The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1888-11-10
An October Ghost.

"My good woman" l said, strug-
Cling hard to control my temper
"these letters are of the greatest i'm
portance; they must be taken to Wal
thamthwait Manor tonight"
But, although spoke in my most
autocratic manner, in my heart of
hearts l knew that she, not I, was the
mistress of the situation. think she
knew it too, judging by the gentle,
deprecating way in which she smiled ;
woman never looks SO like reed as
when possessed of power and bent on
using it.
"These letters must be taken to
Walthamthwait Manor tonight"
repeated emphatically.
"Certainly, sir; make sure when
the master comes home he will lend
you the mare" the farmers wife re-
piled gently. She was a Berkshire
woman, and, her soft southern accent
came to me as welcome relief, after
a day spent in vain endeavor to under
stand the semi Gaelic dialect of the
Dalers.
"But you say you don't know when
he will come; perhaps not tonight"
"Why, sir, you see it all depends on
them sheep, and sheep are the most
UNREASONABLE of creatures. If the
master has sold them all, Pm pretty
sure we shall see him to- night; though
he might go on to Pately for the mar
ket," she added meditatively.
"There, now, you see yourself we
cannot rely upon him; l must find a
messenger. Have you no man about
the placer
The woman shook her head.
"Then there is no help for it; / can
not walk step further, so your SOL
must co." l said, pointing to a lad a.
bout eighteen lounging on the settle.
Mrs. Metcalf shook her head more
decidedly than before.
"Of course l will pay him for 60.
ing" added impatiently.
ats not that, sir. Jim would 90
and gladly too, just to oblige you, il
it was anywhere else; but not to The
Manor, sir, tonight. Why, it is al.
most dark already"
"But it is not more than five miles
yOd soy du0 SICdb lOllOW Ike LIld
cannot mind the darkness"
"Not to the Manor, sir; anywher,
else you hke-but not to the Manor
Jim shall not go to the Manor to.
night"
That was all she would say; and
my prayers, entreaties, brides, and
threats were alike powerless to move
her from her resolve. The more ]
stormed the more gentle she became
but with the infexible gentleness OF
one who was determined at any cost
to protect her own from danger.
On the 1st of October--it was ther
the 20th-my brother and had come
down into Yorkshire on q walking
tour. Frank was more active than
myself, but we had stuck faithfully
together until the previous day, when
his patience being exhausted by the
time l took vainly endeavoring to
make sketch of the Brimham rocks,
he had set of alone into Craven, to
Waithamthwait Manor, which some
cousins of ours had taken for the
season; and there 7 had arranged to
meet him after days rest at Pately.
At Pately, however, found a
budget of letters, and among them one
from the admiralty, summoning
Frank back to his ship. As the let
tiers had been waiting some days, NO
time was to be lost and hearing from
the innkeeper that Walthamthwait
was within an easy walk, set out.
My road lay up Nidderdale, and round
by Great Whernside; but either the
landlords idea ofdistances varied con-
siderably from mine, or else 1 must
have lost my way, for after passing
Middlssmoor / wandered for hours in
an almost uninhabited region, and
then learned at . little wayside farm
house that was still FIVE miles from
the Manor. The farmers wife received
me most Hospitality, and offered me q
bed, which, = / was thoroughly worn
out, / should have bean most thankful
to accept, Il only could have found