The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-12

and she gave your uncle the image and told him
what to do, and last night he was TO begin
Alison uttered little cry. There flashed into
her memory the lighting of the fire OF the pre-
vious evening. Could this terrible tale be true;
had her uncle really been plotting against the
life of her loverl
SAY, she is sharp one, that old Nancy Lis
SOM he continued in his matter-of- fact way.
1.-THE very first thing the next morning she sent
her sister to my mother 10 find out where | was;
and then / went back with her; and between
them they made out fine pian-at least, m
thinking it has worked very well so far,
Allie. and l think that neither you nor me
will ever have word to say against
spev wives as long as we live. / need not tell
you how it was all arranged; for ye must be get
ting back to the house-if your uncle found out
/ was in the neighborhood he might suspect; but
this will tell you-that when he went into the
safe-room this evening he saw something he will
not forget in a hurry; there was gallows paint
ed in white fire the lid of the iron chest. Was
not that good warningl Faith, it was a narrow
squeak for me, for had just time to bolt into
the store closet when heard his foot on the
stairs; ay, and no sooner was in than the phos-
phorous bottle fell from my hand, and thought
he would have heard the rattle of it, but sup
pose he did not. And so he wants to be friends
wi mes Well, I'm willing. to let bygones
be bygones When I said to old Nancy
Lissom, But if / put that PHOSPHORUS
gallows on the iron chest. l may brighten
the old man out of his senses, she says directly:
We'll. then, he would have murdered you if he
could So it's quits, so far AS l am minded.
Now, Allie dear would like to stand here talk
ing to you the whole night through, but we
must not run any rish He must not know am
here -"
But you will stay on at the keepers cottage,
Alec she said until there's time for the letters
to go to Inverness and for you to come back? OF
course you will do that when he is so anxious to
see YOU. And tomorrow forenoon, about III, be
at the corner of the fir plantation, and will
come and tell you how things are going Good
night good night2"
They parted and she fastened back to the
house. She found that the old farmer had not
noticed her absence; he had drawn the arm chair
in to the table, and was porting over the family
Bible, occasionally repeating a verse aloud
'Thy word is lamp unto my feet,
and light unto my path ~ The
wicked have lain snare for me- yet erred not
from thy precepts. Ihave inclined
mine heart to perform thy statutes Away, even
unto the end" And when he ceased, he tod
Alison that, on reflection, his conscience would
not allow him to touch the little key of struggled
whisky that had been secretly sent him
from the BLACK bothy" lit was really brbe;
for the whereabouts of the illicit still
was well known to the shepherds), but
minister of the parishJ there would be kind of
sanctifying it to good uses consequently he babe
Alison see that the little cask was dispatched to
the manse on the following morning with mes
good man, and respected, and it beloved all de-
cent people to do what they could for the COM
fort and we'll being of a minister of the gospel.
After that he counseled Alison to be
good girl; and said that peace
and prosperity came to those who walked
in straight and upright ways; and then,
after she had persuaded him to have little sup
per, and also (withoutFany persuasion) stiff
tumbler OF whisky and water, he again recon-
mended her to walk IN the paths of mercy and
1nStlcp ~ MANKIND N
got him away to bed.
WE'LL when sufficient time had been allowed
to elapse for the arrival of the letters in Inver
ness and Marin, and for the return of the proper
answer, Alec Jameson made his appearance; and
very much surprised he appeared to be at the
summons, but humble, and civil, and courteous
withal. After sharp, brief glance, the
old man rather kept his eyes away from him;
but that single glance had satisfied the farmer
that no mischief at all had been wrought by the
charm. Had the unseen powers been hooking
him, then. Or Turing him on to his dooml Any
way, that was all over; he would keep to the
straight path; whatever amends had to be made,
he would make now; and then. with his hands
washed clean of Alison's affairs, how could
anyone in the future harm him, above ground or
underground, in the water or above the sky2
Alison her uncle, and Alec Jameson were in
the parlor.
Its but natural thing for young folk to
think of getting married" said the farmer, land
I've changed my mind; I'll no stand in your way
any longer. And then there's another thing
When Alison leaves the farm, she maun take Wi
her her share; that's but right; want to be just
and fair to everyone man or woman, old or
young It's no for me to say how much it u.s.
for I've worked hard for her sake and my own
but We'll have the lawyers draw out an account,
and whatever is hers she'll have. Are We salts
fied!"
He looked up at the young man.
1T was not after Aison's money that ever
came to Fasslie," Alec Jameson said.
but are We SatlsfiedW
II would take Alison without penny, if that
was her condition" he said.
But are ys satisiedg' the old man insisted.
"Oh yes. On behalf of Alison I cannot but
say that is fair offer"
For this is what I want to say" the old
farmer continued that when Allie has got
every penny that is strictly hers weel then a
young lass should hae a little bit extra to spend
on hersel when she's going to get married. and
over and above what the lawyers give. l mvsep
will give herififty pounds-ffty pounds will give
her. For what! just to show that there's nae
ill-feeling between me and her, or the man she's
going to marry, any other human crayture. /"
Of course they professed themselves pro-
foundry grateful; it was of their business
to probe the deeps of human motives--though
they may have had little bit of guess as to
the origin of this unwonted generosity; besides
the fifty pounds would do something to heautfy
the little cottage just outside Inverness thai these
two had talked off from time to time-with but
scant notion that it was to be SO soon in their
possession.
And very pretty cottage it is, too at this
moment: and if you happen to be driving by you
may catch glimps of Alison Graham-or rath-
er, Mrs. Jameson, for such has been her state
and title these three or four years or more
at work trimming and pruning in the back
garden. while small bullet-headed boy
is tum bling about near her among the goose
berry bushes. and doing what mischief his tiny
fists can. The fifty pounds were carefully ex-
pended, but as for the other money coming from
Alison. that has not been touched; on the con-
eson's fifth share has SO far been profitable
Alison has gone on two voyages in the
Princess Mary; but she is not particularly fond
of it: with two children to look after the time
does not hang heavy on her hands. She has her
holiday time when Alec Jameson comes home
from sea; and they have plenty of friends in In
verness; though she has not yet mustered up
courage en- ough to accent her husbands iocular