Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-07
CHAPTER XXI.
THE LAST SIGNAL


THE LAST SIGNAL
But now let us follow Sir James as he
rose briskly round the head of the loch.
and then entered a picturesque defle be-
tween some rugged precipltous cliffs, which
soon completely hid the house at Kintore
from his view. But he was thinking very
tenderly of the fair young wife he had left
behind there. He was angry with himself
than even for a moment he had allowed his
mothers insinuations to darken his mind.
1t should never be so again he told him
self He trusted her, and he would trust
her always, and, please God, no shadows
should ever come between them.
He looked up and smiled as he came to
this resolution; looked up the sides of the
deep gorge where he then was, where dense
clumps of tall fir trees grew, while higher
up-oyerhanging, indeed, in several places
were smaller groups of oak birch, mount
| ain ash and hazel Sir James knew this
pass well, had known it from his boyhood,
and it was his own. 1t was part of the in
heritance which had come to him from his
father, before he had been left fortune by
his wealthy uncle. And he was prouder of
these old hills than he was of the new
wealth; proud of their beauty and of the ro-
mantle legends and tales which clung to
them as birthright Sir James had had
an oln Highland nurse in his childhood,
and she had told him many a stirring story
of the old days, before she herself had been
borne away to sleep in the little kirkyard
among the hills.
He remembered her as he quilted the de-
file and he smiled again. He was thinking
that he should have liked this quaint old
woman to have seen Miriam. Then some of
| her superstitions and her strange readings
| 1F 4 Nd = hra r-h nc
| mind He was riding a fine, spirited,
young grey horse, and as the roadway
grew less narrow he slackened his hold on
the reins. Presently he reached some
grassland, and as he proceeded leisurely on
suddenly his horse stumbled and fell He
had put his foot into rabbit-hole, and came
down somewhat bad fall, bringing Sir
james with him. But Sir James was not
hurt. and was up . again in minute; but it
was not so with the poor horse. In fall
ing he had cut his knees against
which had been partly invisible from the
treacherous moss which had nearly hidden
it. Sir James examined the horses injuries
and saw at once that the idea of proceeding
to Rowan Castle on the animal WAS now i'm
possible. He had, indeed, fallen dead
lame, and there was nothing to do but to
get him to a stable as soon as possible. Sir
James thought of trying to. get him back to
Kintore but quickly remembered that be
was nearer to the village of Strathloe by at
least mile, and that farrer lived there,
and that he could be put up at the stable of
the little inn.
And no sooner had this thought struck
him than he began to lead his limping horse
very slowly and quietly in the direction of
Strathloe. 1t took him some time to reach
the village, and when at last he did so, he
went straight to the inn. He was nearly at
the open door when there passed out of it a
tall fine looking man, who, however, ap-
parently did not see him, but turned the
other way, and went toward a narrow path
which would lead him to the side of the
loch.
Bnt Sir James had seen his face, and
something in tits remarkable regularity
and the clear darkness of the skin-struck
him as being familiar to him. But mo-
ment later all the hangers-on about the inn,
the ostler, and presently the landlord, were
round him, and bemoaning the accident to
his horse. The farrier was sent for, and
while Sir James was waiting for his arrival,
he asked the landlord who the gentleman
was who had Just left the inn door.
"He's called Mr.. Dare, SIR" replied
the landlord, "and he arrived here to stay
yesterday; 1 take him to be an army gentle
man."
"Darer' repeated Sir James, wondering
where he had heard the name
and seen the face, and then it suddenly
flashed back to his memory. He was the
soldier he had seen at Newbrough on-the-
Sea; the soldier who had been shot on the
sands, and whose life Miriam was supposed
to have saved.
A strange feeling stole into Sir James
heart, feeling which made him somewhat
| indiffarapt IN the farrier's npinion IN he
injuries of his horse.
''What was the man doing here? Why
was he dressed like a gentleman?" And
then he also recollected that several people
at Newbrough-on the-Sea had believed him
to be one. SirJames bit his lips and pulled
his mustache, and then agreed that his
horse should be at once taken to the inn
stables and attended to. After this he
asked the landlord another question about
"Mr. Dare"
"Did he say where he came from, land
lord?"
"No, Sir James, he did not; but take it
that it was frae England, for a lass brought
note for him here this morning and wad
gle it into his ain hand and some O. the
folks said the lass was frae Kintore."
Sir James said nothing more; he put
some money into the landlords hand, told
him to see after the horse, and that he would
send a groom up to look after him, and then
he strobe away, going down the narrow
pathway which the stranger had taken, and
which led toward the borders of the loch.
As he reached the head of this pathway,
he saw the man, whom he believed to be the
soldier Dare, going on before him. All the
country round was familiar to Sir James,
and he walked on, the tall form in front
preceding him with hasty footsteps Sil
James saw him reach the border of the loch
saw him begin to pass down by its side, and
still he went on. Another mile would bring
him In sight of kintore. "Was he going
there?" Sir James asked himself with q
fierce throb at his heart.
81 will see, at all events" he muttereo
under his breath. So he stalked the mar
for the next half hour. He did not follow
him directly by the border of the loch. Al
little distance from 1t, and beyond it
there was low range of hills, skirted BY
dark fir trees, and behind these Sir Jamel
gloomily walked on, keeping the man before
him always in view. He had a field glass
with him, as near Rowan Castle there was {
deer forest, and Sir James had though
when he had ridden out that perhaps h,
and his friend Mr.. Duncan might have
chance of sighting the herd. He unsluns
this glass now, but he scarcely needed it
Before him was the tall figure, and he coulc
see him very plainly. He went on and on
on until he came in sight Of the house a
Kintore; until he neared it, and then b,
stopped.
Sir James stopped too He raised hi
field glass; he looked at the house, and as h,
did this ne distinctly saw something whit,
: waved from one of the upper windows. Ther
he half laughed.
'What fool have been" he thought