Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-31

letter St Strathloe, instead Of putting it In
the letter bag here? But what folly She
was agitated, of course, about her sisters
illness, and thought-poor darling-a letter
would reach her mother more quickly II
she posted it herself at the village. won't
better 60 from here till all this folly blows
over"
And he actually proposed to Miriam on
the following morning that they should
leave Kintore.
Would you like to 60 to see your sister,
dear?" he said.
'I think we had better wait day or two.
until hear from mother" answered
Miriam.
"Well, just as you like. By-the-bye,
Miriam, did you ever stay with Mrs ConIay
at their house? What is it called? Oh,
yes-Tyeford
eyes," answered Miriam, and Sir james
could not but notice that she grew little
pale, and that her lips quivered as she
made this brief answer.
'tNot since have known you?" he said.
| 'No, before-two years ago. How fine 1t
is to-day, Jamesi wonder if it is too cold
to row on the loch?"
So she changed the conversation, and the
Sir James would have forgotten all his
mother had said if it had not been for her
stern, unbending manner to. Miriam. She
scarcely spoke to her, and Miriam began to
| perceive there was something very much
amiss with her mother-in-law. She asked
her husband, and he answered with affected
carelessness.
"She takes odd ideas into her head some
times Oh, she'll be all right presently"
As for Lady MacKennon she made no
further attempt to renew the conversation
u;4l L. H..
fed that she had done right to warn him,
and she was satisfied also that some day
things would become palmer in his eyes
And q little incident which occurred the
second day after General Conray's visit to
kintore made her more certain of this still
1t was at breakfast time. and when the
locked letter-bag was brought in by the but
Ter Lady MacKehnon's keen eyes happened
to be fixed on Miriam's face, and she saw at
once the strange look of anxiety there as
Sir James proceeded leisurely to unlock and
open the bag.
"Here is one for you, DEAR" he said,
handing a letter to Miriam, who held it un-
opened for a moment in her hand with her
gaze still fixed on the letter-bag Then she
opened her letter, but still her eyes were on
the different letters that Sir James was
drawing carelessly out
.Tt is from mother" she said moment
later; "Joan is little better" and then
she suddenly stopped, and her breath came
short
For Sir James was looking attentively
and smilingly at the direction of letter he
held in his hand. All the letters for the
household at Kintore-and they were not nu-
merous-came in the family letter-bag, and
Sir James used to lay those aside that were
not for himself, his mother or his wife, and
they were carried dow nstairs by the butler.
''This is for that swell young woman of
yours, Miriam," he said, still smiling,
''Miss Ford, care of Lady MacKennon, and
her correspondent writes very well; it's
like agentleman's handwriting"
Then the dowager again fixed her eyes on
Miriam's face, and saw it had absolutely
grown white and clammy, and the express
sion of her eyes was full of tear.
'Give it to ME, James," said Miriam,
huskily, "and I will give it to Ford"
And the dowager watched her as she
took the letter in her trembling hand as
she put it beneath her own letter, as she
tried to speak indifferently, but could not
She noticed, too, that she ate no breakfast,
and that her hands shook as she raised her
tea-cup to her pale lips.
''She is hiding something" thought Lady
MacKennon, sternly; ''the letter to her
maid probably contains letter to herself;
it is shameful"
"You are not eating anything. DEAR"
said Sir James, kindly, now also loking at
his young wife.
"Your letters seem to have upset you,"
remarked the dowager, grimly.
Then Miriam tried to pull herself to-
gether
said, "but it naturally makes one feel ner-
vous getting letters when anyone Is very
ILL.,
"Of course it does," said Sir James 'I
am so glad, dear, that Mrs. Conray is bet
ter
Miriam tried to smile gratefully at her
husband, but it was a very painful effort
Then Sir James began to read little pieces
of news from the papers, and at last the
| breakfast was over and Miriam was free to
90 upstairs with her two letters, and she
| went She almost ran up the staircase and
| hurried to her room and found two house
! maids there arranging it.
''You can go; you can return afterwards"
she said, and few moments later she was
| alone. Then she tore open the letter adj
dressed to Ford, and read it with bated
breath and parted lips 1t read:
scarcely know how to thank you, and
your warning has come In time. have OBJ
tanned a weeks furlough, and leave New.
brough.on-the.Sea as l am posting this.
| England: but before go wish to see you
| once more. Do not refuse my last request,
dear Miriam, for the sake of the old love
which In my heart at least will never grow
cold. I shall go, therefore, to Scotland, to
| the neighborhood or Kintore and will write
to you when / arrive there, addressing my
letter as usual to your maid Ford. Arrange
| to meet me wherever and at any hour you
| please, and 1 shall be there. But do not re-
fuse to see me for the last, last time.
This letter was at once relief and q ter
| ror to Miriam. At all events, he was going
away: going to leave England, and. Joans
secret would be safe. But how could she
meet him? She was afraid, and yet could
she refuse? Poor Hugh, whose life had
been wrecked, all through his fond, pas
sionate love tor her Yes, she would see
him, at last she decided; see him to bid him
farewell; to bid him Godspeed to the land
where he must begin his new life, and she
would always afterward try to do her duty
think of meeting Hugh Ferrars now with
the same thoughts and feelings as she had
done at Newbrough-on-the-Ses She was
| a wife now, bound to James MacKennon,
and she meant to keep-true to these bonds,
but still she wished to bid her old friend
goodby. The difficulty was, how to do it
without endangering his safety. But he had
obtained a weeks furlough, and no one
would know where he was SO she must
wait, Miriam told herself: wait until she
heard from him, and then for few mo-
ments-only for q few moments-they
| would meet
She hid away his letter and placed e2O0
ready in an envelope to give him. And
then, having made these preparations, she
went down to the breakfast room beside
| her huShapd She fhought he loot al a