third person-Gypsy Will
himself, gun on shoulder, who, unknown
to either OF the others, has been keep.
ing pace with them through the frs to
the left-a more puzzled spectator than
even the young Squire.
The young Squire he had known at
once, but Patty was not SO easily rec
ognized, nor the reason for her being
there and being followed.
There must be something wrong about
this. And he, too, disappeared under
the green blanket of fern. converging
so as to meet the other two at the bot
tom of the dell.
Not twenty yards apart do the two
men reach it, and twenty yards ahead
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