San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-01-15
The Master Of Ballantrae
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, Au-
thor DR. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
-rzS1lA

As we walked back, bearing the candle
sticks, she the sword-a strange burden for
that woman-she had another thought
Should We tell Henry" she asked.
LET my lord decide" said l.
My lord was nearly dressed when came to
his chamber. He heard me with a frown.
THE free traders" said be- But whether
dead or alivew
81 thought him 80 |, and paused,
ashamed of the word
Il know; but you may very we'll have been
in error. Why should they remove him if
not living'" he asked oh, here is great
door of hope. 1t must he given out that he
departed-as he came-without any note of
preparation. We must save all scandal"
saw he had fallen, like the rest of us, to
think mainly of the house. Now that all the
living members of the family were plunged
in irremedal sorrow, it was strange how we
turned to that rcoujoint abstraction of the
family itself, and sought to bolster up the
airy nothing of its reputation; not the Duries
only but the hired steward himself.
Are we to tell MIR. HenryT' l asked him.
81 will see," said he Il am going to first
visit him, then go forth with you to view
the shrubbery and consider"
We went down stairs into the hall. Mr.
Henry sat by the table with his head upon
his hand, like man of stone. His wife stood
little back from him, her hand at her
mouth; it was plain she could not move him.
My old lord walked very steadily to where
his son was sitting; he had a steady counte-
nance, too, but methought little cold; when
he was come quite up, he held out both his
hands and said: MY sonv'
With broken, strangled cry, Mr.. Henry
leaped up and fell on his fathers neck, cry
ing and weeping, the most pitiful sight that
ever a man witnessed ''Oh, father" he
cried you know | loved him; you know
loved him in the beginning; | could have
died for him-you know thatl would have
given my life for him and you. Oh, say you
know thatl Oh, say you can forgive mel
Oh, father, father, what have 1 done, what
have donsi and we used to be BARNS TO-
getheri" and wept and sobbed, and fondled
the old man, and clutched him about the
neck, with the passion Of a child in terror
And then he caught sight of his wife, you
would have thought for the first time, where
she stood weeping to hear him; and in a mo
ment had fallen at her knees. And oh, my
lass, )" he cried, 'you must forgive me, too
Not your husband-I have only been the ruin
Of your life. But you knew ME when | was
a lad there was no harm in Henry Durie
then; he meant aye to be friend to you
It's hints the old BARN that played with
you-oh can ye never, never forgive himp'
Throughout all this my lord was like
cold, kind spectator with his wits about him
At the first cry, which was indeed enough to
call the house about u.s., he had said to me
over his shoulder: "Close the door" And
now he nodded to himself.
I'VE may leave him to his wife now" SAYS
he. Bring light, Mr.. Mackellarr
Upon my going forth again with my lord
| was aware of a strange phenomenon; for
though It was quite dark and the night not
yet Old methought | smelled the morning.
At the SAME time there went tossing
through the branches of the evergreens, so
that they sounded like quiet sea, and the
air pulled at times against our faces and the
flame of the candle shook. We made the
more speed, believe, being surrounded by
this hustle; visited the scene of the duel,
where my lord looked upon the blood with
stociSm, and, passing further on toward the |
landing place, came at last upon some evi. |
6ences of the truth For, first of all where
there was pool across the path, the ice had |
been trodden in, plainly by more than one !
mans weight; next and but a little further, |
young tree was broken, and down by the |
landing place, where the traders boats were |
usually beached, another stain Of blood !
marked where the body must have been in
fallibly set down to rest the bearers.
This stain We set ourselves - ?Ta5l away
with the sea water. carrying it in nv lords |
hat; and az we wore thus engaged, there came
up a sudden, moaning gust and left US in
Stantly beuighted
1T will come TO SHOW says my lord:
and the best thing that we could hope Let
us go back now; we can do nothing in the
dark
As We went houseward the wind being
again subsidized, we were aware of a strong
pattering noise about us in the night; and
when we issued from the shelter of the trees
we found it raining smartly.
Throughout the whole of this, my lords
clearneSS of mind, no less than his activity OF
body, had not ceased to minister to my amaze
ment. He set tho crown upon il in the coun,
ell We held on our return. The free traders
had certainly secured the master, though,
whether dead or alive, we were still left to
our conjectuieS The rain would, long be,
fore day, wipe out all marks of the transac-
ton. by this we must profit. The master
had unexpectedly come after the fall of night.
1t must now 10 given out he had as suddenly
departed before the break Of day, and to
make all this plausible it now only remained
for me to mount into the mans chamber and
pack and conceal his baggage. True, we still
lay at the discretion of the traders; but that
was the incurable weakness of OUT guilt
heard him, as | said, with wonder, and
FASTENED to obey. Mr.. and Mrs. Henry were
gone from the hall; my lord, for warmth's