The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-16

me as Jim had been, and insisted at once upon
nv dining with them.
Harry i. just the man We wanted 10 see eh,
Ma6ger Jim said, jovially. Got holiday
rich voice.
Yes said. az am just of for il noy' And
thsn | told my plans, and my hope Ahat he
would go with me.
BLESS my heart, Just the thing Jim cried
enthusiastically "Only / have q plan worth
ten of yours. Madge and have taken lodge
In the wilderness for the next two months. Max
well has gone to Scotland, and has let Us have
his shooting box in the top OF the western Nir-
GINA mountains There IS no end or game,
from buck TO turkeys, and the air is just like
good sherry. A man without any eyelids would
sleep like a top up there. Come along with
Madge and me-"
1t did sound enticing.
But said, II have already engaged my
slater room on the Ella
''Madge,' Jim said. turning TO his sister,
"Germains hasn't bought his ticket yet. has he
Germaine was Jin's old French valet, who
had travelled about with the brother and sister
for years.
mo. he hasn't Madss said, he spoke to me
about il only this morning and asked me IL
didn't think be had better 60 from here to
Bremen. instead OF going by way Of England
There, now, your last excuse is gone, Jim
said exultIngly. 'Old Germaine Is too old TO
follow Us about any longer, and is going home.
us and save two or three hundred"
my dear friend" said quietly. You have
never bad wife nor q physician. They have
severally informed me that the thing TO cure me
of insomnia was a sea voyage. and il take my
vacation and come homo with the same old
tendency TO walk the verandas all night ] am
afraid there would be more i told You SOS than
could manage comfortably"
"Well, now, see here Jim said. "You give
old Germaine the ticket and come with us for
week. If you find yourself sleeping you can
stay and enjoy yourself. IL, on the contrary.
YOU are no better, you can take the next steam
or and say nothing about ii. except that you
were detained. AS understand, your family
do not expect TO hear from you while you
gone, as you would be home almost as soon as q
letter.
And this was the plan that finally consented
TO accept If it lad been anybody else but the
Blairs 1 should not have hesitated writing to
Julia at once, but in view of her absurd and pc
culiar feeling in regard TO Madge Blair, con-
cluded that discretion was the better part Of
valor. i could tell her when 1 went home.
and give her the two hundred and
fifty dollars toward new sealskin cloak. So
wrote her affectiona;s farewell from Balti-
more, telling her that the Ella would sail on the
morrow, aud that night Jim, Madge and / took
a sleeper for few hours ride down into West
Virginia, whore a wagon was TO meet and
take Us on to Msxwell's picturesque log house
the summit of one of the highest points of
the Alleghenes.
1t was beautiful morning when we left the
train and climbed into the mountain wagon.
The road wound about through the most mag
nifcent scenery, and we drew in brsaths and
threw up our hands with the JOY OF bare ex-
istence. jim sat on the front seat with the
driver, who rough son Of the soil,
en- old guide and hunter of Maxwells,
aad Madge and l sat on the back seat
She wore the red connemara cloak that she
had worn among the Scotch hills the year be-
fore and as / saw the glorious color in her
round cheek aud the crisp curls on her white
nape. wondered what the Scotch lairds meant
by letting her come away again; and l suppose
IL was human nature to wonder IL there was q
single grain of truth in Julias foolish talk.
and if / had had anything to do with her single
lite. don't suppose the man lives whom that
thought would not thrill. IL there WAS any
truth in il she had wonderful self possession
She held out her hand to me when We reached
the plateau upon which the long varandsed
lodge stood with the same lack of self conscience
ness that she would have shown il her brother
had stood there
And there began a life that WAS idyllic. Max
we'll had let his attendants with the house.
You could hardly call the sturdy mountsineers
who served US servants. They were anything
but servie. They cooked our meals aud
groomed our horses because they were paid for
IL; but they Joined in our conversation and ex.
pressed their opinions with the freedom of equals
Madge and Jim called me Harry, and
they called me Harry, too, and l think they
rever had an idea that was not a brother.
They didn't care. They didn't live above the
clouds to worry themselves about the names an
relationships Of city people. There was nothin g
strange to them in the long day Madge and l
spent on the edge of some trout stream with on
fly book among our tackle. Sleep! / slept like
top from 10 o'clock until dawn.
The evenings were delicious it was impos-
sible to 60 to bed sooner.