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

dence, thinking that, ifshe realized my
difficulty, she would be the more
ready to help me. She listened to my
story with sympathy that was quite
touching. eff only the old mare were
at home!'' she kept saying; but none
the less was she resolved that Jim
should not go to the Manor that night;
nor could she give me any hope OF
finding either horse or a messenger
ON the way.
"There's not house between here
and the Manor" she said with a queer
little glance at her son; "snd if there
was, nobody would live in it. Now, sir,
just be reasonable. You look real
down tired. Have a bit Of supper
now, and you will feel better. If the
master comes home, you can have the
mare, and if not, Jim shall take the
letter over betimes in the morning"
There was nothing else to be done,
80 l was obliged to submit, although
resolved that, If the farmer did not
return by nine o'clock, l must set out
for the Manor on foot. The woman's
obstinacy had excited my curiosity.
Although the house was clean and
neat, there were signs of poverty on
every side; it could only be very
strong reason, l thought, that made
her thus prevent her sons earning a
couple of sovereigns by a five miles
walk.
She tried to avoid the subject, but,
after good deal of questioning, she
confessed that the road to the Manor
was "uncanny." This idea amused
me not little; I had thought that
all these old superstitions vanished
when railways were invented. But
then, of course, even railways are
things unknown at Walthamthwait.
eff you had seen all l have, you
would be less inclined to laugh, SIR"
Mrs. Metcalf remarked reproachfully.
/ apologized for my untimely mirth,
and soon, as sat there listening idly,
the woman launched into all the de-
tails of the tragedy that must, she
said, make that road forever uncanny.
Mrs. Metcalf, the daughter of a
small Berkshire farmer, had, when
quite girl, come down to the Manor
as maid to Lady Barchester's two
daughters. Her mother had been a
Craven woman, and before her mar
riage, Lady Barchester's maid. judy
ing by the tone of real affection with
which the woman spoke of them, her
young mistresses must have been
kindly, good hearted girls, although
their mother was evidently a Tartar.
She was a genuine Daler, born and
bred in Walthamthwait, and never
leaving it until she married Sir Fred
erick Barchester, fast young officer,
who, having come north on shooting
party, fell in love with the beauty Of
Craven, married her, and took her to
his southern home. The marriage does
not seem to have proved happy one,
for when, a few years later, Lady Bar
chester returned to her fathers house
a widow, she, who had lett it bright,
winsome girl, had become a fierce,
hard woman, whose hand was against
every man, and, as she believed, every
mans hand against her. She brought
with her her two little girls, whom
she loved with such jealous passion
that if they smiled at any one but her,
even at her own father, she would
frown with anger.
These two girls grew up at the
Manor, entirely cut off from the world.
until the elder was nearly nineteen,
when their fathers relations inter-
fered, and insisted upon their being
taken into society BETTING their rank.
Lady Barchester made gallant strug
gle to keep her children for herself
alone, and, at the end, it was only the
fear that they should be taken from
her entirely that induced her to &C.
company them to town for the season.
The two northern heiresses created
quite sensation in London, and little
wonder, for, according to the por-
traits Mrs. Metcalf showed me, they
must both of them have been undeni-
ably beautiful. The younger of the
two was a brilliant brunette, who, if
one may judge by faces, had inherited
her mothers determination, if not her
jealous temper. The elder was cast in
a gentler mould. She was one of
those tall, willowy girls who look as
it gust of wind would blow them
away. Her face was wonderfully
lovely, with large, piteous blue eyes,
which seemed as if they were appeal
ing-appealing, too, in vain-for sym
pathy to those around. BY the strange
magnetism of contrasts it was the gem
tie Dorothea, not the more brilliant
Kathleen, who was her mothers IA
vorite child.
When, at the end of the season, the
Barchesters returned to the Manor,
Kathleen was betrothed to the great
catch of the year, Sir Lionel Foster,
the owner of large estates in Craven,
and a member of good old northern
family. Lady Bsrchester, far from
being elated at her daughters good
fortune, grieved over it as q calamity.