Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-10-27
SKIS Sister
BY BERNARD BIGsBY.

they started late, and one OF the horses
came back badly hurt"
"Oh-h-h," Bladon groaned.
'They may not even be hurt. if you
will only wait till"
But the old man did not seem to hear
her.
"Lured him to his ruin, as the other
Wanda did his hapless father"
The poor girls bosom heaved in deep
distress; her lips moved as though she
would have uttered remonstrance, but
the depths of the old mans sorrow
awed her into silence.
You might have spared him, miss"
he said presently. "You might have
left him alone in the care of his old
servant-he was blind you know-not
much of a conquest for a bonnie lass
like you. 1t was too bad, too bad"
"Oh, Mr.. Bladon," but sobs choked
her utterance.
Then you must have them both at
your heels" this dreadful old man con-
tinued, both this gay young French
man and Master George. True, my
poor lad couldn't see the others eyes
devouring your pretty face-ah, you'd
better have took to one instead of
wrecking both their lives"
But harkl A shout. 1t is a man run
ming on the ice, who calls to those
ashore to send a bobsleigh with a
featherbed in it to a place above the
point.
Old Bladon was among the first to
respond to the cry. Now that there
was something to do, the old man had
cast aside his air of depression, and was
busy making reparation to do his
duty. Nothing was forgotten in the
hurry-blankets, brandy, hot water
bottles-and he alone thought to send
n man off in hot haste to Glastonbury
to fetch surgeon.
I Then the sad group set out up the
river, with host of women and chill
dren at its heels, and Wanda Arlington
remained behind, agonized with the
pain of an almost unbearable suspense.
They came at last, with the terrible
story, carried by excited schoolboys,
preceding them.
Yes, they had found one of the miss
ing ones-poor George Arundel He
was lying with his face buried in the
snow, and with the wreck of cutter
and the body of dead horse beside him
And when Wanda Arlington learned
this dismal story, she brushed aside her
Gears, and, with a group of eager, chat
tering children around her, started up
the river to meet the rescuers. 1t was
easy to see by their downcast looks that
the worst had happened-the worst, she
said bitterly to herself, was not death.
You will bring him to my room at
Mr.. Dolman's," she said, with a COM
posture that did not deceive the kind
hearted rivermen, who were tender as
women when trouble was to the fore.
mo, no, lass, not that, not that"
The speaker was William Bladon He
was walking beside the sleigh little
aloof from the others, but he advanced
to her side when she spoke.
And why not?" the girl said holly
what have done that you should
treat me SO cruelty? George Arundel
was my dear friend, as we'll as yours,
and claim my right to be near him in
his hour of need"
But, miss"
Nay, hear me. If he could speak,
do you think he would approve your
harshness?"
"They think he'll never live to win
this journeys end," Bladon whispered.
ut matters little where they take him,
lass; your lodgings as good as any
where else, SO have thine own way,
child. Praps / was too hard on thee
this morn, but l loved the lad dearly
an I'm old an set in my ways"
So they bore the poor, manned body
to Dolman's house, and laid it tenderly
on Wanda's bed.
Then came the dreaded hour when the
physician was making his examination,
| al St1-in rr;,- 81 i 4
to pray ceaselessly and pitifully that
Heaven would spare her the worst.
Good, kind, gentle DIR. West, who had
been her friend from the day after her
arrival in Glastonbury, came from the
sick chamber at last.
mo, he is not quite dead, he said.
But l do not think he will linger
through the day"
And, without a word, at his feet
Wanda Arlington fell, as though the
verdict had stricken her with death.
Meanwhile the villagers were hurry,
ing to and fro searching for traces OF
the other participant of the nights ad.
venture, who had so mysteriously dis
appeared from the scene. 1t was i'm.
, possible that he could have fallen
through the ice, for the snow-prints Of
tne nOrSeS moor were TOO fresh not tC
! tell the exact story of their wanderings
t and there was not an air-hole near them
But towards noon, a fisherman, whC
had moored his hut" at the furthe,
end of the bay, came into the village
and told a story which set the tongues
of the gossips wagging.
He said that the preceding night, hav
d ing his hut well in the shelter of biz
snowbank, he had gone to rest
: that very early in the morning be
tween two and three o'clock he had beel
awakened by Alphonse Damiens, YER
white in the face and Withholding
about the eyes, who offered him tv
! dollars to help him to get to the Cana
dian shore, and also gave him a two-dol
lar bill for a half-pint of whisky h
happened to have. That he did conduc
him over the frozen river to Queens
vile, which they reached with muc
difficulty, as He had to clear the wa
r in places with his axe. That Damien