The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-02-19
ABOVE THE MIST.

--Nasydret Eytinge, Ia Rdrper's Weekly.
ABOVE THE MIST.
By LILLIAS CAMPBELL DAVIDSON.
Tomorrow is Marjory's birthday, /"
aid the laird. '.What shall We give
ier?''
They were all out after dinner. on the
low stone terrace of the old gray castle,
drinking their coffee and watching the
broad sheet of gold spread across the
!; loch, as the moon rose behind Ben Lo-
mond's solemn height.
'What do you want, my pctp" and
he slid his arm round Margie' slender
shoulders, as she leaned beside him,
wrapped in soft cloud of white wooden
drarcry, upon the carved stone balus-
trade.
''Oh, l want nothing, papa! think
I've everything l could possibly need
cxccpt-except little bit of white
heather"
Everybody laughed. except Angus
Col9uhoun. 1t takes little to excite
m;rth among. party of guests in a
pleasant country house, who have dined
we'll and have no heavier cares than how
to settle tomorrow's amusements.
These gay people, fresh from o London
season, found the novelty of a Scotch
castle quite delicious. The weather had
been perfect, and they had not begun to
be bored yet. They were in q state of
mind to be amused at anything-even
Mr.. Colquhoun's sulky looks Mt dinner.
white heather! cried Lady Grace
Davenport, very consolable young
widow. my dear Margie, what an
idea! Why don't you wish for dia-
monds-a set like Mrs. Livington'sp"
Everybody laughed again, except the
young Laird of Logic, whose stern fea-
lures did not relax their expression in
the least.
He was tasting to the full tonight,
poor Angus. how bitter life could be.
Marjory--wee Marjory-his pet and his
darling of the old schoolboy days-his
'.wec wife," rs she had been called
since she chung to his proud hand to take
her first tOttering steps on the very
stone terrace, where they stood together
now-who would ever have dreamed
that Marjory could hurt him as she had
done in the last three days? Oh, if she
had never gone to London for that obi
Gus season!
In all the days of the life they had
spent together, they had never been
parted but once bcfore-when he
went to Edinburgh for his last school
year. All their schooling before that
had been got from governesses and
tutors. and Marjory even made her
first stammering acquaintance with
the Latin tongue, an acquaintance
which never ran any risk Of degen-
Grating into contempt, from Angus
own well thumbed Principal. How
she cried that time they parted! And
how his heart was wrung at going!
But he found the same cid merry
Marjory when he came back to Ar
docli; and they were as happy as the
northern summer days were long.
This time it was Mariory who
parted, and she did not shed q tear.
1t was only August now, and the
Ben Lomond's lofty crest before she
went. and yet those few short months
had robbed him of his sweetheart,
and the ''wee wife, was his own no
more.
If he had but spoken when he came
from college, and found himself, at
twenty-one, Laird of Logic, and his
own master! 1t was all through the
old Laird that he did not lay Logic
and himself, then and there, at
Margie's little feet, and tell her they
were hers, and only hers, now and for
ever. Ardoch had spoken fairly
enough; he told him it was his hope
and his wish to call him his son, and
Logic lands jumped with Artloch.
There never was a Ferguson who
could not appreciate the joining Of
two neighboring estates. Ardocll
was q thorough Ferguson, high
minded and generous though he
might be. But Marjory had seer
nothing of the world; it would moi
! be just to bind her till she had her
season in London and seen. gay life.
Angus Scotch sense of justice made
hin, see the force of that, and he did
violence with himself and saw her 20
without spoken word of love. Sure
ly Marjory knew, without the speak.
/ ing!
Now she was at home again, Mar.
jory, all London airs and graces; lit
tie affections and fashions and fol.
lies, such as Ardoch's gaunt old walls
had never seen before. She treated
him rs if they were old friends-ne
more. There was not blush. nor q
faltar; she had forgotten how to look
shy in London drawing rooms. An.
gu. ragged inwaraly. with pain that
seemed to take all his strength to bear
and with the pain and hurt feeling
was mingled-though he would have
died rather than own it himself
certain secret sense of the difference
between him and the London men
Ma,jory had brought back in her train
He felt as great q gulf between himself
and these Indifferent men of tho
world as there was between
his evening suit, built by a Glasgow
tailor, and tho embroidered shirts
and waistcoats, satin neckties anc
big-bowed shoes, which filled his
country soul with wonder somewhat
dashed with disdain. On his owl
ground-by moor, or loeb, Or mountain
or among his books-Angus-tall
broad-shoidered Angus-was theil
tuaSlcr, anu kneW IL, Dut CO-nlSnC, 81
the dinner, with its complicated
menu, such as Castle Ardoch haG
never provided before, he felt himself
ut a disadvantage among these deni
gems Of fashionable spheres.
In vain Lady Grace tried all hel
fascination on the ''handsome young
Scotch bear" as all the ladies private:
ly called him; in vain they went int
ccstacics over the view of distan,
Logic from Ardoch terrace, the short
heavy towers, with their pointed caps,
like fourteenth century Norman
chateau, even over the "doo-cote"-
little isolated turret itself. within the
outer moat-Angus' solemn gravity
never yielded, and Marjory grew
gaycr and more frivolous every
minute.
There was certain Mr.. Venables,