The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-12-27

even less than Austin, who not RECEIVING
q reply to his forgiving note, deemed Won
unyielding, and that reconciliation was
now out of the question:
s'How could he think so when-''
"Of course it was strange" interrupted
Lura, with covert smile, '.but it will all
come right in the end if you just refuse to
countenance that villain, Clinton Starbright.
shall see Mr.. Wentword and tell him all
about it, and then the crooked paths will all
be made straight"
"You are very kind"
"No, I'm not. 1 fam utterly selfish" as
serted Lura; II do all this to crafty nv
own heart. I've set my mind on outwtting
villain, and mean to do it Or die trying.
came near it, too, that night. l will tell
you about it, for know you are anxious to
| hear the wonderful story.
81 am deeply anxious" assured Grace.
"You all thought me dead?"
Ihad come to believe so. Romeo came
home riderless, and a search failed to reveal
any thing. OF course We were puzzled to
know what had become of you if Romeo had
flung you from his back. Either living or
dead you ought to have been found, that
was the pulling part of the whole affair ~
EXACTLY, and Captain Starbright was as
deeply puzzled as the rest''
Certainly
A low laugh fell from the lips Of Lura.
The red curls danced on her forehead, and a
| fierce light burned in her eyes. ''The con-
summate hypocrite" she cried, in a wither-
| ing way that thrilled Grace to the quick.
"But won't indulge in invective against
| that creature now. mean to hunt him to
| his hole and then see that he meets with
| just punishment"
| Lura then proceeded to relate how she had
taken the path leading along the edge of
! Hangmans Gulch, past the cabin of the
| witch, Mother CABRERA, whose name she had
| since learned; how she had become bewil-
| dered and turned about to retrace her steps,
and then of her meeting the two rufflans in
the immediate vicinity of Mother Cabera's
cabin; of her being jerked from the saddle
and lifted high above the precipice.
"Dld you ever go up high, way up to the
| tree-tops in a swing, Grace? You know, if
you have, what scary feeling shoots all
| over you; that was just how felt when
| those ruffians lifted me over that abyss. I
| was too frightened to utter a word-it was
the first instance in my life that got so far
used up as that Presently I felt myself
| going down, down, shooting like rocket
| through the air; then a bush switched
against my face, a terrible scratching on
hands and limbs, then q crash and utter
| blackness.'
| Lura paused in her narration
| Grace Penroy was breathing deeply, her
face pale, her great, honest gray eyes
dllating with the intensity of feeling aroused
by the words of her cousin.
SEQ On, Lara, am listening" aspirated
the heiress after brief moment of silence.
"You wish to hear all about it now-you
| are not too tired!'
"No, no, 60 on; am dying to hear the
| whole story of your adventures, dear
cousin.''
sit seems wonderful. something like q
| fairy story to me now" proceeded Lura,
| shut have evidence of it's utter truthful
| ness. 1 might have been dead, but was
not. In descending the sixty feet to the
hard ground below, had passed through
the bushy top Of tree which, it seems, had
the effect to break nay fall and land me
stunned and bruised, yet alive, on the stones
and leaves at the foot of the declivity.
II must have lain there several hours ere
strange creature came by, saw me ap-
parently dead on the ground. and in the
| kindness of his heart lifted and carried me
| nearly a mile in his strong arms. When I
them and was nearly blinded. was very
| weak and could not situp. Soon, as spoke
and called for water, for l was very
thirsty, face bent above me, a kindly old
face, framed in with white hair and beard,
the face it seemed to me of one of the an
Gent patriarchs.
"'Rest quietly, pretty dove, he said. 4
| will bring you water and food, but you must
NJ fctir for q of bo
victims of the Doge, and will save you"
1 thought the mans language was strange
in the extreme. He was kind and atten-
tive, however, ministering to my every
want, but had been so rudely shaken up,
it was more than a week before l was able
to be on my feet and move about Then !
made an examination of my quarters, tc
dnd quite an extensive cave To me ii
seemed to have been fashioned by the hand
Of man. Inquiring of the old man, he as
sured me that his name was Don Benito
once subject of the Doge of Venice, but
now an exile, and that the cave had been
excavated by men many years before for
hiding place from the wrath of the Doee
Some of the Evil Spirits of Excessive
Diligence at the Piano.
The WEAKNESS of long-continued
study is proverbial. Its explanation is
| not far to seek. One portion of our
entire being is almost exclusively oc-
cupied, and the monotony of the proc
ess constitutes in large measure the
cause of exhaustion. Relief must &C
cOrdingly be sought in rest, in the ex-
ercise of other functions. or in varia-
ton of the form of mental exertion.
Such timely and refreshing change en-
tiers into all well-ordered plans of edu-
| cation. There is, however, in every
study stage at which persistent con-
ception is indispensable to any thing
like high development. Reiteration,
though tedious, is necessary to full
instruction. Perhaps no better illus
tration of this fact could be found than
that which is constantly evident in the
cultivation of music. One could hard
ly conceive of any thing more truly
monotonous than continuance of that
tax OF patience, piano practice.
| No doubt inclination and Unborn
faculty may do much to create an in
| terest, but the most enthusiastic learner
| vdhl sometimes, notwithstanding, rebel
against the exactions of musical cram
1t has even been stated by German
| observer that much of the nervous
delicacy so common among girls is
traceable to excessive diligence at the
| piano. There is more that a grain of
truth in this observation. The limit
of moderation, indeed, may not be
capable of exact definition. for a longer
| or shorter period would naturally suit