Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-02-18

I
the air and away over the hedge. where
ii fell like glittcring star into the dark
ness of the hop garden.
The strangeness ~ this action seemed
remarkable But that gypsy should
ask for money only in order +, throw il
away was an incenceivable thing,
well. h. said nnrnnFaginglv, Il will
listen To yon if YOU will be quick. hut
cannot wait long What about this bean
tiful ladyy"
"Ah. the beautiful Lady that lives up
yonder, she said. pointing back TO the
dark hillside from which he had come |
Yes. she loves you and You have prom |
ised 10 wed her; hut ynu don't love her.
sir; no. you don't love her. /"
What do you mean"
"Ah, dare say you think You do, but
you don't You have not forgotten the
past. Can man who has once loved
| dark ewes and southern blood love one
who has pale cold face and nothing but
milk and water in her veins? Your heart
IL in coffin. coffin by which you wept
long ago; but no coffin and no grave can
hold back her soul from yours She will
haunt you on your marriage day; when
| FDn ptAbfc AlbAt Win ybht
pale bride, she will come between you,
her eyes will look into yours, her voice
will ring in your ears, her lips viii an
swer to yours instead of the others, and
every echo in the earth and air will call
aloud to you with the changing of your
wedding bells, 'Myra, Myra, Myrar"
Woman, spirit. devil! who are you
that speak to me Of Myray' he cried,
wildly clutching at her arm, but she
only laughed with that soft, moeking
laugh of hers and eluded his grasp. run
ming away before him swiftly down the
|, road. He cantered after her, catching
her up more than once and calling out
10 her, stop, stop! What do you know
about Myray Why do You threaten me
, with her namef Stop, tell you"
But she ran on all the faster. and
presently, springing lightly to one side,
disappeared through gap in the hedge
into the hop garden beyond, where the
thick clustering boughs seemed to en-
gulf her at once into an ocean Of verdure.
For some minutes he rode backwards
and forwards at the spot where she had
vanished, calling ont to her to come back,
to tell him more to explain her meaning,
| but there was no voice nor answer, nor
i even the faintest rustic of her departing
footsteps.
| In the end be gave it up as hopeless,
) and went on along his homeward road
a with troubled face and mind full Of
gloom and perplexity.
$ Only long after she had disappeared
did it occur to him 10 remember that
' Iii 4. huA fa1F hawF for ny
4 old woman, vet she had fled from hin
:. with the fieetness Of an antelope. and that
q although she had offered to reveal to hiIr
i his future she had nevertheless done
r liftle more save to remind him Of hi
Y past.
Full of narrowing anxiety concern
II ing he hardly knew what, Bernard Hard
\ ing reached at length the cross road tina
r. led by short quarter Of mile 10 hi
n own gate. A sign post cleaning whit
,s in the moonlight pointed finger eithe
Il way. On one it was written, ITO Stan
: ton hall" on the other, ITO Stanton vii
/. lages For a moment or two he hesi
4 tated. then turning his back upon hi
own house he trntted sharply down tn
II lane to the village.
II The church tower lay dark and sombe
4 In the hollow, but from the yicarag
4. windows hard by the lights With
:. streamed cut from the uncurtained wiz
H. dows.
nj Bernard got off his horse, tied him II
II. to the gate and walked quickly up to til
a. door.
"A 1t was many years since he had crosse
!, the threshold of the vicarage. Man
- years since he and Arnold Grey ha
~ stood face to face alone together; yet /
in earnest was he concerning that whie
:. he had TO say that almost he forgot no
ON strange his intrusion must seem to Il
he man he had come TO visit.
A tall, thin man rose ut his entrant
from the further side of the table; Il
lamplight fell upon his pale. stern fa,
and upon the smooth, wide brow fro
+, which the dark hair had worn ava
and the grave brown eyes lifted ther
selves with strange questioning sn
prise upon the visitor.
Harding"
YES. Arnold, 1t is l. Forgive me 4
coming here, for disturbing you at sn,
. an hour: but want your help"
D The vicar held out his thin white han
II You are IN neeu OF me, beInaf
you are welcome"
1t was ten years or more since the
hands had met; both of them we
= acutely conscious of the fact.
Mr. Grey motioned his visitor TO
chair, and sat down again himself besi
the heavy writing table, covered wi
books of theology and reference, ov
which he had been poring under I
n lamplight.
But Bernard Harding did not sit dow
lie He only stood very still and erect ju
or where he had stood when he first car
lch in, and said with a certain harsh q
so- ruptness;
md .Can Won give me news Of Myray
The other started violently. For
is moment his whole face became brak
ng, up by some strong internal emotit
is grief. pain, indignation chased ca
other rapidly across his features. TIL
his with shaking voice he answered:
And you ask this OF mes you who u
pat me she was dead You who robbed
ed, of her and then killed herr
at Harding, disregarding these cruel
proaches, merely waved his hand
the though To dismiss them briefly.
lest Yes, hut did she die he asked Gag
her ly. Was Ii true that she diedi RENE
md Der that was away, | never saw
his dead, only the closed coffin in which
= a. IL b.ss,~4, SaiA wac ~