The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-01-06

there; while in tho gloom she was safe
from oil save the dread Of nameless
something" stepping out and confront
ing her from behind every tree.trunk.
The end of the Lime avenue is reached,
and the Winchfield road crossing her
path Of right angles CLEANS white in
the moonlight-the crossing sentinelled
by four giant silver pines, from whose
lordly tops single jackdaw begins to
chatter as he sees her, and as the whole
roost take up the cry, sho shrinks back
in terror against the stem of the last
linden.
But it is too late to 60 back now.
Willis life-her own-depends on tho
success. of her venture. Thelong grass
moonlit ride, fringed with heather and
marked with scattering frs, would soon
give place to the darker forest, in which
there would be more safety; and after o
moments hurried prayer, she sped
wildly up the ride amid chattcring
volley from the jackdaws. Tho great
silver fir-scarred and scored from crest
to boil by lightning, the wonder of her
childhood-is passed, and many another
noble landmark of the chase, till sllo
stops at last on the edge of the thicker
forest under the shade of the we'll
known Deformcd Scotch Fir, which,
unable through some youthful injury
to rear head as proudly as his brothers
on either side, had perversely grown
outward and downward till it has
formed bower fit for the Fir Maiden
herself.
As soon as the excitement Of movement
had passed, deadly fear of impending
evil came over Patty; but the brave lit.
tie spirit would not quail and out again
only to shrink buck with o cry, as
through the pines overhead, with every
undulating motion, there swept bro
ken sheet Of white twenty feet square,
and then silently faded into the distance.
Poor child little did she deem, as she
covered under the fir branches, that
the same sheet which had scared
many one before, and should many o
one afterward, was only q herd of swans
vending theif nightly way from Do
gamesfield to Bramshill, from Brams-
hill great pond to the Lodden OF Swal-
lowfeld. But to Patty, as to others, it
was veritable moving apparition of the
ghost and body Of her childhood; anl
long it was ere she could muster cour-
age for another start. She could but
die; and what if she did die for Willis
sake? Better that than have him killed
and leave her desolate. Then, fancy,
if she was successful if she reached the
fern seed, gathered itand gave it to him,
80 that he would henceforth walk invis-
ible among the poachers! For that
meant absolute safety.
Yes! up and on till the pine needles
crisped under her tread.
With IN occasional start as night.
jar swoops into her path in pursuit of q
moth, rabbit scuttles into the fern, or
flock of snipe walls across from the
moor down to the cleaning reaches of
the river below, at length sho omerges
from the forest on to chine, on the
further end of which glints white the
summer house. On either side the hill
slopes down abruptly, covered in with
bracken.
1t is not, however, to the right, where
for below the thorn bushes rise in tho
dell, but to the left she looks anxious
ly. where tho cleaning stems of tho
silver birches mark the DOGGY stream by
which grows tie king fern. She can
hear the dogs OF tho keepers, half q
milo away, break out into answering
tongue as fox sullies the stiffness
with querulous bark, which
reminds her that she is standing
out in the open moonlight, where
some of the keepers or watchers may
see her. So she plunges down the lit.
tie moor path, and disappearing in
overarching fronds of bracken is lost to
sight to the young esquire" who, moro
and more puzzled with her manoeuvres,
has almost made up his mind to betray
himself. But, perhaps this doll may
tell its tale; and cautiously he too dives
down into the brscken, and is lost to
sight to third person-Gypsy Will
himself, gun on shoulder, who, unknown
to either of the others, has been keep
ing pace with them through the frs to
tho left-a moro puzzled spectator than
oven the young Squire.
The young Squire he had known OF
once, but Patty was not so easily rec
ognized, nor the reason for her being
there and being followed.
There must be something wrong about
this. And he, too, disappeared under
the green blanket Of fern. converging
60 as to meet the other two ut tho bot.
tom of tho dell.
Not twenty yards apart do the two
mon reach it, and twenty yards ahead
of them on tho tinkling moor strean,
side, hedged in with silver birch stems
stands Patty Holden in tho moonlight
shaking into her platter q giant frond
of Osmunda RECALLS that towers above
hor head, while her face shames tho very
moon in paleness; and tho two mon sec
her hole form quiverins with emotion
The young Squire first recovered his
sang froid, and jauntily stopped out
from tho shadow with a "Hullol little
Patty"
The girls wild shrek as he stepped
forward to put his arm round her reused
all tho slumboring devil in Wills heart
and, clubbing his gun, no sprang for.
ward.
Tho 'Squire's sword was out in q sec.
ond, and, ere tho gun stock descended
WIS through Will lclG 1fMS ueVcrtne'
less, tho blow fell fair on to tho young
mans shoulder, cruising him consoles
to tho earth.
= .
About two months afterwards, the
door of cell in Winchester Jail opened
and keeper said to its inmate. evil
Halfacrc, you're in luck! The young
Squire of Branshill is better, and in.
stead of proceeding against you, they
have withdrawn all charges; and here's
Patty Holden brought the warrant fol
your release"
In another moment Patty was nest.
ling in his bosom, and telling in dis.
jointed sentences how the young Squire
had said it was oil his own fault, and