The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-15


and health
Eyes, sir; and we'd better hurry up, for
they won't stand tied much longer NY
eye, but it's dark out doors!"
go and tell Prof. Cronin to be ready for
Us by the time we get back. Tell Pat and
Dave to come on and bring the dark lantern
with you as you come back"
"All right sir" and the young man went
out
Arthur Denver, left alone, slipped his
pistols into his pockets, looked all around
tie waiting-room of Westmoreland Col
lege, in which he was standing, whistled
sOftly part Of a tune in an absent-minded
way, and stepped out Of the light room
into the darkness of the storm
The sudden transition from light to dark
blinded him, but he soon saw the dim
lights in the far-off windows OF the college
dOrlaitOry, and discerned before him the
swaying branches Of the trees and the
rush OF rain-drops across the ath OF
light that streamed from the window of
the room he had Just left
He remained standing long enough to
have developed some Impotence though,
1t the wind could have taken cognizance of
the face 1t beat against, it would have per-
ceived that the mind was far away and was
noticing neither the weather nor the low
ering temperature-when simultaneously
gOOd-natured peal OF laughter and a clatter
of horses hoofs announced the arrival of
his young friend with the team. He drove
up at a dashing pace and reined his horses
IN SO suddenly 1t threw them on their
launches. Arthur could dimlv see, behind
the restless horses light spring wagon
and In 1T the dark and shadowy figures of
vrI0r, H0 ,1iv bod jv,,
cant seat beside the driver At word the
mettlesome steeds sprang forward and
sped through the darkness at breakneck
pace.
You will have to learn to be more quiet
on expeditions of this sort, Morton" said
Arthur Denver.
1T was not who laughed 80 boisterously
Just before we came up with YOU" replied
the young man.
Indeed? Thought it was"
mo, sir. 1t was Graeme"
'Graeme! The idiot! What does he out
on such night as this?"
He be always out on these koind of
noights, sor," spoke up one Of the men on
the back seat.
Arthur Denver shrugged his shoulders.
Are you sure you know the road, Nor
ton?"
Been over it ever since 1 was a child.
sir"
And he did know it, for they flew around
the hillsides, over dangerous ground
enough in daylight, without an accident
The rain still beat in gusts directly in their
faces smOthered impreca!ion from one
or the other of the two men in the back
seat betrayed their nativity and early re-
igious training, as well as varied the
monotony by marking the passage of some
particularly rough chuck-hole or high
culvert They sped on. winding among
the hills and measuring many drearv
lane before they stopped And when thew
did halt, it was before gate that had over
1t huge white arch dimly discernible
through the murky night The gate was
locked, but it yielded to the "open sesame''
OF broad key in the hands of Morton.
Through the gate the wagon passed, and
along the graveled driveway wounu it's
tortuous way among the habitations of the
dead until it came to q new-made grave
Here the men alighted. and while the late
occupants of the rear seat shOveled away
at the mound, Morton hitched the horses
and stepped back to watch the gate. and
Arthur skilfully Lit his pipe beneath his
great-coat and smoked
Half an hour later the same team was
making return trip over the same road
A fifth passenger was now aboard But
this passenger lay on the floor of tho
wagon in a sack.
At the college gate Prof. Cronin met
them
'sHave you got Ahce?" he inquired. you
had better put her in your room, Prof
Denver, till tonight; the lock is broken on
the door of the dissecting room, and II it
will not Inconvenience
mot at all"
Norton drove on slowly through thu COZ
lege grove Tho wind had died down and
the rain ceased, leaving the air full of
damp fog. The first indications of dawn
were barely observable in the gradually
clearing eastern horizon as the trees began
to loom into spectral shape, holding their
w1oe-spreading arms and dripping fingers
over the wagon passing beneath The
eomber pile of the college outlined itself
indistinctly against the gray sky. To the
lef1 Lay the dormitory hall, to the right tho
building occupied BY the laboratories. rect
tetaon rooms and the bachelor apartments
o. Prot Arthur Denver. To the last men
uoned place they drove. The professor
pad the men, dismissed Norton with the