Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-08-26

4 lHc uiSttinte 10 tTeySlOIe was tWentY-One
| miles, and this the post horses could run,
with one halt for a bait. At nine O'clock
the chaise wheels took the stones of the
! High street
| In Greystono at lastl And as in the High
street he stood, the smooth sea stretching its
| gray luster to the sky from under the front
ing houses, and the keen wind whitening the
roadways-unnoticed, for the cold. by the
few persons abroad who hurried past. hug
| ging themselves in folds of frieze-a passion
/ ate fear came upon him and held him to the
| pavement.
For right in his sight, looking now through
bare tendrils of creepers, was the ship
wright's wooden house; and that it might
be desolate place for the want Of his wife,
| and tomb for the echoes of memory only to
sound In, was dread of the awful kind that
repels the heart with horror from the de
| termination of it
tie took courage presently and went for
ward slowly, with his eyes fixed upon the
house. until he was at the gate of it, and
then he walked quietly to the door. He
knocked and fell back a pace, that every
window might be VISIBLE 70 him; and while
he stood, looking first here and then there,
the door was opened, and a respectfully
dressed woman stood forth.
He could barely speak for the construction
in his throat, and in quite faint voice
asked if Mrs. Strangfield was within.
"Oh, dear no, sir, Mrs. Strangfield has
been gone these three months answered the
woman, looking at him with surprise.
"WhereF"
"Why, to house in Winston. Do ncs
you know her husband be dead, and the
business sold to Mr.. McAndrewp'
"They were friends of mine. and | am inst
returned from long journey" And in a
wild, quick way, like d cry overlapping de-
clslon, he said; sand what of her daughterin
Mrs Shaws She lives along Wi her.
mother. Her husband be dead too, We
know"
@she lives with her mother, and is well,
hopeg" he said, the flush brought to his face
by the violence his question did him yielding
to deadly white
quite well, believe, sir. She's niver i
Greystone. They say she's known deal O.
sorrow, and there's some shame in it that
keeps her i hiding. Poor hearth sweeter
woman there is not; truly there is not"
She looked at him hard as she said this.
the gaze growing keener and keener. the
eyebrows lifting to it, and something like an
expression of CONSERVATION coming into her
face.
II am Mr.. Shaw" he said, anticipating
the question that was already parting her
lips.
"Youl-an' she thinks ye deadlo the
woman shrieked.
With toss of the hands he turned his
head to look up the High street
as it known" he said, confronting her.
shat | was impressed in error by a gang of
sailorss What did my father think9 Do YOU
know himsn
"Dr. Shaw, of the school housea Well by
name, sir. Ye know, of course, that he be
well, and is giving up teachins A man hath
come from some city i the north to buy the
school from him-so l heerd but a week
since" said the woman, so fascinated. not
alone by the romance of Cuthberts return.
but by the beauty of his face, that she could
not lift her eyes from him.
as it known that l was impressedso he
asked again.
Il cannot tell We for sure, sir. Some talk
there was, | think; but them as it went
among were but little known to me. And
before my husband bought this business we
lived at the white house, away down by
Callow bay, which kept me out o. gossip
as Mr.. Franklin aliye9 or where can
hire coach"
"Oh, Mr. Franklin is nicely, sir. win We
not come in and sit down! And my gel
shall fetch you a coach as quick as liver it'll
come for thee.
He thanked her for her offer and entered
the little parlor, never before beheld by him
and even unfamiliar to us, now that the
quaint furniture OF the Strangfields was
gone and the simple old sea pieces
He breathed quickly as be stood alone
looking around him. This had been his
darling's home. Through the window. into
which Mr.. McAndrew had let clarified glass.
he saw the old bay tree and the shrubbery
and green stuff, amid which he used to slip
his letters to his sweetheart after dark, ap-
pointing meetings for the morrow. The
walls around him had echoed to her voice
Her feet had trodden the ground on which
he stood Ionder was the scene of street
and market place which her timid eyes had
swept again and again that night when she
waited for him to come and tell her father
that she was his wife.
Mrs McAndrew returned with a tray of
wine and biscuit, and pulled chair to the
table that he should sit
"Im all of a tremble with establishment.
sir, truly. tbs the wonderfullest thing that
We should be there looking at me, and your
pretty wife thinking herself a widow, not
five miles away. I've sent the gel for a
carriage Yen have patience fer five
minutes, sir; and if this wines not to your
relish, can draw proper head o beer.o
lie seated himself, looking vacantly at the
woman under his lowering brow.
you cannot tell me that my wife knelc
that was carried away to sea by press
gangl" he said presently
81 can't own as liver I heard shy she knew
it, sir But can tell you that some trouble
came upon the sweetheart after We were
missing her father was cruel, and that she
were married he would not believe That's
what were said. Then afterward it were
proved by DR.. Shaw she was your wifi. sir
And that broke her fathers heart, they said
One thing reckon sure, howiver wrong be
NIL else I say, your wife ran away from
Greystone for the shame that evil thinking
gossips put upon her; and her mother, as
she now lives with, told me herself that her
reason for sellin' the business was because
Mistress Shaw had vowed niver to come to
Greystone again, after she had kissed her
father, lying deld ON his bed for grief
May God forgive them all for wroncinr
herl Poor little one! Could her father look
at her and doubt her3 Oh, madam, the
carriage is long while coming This delay
is heavy trial to met
He went quickly from his chair to the
window, where he stood a while, tapping the
ground with his foot
"How did my father treat her, do Won
know" he asked
"Why, sir, very honorablv believe. from
all reports. An old Mrs. Mead, whom some
call mother was telling me a while back.
that your father asked Mistress Shaw to go
and hive with him, promisin to pack the BOYS
home and give up the trade if she'd come.
Butyour lady had proper spirit. ard Mrs.
Mead, who loves her said How should she
stay with the old man as doubted her honor
onceF Though I'll own | answered her. that
all things considerinr, yeeing your lady
could not prove her marriage, as twas said.
and that you Were not bv. t was not what
YOU might call unreasonable for Dr. Shaw to
doubt herr
Not prove her marriagei7
lie dropped his head and swung himself to
the window. exclaiming under his breath:
u hat was my fear. always"
We'll, sir, continued Mrs McAndrew. ave
see. accordin' TO Mrs Mead, it were this: Ye
had charge o the marriage paper, and the
mistress could not reminder the name o III,
church in London. As how should she, if it
were neer told hera Once in all my life was
in London, and dazel was by the noise.
to be sure--in some streets it was like a bull
roaring-and though my cousin, who is
London man, showed me a score O. churches.
and named 'em, too, clear in my hearing. not
II you was to say here be hundred pounds
Tor thee, if yen 81 me the name o."
But before she could make an end the
hackney coach came rumblng TO the gate,