The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-30
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY DECEMBER 30, 1883.

II DliSSiul present., With no pittus DeJou
their next rendezvous. In that mysterious
and sudden absorption of each other, not
only the past, but the future seemed to have
been forgotten.
These thoughts were passing trough his
mind the next afternoon to the prejudice of
that calm and studious repose which the
deserted school house usually superinduced,
and which had been SO fondly noted by
McKinstry and Uncle Ben. The latter had
not arrived for his usual lesson; it was pos
sible that undue attention had oeen attract
ed to his movements now that his good for
tune was known; and the master was lone,
save for the occasional swo ping incursions
of depredatory jay in search of cruaIDs
from the chidren's luncheons, who added
apparently querulous insult to the larceni-
Gus act. He regretted Uncle Ben's alb ,ence,
as he wanted to know more about his COLI
nection with the Harrison attack and his
eventual intentions. Ever since the master
emerged from the barn aud regained his
hotel under cover of the darkness, he had
heard only the vaguest rumors, and he pur-
posely avoided di ect inquiry.
He had been quite prepared for Cressy's
absence from school that morning-indeed
in his present vacillating mood he had felt
that her presence would have been irksome
him sudde4ly and unpleasantly that
her very desertion of him at that
critical moment in the barn had not since
been followed by the least sign of anxiety
to know the result of her mothers inter
fere ce. What did she imagine had trans
pired between Mrs. McKiastry and him
self! Had she confidently expected her
mot er's prompt acceptance of the situa-
ton and reconciliation Was that the
reason why she had treated that Interrupt
ton as lightly as if she were already his
recognized bet otheil Had she even calcu-
lated upon its had She
He stopped, his cheek glowing from irri-
tation under the suspicion, and shame at the
disloyalty Of entertaining it.
Opening his desk, he began to arrange his
paners mocha lically, when he discovered
with slight feeling Of annoyance, that he
had placed Cressy's bouquet-now dried and
wthered-n the same pigeon hole with the
mysterious letters with which he had SO
often communed in former days. He
once separated them with q half bitter
smile, yet after a moments hesit ton, anu
With his old sense OF attemp ing to revive a
forgotten association, he tried to reperuse
them. But they did not even restrain his
straying thoughts, nor prevent him from
detecting singular occurrence The nearly
level sun was, after its old fashion, already
hanging the Swallowed tassels of the pine
boughs like garland on the wall. BIT the
shadow seemed to have suddenly grown
larger and more compact, and he turned
with a quick conscious less of some interpos-
ing figure at the pane. Nothing, however,
was TO be seen. Yet so impressed had
been that ne walked TO She door and stepped
from the porch to discover the intruder. The
clearing was deserted, there was slight
rustliug in the adjacent laurels, but no hu-
man being was visible. Nevertheless, the
old feeling of secu ity and isolation whica
had never been quite the same since Mr.
McKinstry's confession, seemed now to
nave fed the sylvan school house altogether,
and he somewhat angrily closet his desk,
locked it, and determined to go home.
His way lay through the first belt of
pines toA ard the mini1g fiat, but to-day
| from some vague impulse he turned and
followed the ridge. He had not proceeded
far when he perceived Rupert Filgee loung-
Jag before him on the trail, and at little dis
tauce further on his brother Johnny. A
the sight Of these two favorite pupils Mr.
Ford's heart smote him with a consciou $
ness that ne had of late nelected them, POS.
sibly because kupert's lofty scorn of the
silly" sex was not as amusing TO him as
| formerly, and possibly because Johnny
| curiosity had been at times Intrusive.
He however. quickened his pace and
Joined Rupert laying his hand familiarl
as of old on his shoulder To his surprise
the boy received his advances with some
| constraint and awko ardnesi, glancing I'M
easily ia the direction of Johnny. A sudden
idea C ossed Mr.. Ford's mind
"Were you looking for me at the school
room just nowp
"No, sir"
"You didn't look in at the window to
see If | was there.' continued the master.
mo, sir"
The master glanced at Rupert Truth
telling was a part of Rupert's truculent
temper, although as the boy had often bit
terly remarked, it had always told agin'
| him." u eSt
Gan right" said the MASTER perfectly
convinced. st must have been my fancy
but thought somebody looked in-or passed
by the window"
But here johnny, who had overheard the
dialogue had approached them. suddenly
threw himself upon his brothers unoffend-
ing legs and commenc to beat and pull
them about with unintelligibe protests
Rupert, without looking down, said
qui thy:
"O1it that now-I won't, tell ye," and
went through certain automatic movements
of dislodging Johnny as if he were a mere
impeding puppy.
"WnaJs til matter, JohnnyW said the
master, to whom these gyrations were not
familiar.
Johnny only replied by new grip Of his
brothers trousers.
"Well, sir" said Rupert, slightly recover
ing his dimples and his readiness, johnny
yer, wants me to tell ye something. Ell he
wasn't the most original sef-cocking, God
forsaken liar in Iljln Sprng-ef he didn't
| lie awake in his eric mornin's to invent lies
fer the day, wouldn't mind tellin' ye, and
would hev told you befoe. However,
since you ask, and since you
think you saw some ody around the
school house, Johnny yer allows that Seth
Davis is spyin' round end followin' ye
wherever you go, and ne dra eyed me down
yer to see it. He says he saw him doggin'
yen y
with a knife and pithtolth." added
Johnny's boundless imagination to the detri-
ment of mis- limited fac,s.
Mr.. Fcrd looked keenly from the one to
the other, but rather With suspicion that
they were o2nizaut of his late fracas
than belief in the truth of Johnny's state
ment.
"And what do you think of it, RupertF'
he asked, carele sly.
81 think, SIR" said Rupert, shat allowin'
for onct-that Johnny amt lynn, meb-
bee it's Cressy Mckinstry that Seth's hunt
in round, and KNOWN that she's always
runnin' after ye-" He stopped, and red
dening with a newborn sense that his fatal
truthfulness had led him into glaring in
delicacy toward the master, hurrieily
added: "Imean, sir, that mebbee it's U 1cle
Ben he's jealous Of now taat he's got rich
enough for Cressy 10 hev him. and KNOWN
ha couas IN ScnOoI In the aftarnoon per-