Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-11-29
OVER THU BORDER.
BY WALTER BEsANT.

appear in large quantities Mathew looked
on. saying nothing The silence terrified
his sister. What did it meant And she
perceived. for the first time. that their
ward had ceased to DO boy. and must
henceforth be treated as man 1t was a
fearful thought She shut her Bible and
sat back with folded hands. waiting the
issue
In course of time even a hungry boy of
II has had enough. Ralph lifted his head
at last. took another prolonged pull at the
beer, and told Barbara. politely. that he
had enjoyed good dinner
Then he turned to his cousin and ad-
dressed him with a certain solemnity
Cousin" he said you have always
hated me, because my uncle left the mill
to me instead of to yourself Yet you
knew from the beginning that his design
was for me to have it. | have done you
no wrong You have never lost any op
portunity of abusing me before my face
and behind my back You became. un-
happily for me, my guardian You have
never neglected any chance Of hogging
and beating me. If you could find a cause
As regards the ghost business. | was
wrong | deserved punishment. but was
it the province of cousin and guardian
to go and lay information before the jus
tice of the peace9 | shall be II come next
month. In four years this mill and the
farm will be mine own But If | remain
with you here can expect nothing but
hatred and Ill treatment as far as you
dare. You have give me plowboys work
without aplowboys wage, and often with
out plowboys food AS for logging
that is finished. because think you have
no more stomach for another fight"
Mathew made no reply whatever, but
sat with his head upon his hands, breath
ing heavily
Il am tired Of i'll treatment" Ralph
went on. and ! shall go away"
WHITTIER. boy2" asked Barbara.
Il know not yet. ! go to seek my
fortune"
Co. if you will. said Mathew; Ego, in
the devils name: go. whittier you are
bound to go; long before four years are
over you will be hanging in chains"
Ralph laughed and took up his bundle.
Farewell Prudence, he said; thou
vast ever kind to me,
The woman threw her arms about his
neck and kissed him with tears. and prayed
that the Lord might bless him And as
he walked forth from the house the voice
of Barbara followed him, saying
"A whip for the horse. a bride for the
ass. and a rod for the FOOLS back"
The fugleman was sitting in the sun be-
fore his door in the castle. smoking pipe
and inclined to be drowsy when Ralph
appeared with his startling news
As regards the Jogging the old soldier
made light of it Nothing can be done in
the army without the cat Had not he
himself once received 300 all by mistake.
because they were meant for another man,
who escaped Did he therefore bear malice
against his commanding oficerf No But
the villainy of Mathew. first to lay infor
nation and then to make an excuse for
logging just for pleasure and to crafty
his own selfish desire to be continually
fogging why, that justified the mutiny
AS for the details of the fight, he blamed
severely the inexperience In strategy
shown by first knocking down the enemy
He should have expected better things of
Ralph, whose true policy would have been
to harass and annoy his adversary by
feints, lodges and unexpected skirmishes
This would not only have fatigued him,
bat. considering his shortness of breath.
would have worn him out. so that he
would in the end have fallen an easy prey,
and been cudgeled without resistance till
there was not sound place left Beside,
it would have made the fight more inter.
esting considered as work of art
However. doubtless the next time-but
then he remembered that the boy was
going away
TO seek my fortune fuglcman. Ralph
said gayly Look after Drusy for me.
while am away
"Ay-ay" the fuglenan replied. ''she
shall come to no harm And as for money.
Master Ralphl'
I've got guinea. he replied. which
my uncle gave me three years ago
"A guinea won't go far Stay Master
AlfAi pa l4G NGili lAiLO Ills iOOll bllQ Cdll6
back with stocking in his hand Here's
ali I've got, boy 1t is twenty guineas
Take it all | shall do very we'll Lord
what with the rabbits and the pleas.
ants
Nay. said Ralph. 4 will not take your
savings neither
But presently being pressed. be con
81 e 4aIr . l..
standing that when he came back (his
fortune made) the fugleman was to receive
twenty And then they parted with
mighty hand shake
half way down the street Ralph passed
Sailor Nan, who was sitting on great
stone beside her door. smoking her short
black pipe
Whittier bound, my lad?" she asked
Il am bound to London. he replied. Il
am of to seek my fortune
Come here. | will read thy fortune"
Like most old women. Nan could read
lads fortune in the lines of his hand, or
by the cards. or by the peeling of an apple.
"A good cruise. she said, with fair
wind aft and good weather for the most
part. But storms belize OH leaving port.
There's a villain, and fighting. and foreign
parts. and gold. and good wife Go thy
ways lad Art no poor puss faced swab
to fear fair lighting Go thy ways Take
stand by all old shipmets Go thy ways"
He laughed and left her Yet he was
cheered by her kindly prophecy
He crossed the old bridge and presently
found himself outside the green palings
Of Dame Hetherington' house The girl
who had joined him In church was in the
garden He whis:led and she came run.
ning
Il am come to say good by. Drusy," he
said, Il am running away
oh Ralph whithers And you have a
cruel blow upon your face"
Il have fought Mathew, he said, land
have beaten him This scar upon my
face is nothing compared with the scars
over his believe he is one large bruise
But can no longer endure his Ill treat
ment and Barbaras continual reproaches
Therefore | am resolved to remain no
longer, but shall go TO London. there to
seek my fortune as thy father did,
Drusy
They talked for half an hour, she trying
to persuade him to stay. and be resolved
to go Then he went with her into the
house. where he must needs tell all the
story to Dame Hetherington. who scolded
him, and babe him get home again and
make submission. but be would not