The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-12-31
PART IL
TOLD BY RICHARD FENTOS, ESQUIRE, Of
FRESCHAY, WORCESTERSHIRE.

PART IL
TOLD BY RICHARD FENToN. ESQUIRE, OF
FRENCHAY, WORCESTERSHIRE
As my old friend Phil Brand has
asked me to do this. suppose / must
Brand is right good fellow, and q
clever fellow. but has plenty of crotch
cts of his own. The worst | know of
him is that he insists upon having his
own way with people. With those who
differ from him he is as obstinate as a
mule Anyhow. he has had his own
way with me. This custom, so far as
am concerned, commenced years ago
when we were boys at school together,
and have never been able 10 shake oil
/ the bad habit of giving in to him. He
has promised to see that my Queens
English is presentable; for, to tell the
truth, am more at home across coun-
try than across foolscap, and my fin
gers know the feel of the reins or the
trigger better than that of the pen.
all the same l hope he won't take
too many liberties with my style, bad
though it may be; for old Brand at
times is apt to get-well, a bit prosy.
To hear him on the subject of hard
work and the salctity thereof APP
proaches the sublime!
What freak took me to the little God
forsaken village of Midcombe in the
depth of winter is entirely between my
self and my conscience. The cause,
having no bearing upon the matters |
am asked to tell you about. is no ones
business but mine. Twill only say that
now l would not stay in such place at
such a time of the year for the sake of
the prettieSt girl in the world. let alone
the bare chance of meeting her once or
twice. But ones ideas change. l am
now good bit older. ride some two
stone heavier, and have been married
ever so many .,-ears. Perhaps, after all,
as | look back l can find some excuse
for being such an ass as to endure for
more than fortnight all the discom-
forts heaped upon me in that village inn.
A man who sojourns in such a hole
as Midcombe must give some good rea-
son for doing so. My ostensible rea-
son was hunting. had a horse with
me, and a second-rate subscription pack
of slOw-going mongrels did meet some
where in the neighborhood, so no one
could gainsav my explanation. But if
hunting was my object, | got precious
little of it. A few days after my arrival
a bitter, biting frost set ina frost as
black as your hat, and as hard as nails.
Yet still staid on.
From private information received
no matter how, when, or where-I
knew that some people in the neighbor-
hood had organized party TO 60 skat-
ing on certain dav at Lilymere, fine
sheet of water some distance from Mid
combe. | guessed that some one whom
l particularly desired to meet..would be
there, and as the skating at Lilymere
was free to any one who chose to take
the trouble of getting to such an Out-of-
the-way place, hired a horse and an
apology for dog-cart, and at ten in the
morning started to drive the twelve
miles to the pond. took no one with
me. had been to Liymere once be-
fore, in bright summer weather, so
fancied knew the way we'll enough.
The sky when l started was cloudy;
the wind was choppfEg round in a way
which made the effete rustic old hostler
predict a change of weather. He was
right; before 1 had driven two miles
light snow began to fall; and by the
time l reached wretched little way
side inn. about mile from the mere,
a film of white covered the whole coun-
try. l stabbed my horse as well as
could, then, taking my skates with me,
walked down to the poud.
Now, whether l had mistaken the
day, or whether the threatening fall of
snow had made certain people change |
their minds, l don't know; but, to my
and veXation, no skaters |
were to be seen, and. moreover, the |
uncut, white surface told me that none |
had been on the pond that morning. |
Still, hoping they might come in spite |
of the weather, put on my skates and |
went outside -edging and grape-vining |
all over the place. But as there was no
person in particular fact. no one at |
ALTO note my powers, | soon got |
tired. 1t was, indeed, dreary, dreary |
work. But | waited and hoped until |
the snow came down so fast and furi-
ously that felt sure that waiting was in
vain, and that had driven 20 Lilymere
for nothing
Back l went to the little inn, utterly
disguised with things in general, and
feeling that to break some ones head
would be relief to me In nv present
state of mind. OF course a sensible
man would at once have got his horse
between the shafts and driven home.
But whatever 1 may be now, in those
lays L was not sensible man-Brand
will. l know, cordially indorse this re-
mark. The accommodation Of the inn
vas not such as to induce one to linger
within its precincts; but the fire was a
light good one, and drink, which /
manufactured out of some hot
beer, not TO be despised. and proved
to the body and soothing to
he ruified temper. So fingered over
he big fire until began to feel hungry,
md upon the landlady assuring me that
he could cook a rasher, decided it
would be wiser to stay where was
Until the violence of the snow-storm was
'ver; for coming down it was now, and
10 mis- takei
And it kept on coming down. About
lalf past three, when l sorrowfully de-
ided was bound to make a move, IL
vas showing faster than ever. / har-
lessed my horse, and laughing at tho
Id woman's dismal prophecy that l
hould never get to Mideombe in such
weather., gathered up the reins, and
way went along the white road.
TO BE Continued