The Irish standard., 1886-06-12
SPELLS, OR No SPELLS.
By MARY c. PRESTON.

z.t. ~ -1A-e - - = NJ ~~A>
By MARY c. PRESTON.
i s.Na gnde ilka CAM o. sic tricks, my
BARN. said old Nancy, solemnly. .tThe
4 ill one himself ha' all to do WI them. Be
sure yer ain bonnie face an yer ain blue
I cen will bring ye q Draw lad soon enow.
Biile VII auld Nancy an let giddy anes goo
daft aboot the spells.''
4 .But there is no harm, and I will not be
! afraid said the tsbairn," a tiaxen- haired
lass, with eyes as blue as speedwells and
lips as sweet as roses at daydawn.
"Judith MacDougal taught me the rhyme,
and it is pretty. Let me say it for you,
auntie''
And she began, in sweet, clear voice,
Come. over the mountains
But the old woman stopped her sternly
INA mair oslo folly,'' she said. "lt be na
! godly. Gin We maun say it, say it where
Judith MacDougal teltye to, an see what
will come to ye.- Girls maun all be fules
till some lad comes, am then they n1aun
put on wedding rings, an find theirsePs
greater fules yet. Gang awa', chiel, an
| dinna fash me VII yer folly"
So pretty Janet, with the ball Of yarn in
her hand, went out to the moonlight
silence, wrapped in heavy plaid.
"Hold the end of the yarn and fling the
bah over cliff,'' Judith had told her.
aloud, again and again. 1t will bring
your lover to you, if he be ON earth. When
I tried last year Donald stole up behind
me and kissed me on the cheek, and he
| and are to wed at Christmas
So Janet hurried along the path that led
to the cliffs as bonnie lassie as,Scotland
| held that night, as brave and fearless.
But when she had cast her ball into the
! darkness and felt the thread tighten i'll
| her fingers she cast swift glance over her
shoulder before beginning the rhyme:
| Come over the mountains
A moaning cry from the sands below
broke on her spell.
| She sprang to her feet, 1.-THE as a young
deer; gathered the plaid around her, and
ran lightly along path, perilous to feet
| less sure than hers, which ran along the
| edge of the cliffs and led directly to the
! white barrenness below.
| The fact that it was Il November night,
| and she had come out to try spell OF
which her aunt did not approve, was for
| gotten as she sped down the path, light
| and sure-footed as chamois on it's ma
tive hills
| At last she reached the base of the
cliffs, and then some of the dauntless
courage forsook her and she shivered in
the night air.
For great black steed lay prostrate be-
fore her, struggling and kicking at the
sand, but evidently unable to rise.
Near him, but beyond reach of the
frantic hoofs as though, having drawn
himself SO far from danger, life and fear
and all things else had fallen from him,
u. "a
the smiling calm Of the sky.
ssIt is the laird's son, Douglas Came
onp' she cried, with a start. ...and heaven
befriend him-he is deadr'
may, lass!' he answered, laboredly.
81 am crushed a bit, and my leg is broken,
but it takes much to kill Cameron"
With the last word he tainted dead
away. She could do nothing for, him
there so she flew up the steep path like
swallow, and on through the night, to the
cottage of old blind Dan, who had sttwa
braw lads.''
1t was not long ere she was leading the
sturdy fellows to where she had left the
laird's son.
They found him conscious and able to
tell them how, in riding home he had lost
himself in a dream and not needed that
his horse was on the very edge Of the cliff
until stumble of the animals had sent
steed and rider over the rocks, down to
the sands below.
stMy Bonnie Raven will na harm me
n,air,'' he said, i'll conclusion, glancing at
the PROSTATE horse.
They lifted him as though he was q
child and bore him up the path Janet
ran before to prepare her aunt
II kenned ma guide would COON o. sic
folly" Nancy said, simply.
And then she began to prepare place
for the injured man, her lairds son.
The young man had very much life still
in him, as was proven by the week OF
leliriuna, during which he was as one raw.
ing mad; b11t when consciousness re-
turned and he lay weak, bandaged with
wounds on him which leave their scars
upon him all his life, he did not seem un-
happy in the cottage, but would lie long
hours following Janet's movements with
his eyes, Or, bidding her read would close
them and listen.
At last when the sleet was falling out
side, and rugged Scotland looked more
than usually unlovely, the old laird drove
down to see his son, as he had done daily
since the accident.
s.Ye're well enow to gang hame, my
lad," he said, on leaving. '*Tll send for
ye tomorrow"
After his father had gone the young
man lay long watching Janet's sweet face
as it bent over her sewing. AT last he
spoke:
eye heard il LASS he said softly; sI
am weel enow to gang halne."
eyes," she answered.
ssWiu ye miss me, lassie?"
No reply. But Janet's cheeks are burn
ing. Oh, how sadly she will miss the
laird's son when he goes back to his
people,
.I4assie-Japet" He put out his hands
and took her own-not very white, not
very fair, but tender hands and helpful.
81 will leave ye WI lighter heart if ye
but say it. Ye will think of me some
times?''
81 couldn't forget,'' she said softly.
s.Then, when come for ye some day,
will ye gang wi me- Janet?"
She lifted her serious blue eyes to his
face then, and they were glowing, but
steadfast