Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-07-12

newest fashion, being a relic Of twopast
seasons. and having known many turn
ings and mendings. Her boots were
cracked and gray, and demanded new
soles, but they must answer for the pres
emit, and her gloves, Of q cheap variety,
were coming out at the fingers.
1t wa a joy to Edith TO feel that she
knew not a soul in Littlefeld beyond her
landlady, and therefore cracked boots
and ragged gloves agnihed little. She
was shabby from top to toe, and yet the
face looking from under the old hat, the
form robed in the faded gown could not
fail 10 attract the eye Of a stranger.
Mrs Northup had noticed il. The girl
had a distinguished air, even In her poor
clothes, and her face piquant, almost
| brilliant, with the large gray eyes and
creamy Iallor. was touched with win
| some loneliness.
A light breeze had sprung up, cooling
the fevered air, and tree shadows began
to stretch long and soft across the fields.
Deepdene woods belonged to the Ashley
place, the grandest in Littleield in ex-
tent and picturesque beauty, though not
the most pretentious. Everything about
the old gray granite mansion, with its
flower garden and greenhouses, a hal
mile from the town, was in q tone OF
quiet elegance. No cheap OF tasteless
statuary OF vulgar cast iron images, but
smooth velvet lawns, shaded by noble
old trees, and with well laid out drives
and walks. The private grounds were
skirted by a shady lane that ran under
great dropping elms by the side Of the
tennis court, but was divided from them
by a wall Of masonry, and finally lost
itself in broad woodlands near the banks
Of an artificial lake furnished with rus
tic seats and a small boat house.
AS Miss March walked swiftly through
the lane she saw a party Of young people
at play on the tennis court-Harold Ash
ley and four Of his friends, and his sister
Fanny. a slight brunette, in a well fit
ting tennis gown A lady in white re
clined in a lounging chair, with a book
in her hand and a great st. Bernard
dog crouched at her feet Edith could
easily have heard what the young people
were saying had she fingered a bit in the
shade of the trees, but she sped along
under her sun umbrella, where wide
rents betrayed themselves in the worn
silk, anxious 10 hide herself in the thick,
cool woods In a spot among the birch
trees and leafy ashes, where, sitting on
a messy log, with her feet on ferns and
briony vines, she had once heard the
song of the hermit thrush. ThisspOt lay
over the hill opposite Deepdene place,
and gave glimpses Of a little secluded
valley where COWS wandered among the
-. LII 49, a NfnLlTnU hall II
was lonely and delicious, and Edith, sit
ting on her moss cushioned seat, with her
head thrown back and resting against
the trunk Of a tall ash, gave herself up
TO reveries as she followed out the mazes
of her story. She never knew how long
she had sat there in perfect peace, her
mind having flown from the thread Of
the tale to calculations as TO how long
the money it was TO bring would feed
and clothe Will at the scientific school,
when a strange gasping sound came to
her ear from the depths of the woods,
something between a groan and a faint
~despairing wall. II might be wounded
animal or a lost child.
Edith started TO her feet and looked
about. The sound appeared TO issue from
a little thicket 10 the left, tangled with
wild grapevines and blackberry bushes.
She made her way quickly, clambering
over logs and stones as best she could,
TO the border Of a shallow stony brook,
where grew a cluster Of great pines and
, hemlockS At the foot Of the largest tree
) in the dim green light she saw a vague
whiteness It might be a light colOred
dog or a young heifer that had got caught
/, No, it was a woman, lying face down.
clutching the moss with her shriveled
, hands and moaning in great pain. Her
knees were drawn up as II in a epasm-
Edith gently raised her head from the
. ground and tried to support her with her
I hack to the tree. The woman's face wa
. deathIy pale. She was old and thin and
very light. and her hair was dressed on
, long eaycurA Her gold trimmed glase
] had fallen of and her bOnnet hung dan
!, Cling from her neck by the strings AIR
: lie figured shawl of an antique pattern
! Law on the ground with q small dinnel
! basket and a manuscript book. The boob
: Law open, and Edith saw the writing In
! fine woman's hand, in lines that betoken
ed poetry.
A Edith ran 70 the brook for water. and
' brought it in a china cup that had roleC
: ont of the basket. She bathed the sicl
a woman's face and chafed her icy COLI
hands. The faded, refined old face an'
r long gray curls seemed in some way ia
miliar, and suddenly it flashed upon he
\ memory that she had seen it that yer.
II morning in the cottage garden amonl
a the Irish tenements. She was the sam
y tail. thin old dame with long curls sh
had seen ont in the garden watering tn
flowers.
"a Il am so glad You have come" viii;
p pered the pale bps; Il thought / shout
a die here alone"
"a "Were You in when you Gamer" Edit
AZ asked. what caused it,
The sick woman's hand pointed vague
ly to some suspicious looking fungi III
- - 49, 81 hnuwA thu runr