The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-06
ow FIRST PUBLISHED
CHAPTER XII.

you'd better not sit up for me, I've two or
three people to see, and must get through
this business with old Andre"
'Do you think he's got the money TO buy
the cottage. Georgei" the wife asked. HE
doesn't look as If he had q penny in the
world"
"Wen,n George answered. laughing, ''if
he hasn't got the money he won't have the
cottage. II he wants 1t I'd as soon sell it as
keep il. And anyway shall be able to tell
you all about it in the morning. Good
night, dear. Don't sit up for me, but get
your beauty sleep. want to keep those
roses"
He pinched her right cheek, kissed her
with husbaadliks carelessness, put on his
hat and struck out across the fields. The
sun was setting and the shadows of the
elms in the hedgerows were of enormous
length. The day had been stormy and the
sunset was rifted sDlendor under dense
pent house Of purple cloud. The puddles
in the roadway bl, zed with the reflected
glory Of the western sky and accumulated
by their startling brightness the cold and
somher look of the landscape.
Old Andres cottage seat forth furtive
blink from its wet window panes nearly q
rose from the chimney.
AS Redwood drew nearer no saw the old
man standing in his doorway as If on the
lookout for him. He waved the thin switch
he carried as signal and marched on
briskly.
The sun dipped below the horizon line and
the shadows which had lain upon the
ground seemed suddenly to throng into the
air. The leadon zenith reflected no beam
from the sun, aud night seemed to come on
at a single stride. Redwood experienced
sudden chill, and even u sense OF di,may. He
was not accustomed TO such feelings rs a
nIan more sensitively attuned to che moods
of nature might have been. He resented it
and threw 10 away with conscious effort.
The cottage he approached was his own
property, and had been familiar to him
from childhood, but Tonight, standing
alone in the wet and chilly fields, with riffs
of the fast fed ng sDlendor OF the west be-
bind 1t, aud tho leaden sky above it, it wore
for a moment an inexplicably eerie look, and
there was something strangely remote in
It's aspect, as if 10 place Of being the every
day thing it was, he had Travelled to it from
a great distance,
The door OF the cottage was open. and
gave Immediately upon the living room of
its occupant. This chamber was sparsely
furnished, aud without being distinctly dirty
or untdy. looked as il 1t would have been
the better for a womans hand. A lighted
candle stood upon the table. and @ small fire
was burning in the CRATE. The room was
empty on RedH ODDS entrance, but at the
nose of his footstep the OLD man came in
carrying a bottle aud a pair Of tnmblers.
He SCI these upon the table ami his shaky
hand motioned his visitor TO seat. He
himself took a chair, claspiBg the table
with both hands in order to sit down with
surety, aud IN silence poured out glass OF
brandy for hin self. aud pushed the bottle
across the table to the visitor.
"No, Andre" said Red God, 81 won't
drink tonight I've three or four calls to
make and If l take glass at each of them
! shoulda'S be no tit sight for the wife when
/ get home again We can soon get our
Business over. Barley, the land agent, gave
me yonr message
"Eef you drink not, :" said Andre. lido no
bezznrss"
"O,very well, i" responded Redwood laugh
ing, Pm not 50 particular as all that
He poured out little brandy, half filed
the tumbler with water. and drank.
snow, he said, setting down the empty
glass, "that scruple's over. How much are
you disposed TO offer for the cottagep
"You sell, buy" returned Andre. "Vot
you vantW
II want hundred and twenty pounds !"
Redwood answered.
mo" said Andre, shaking his head, too
moche 'undred.n
mo, old chap, said Redw lightly, "a
hundred aud twenty is my bottom price.
I'd have taken more If you'd offered Ii, but
shan'5 take less It's fair price, and |
don't particularly want to SELL"
"a 'undred,n Andre persisted. Poor
man." he added tapping himself upon the
breast; mot a rich man, poor"
20, suppose you've got a stocking some
where" Redwood answered, lauRhingly.
Poor men don't buy houses even if they're
as small as this is
''Eet is too moche," Andre urged again.
"A 'undred and FIVE, eh. Come, say 'un-
bred and five.n
He watched his visitor inten!ly from be-
hind his goggles, and somehow Redwood
disliEed his look. He had had a sort of
fancy for old Andre. The outlandish figure.
the broken speech. the shy. suspicious reti-
cent ways Of the man, had made him inter-
esting.
Redwood, without in the least suspecting
it. was natively bit of connoisseur In
human nature, and had an appetite for hui
man oddities He was himself fairly keen
bargainer, but the intent eagerness with
which his companion regarded him seemed
TO betoken "A ravening desire co have the
better of him such as only an abnormal
miser could experience. The keen gaze
shifted in a moment before Red o OBJ
glance.
''Tnis place of yours is beastly close.
Andre" said Redwood. Lets have this
door open.n
The old man made no sign either of assent
or dissent, and the yeoman, opening the
door, stood at the threshold for a moment,
and drew 10 one or two great gulps of air.
As he turned to resume his seat, he stag
gered slightly, and recovered with look of
anxiety and surprise.
"What the deuce is thisn he asked. "Tm
feeling very uncommonly queer, old boy.
Give me a drink of WATER
He dropped into the chair he had quilted
the moment before, and put his hand to his
forehead with vague uncertain gesture.
i've taken something" he said, (which
has disagreed with me-"
The old man was standing over him in en-
attitude Of alarmed concern.
"You are not veIl." he said. "a leetle
brandy. Ere is my glass. ave not
touched it."
He held the tumbler to his guests lips, aud
Redwood with faint sickness upon him
drank the neat spirit.
EsAndre stood over him, glass In hand,
and watched intently through his darkened
glasses.
by George" gaspec Redwood, "Pm
worse than ever. This is devilish queer. j
don't like it, The house is going round
with NO.
He was nauseated to the soul, and there
was an extraordinary numbness IN his
limbs and when he tried 20 think of n rea