The record-union., 1893-05-06

lie was gathering q posy with fastidi-
Gus care, and his mother knew that it
was tor her. and thought 10 herself that if
he had been uncanny i'll time past, he was
a good boy, his heart was in the right
place. But something disturbed him in
his work. He rose from STOPPING over the
bed, dropped his flowers to the ground,
and Alison thought he was listening to
some iar-away sound, till a change that
passed over his face showed her that she
was mistaken. Sandie was not listening,
he was seeing. His face grew pale, and
his features pinched, his gray eyes were
fixed while The color faded out OF them
till they We're almost white, and he
shuddered as though cold wind blew
over him.
Mrs. Galbraith rose silently, and as
sured by the deep breathing of her hus-
band, who was sitting in an armchair by
the hearth, that he was asleep, opened
the door softly, left the room and hurried
into the garden. There in the sunshine,
surrounded by summer sights and sum
mer scents, stood Sandie, q very image of
midnight terror. His mother laid her
large warm hands on his shoulders and
gently shook him.
"Sandie, Sandie, if you are seeing
again, for Gods sake say nothing to
your father! He Gamma bear it; yell tell
me-" she said in frightened whisper.
Inc boy gave sigh, passed his hands
over his eyes and staggered as though he
We're dizzy. Alison grasped her son
nrmly by the arm. "Come avail if your
1ather wakes and goes to the window hell
see us; come awa'n' and she hurried the
boy through the warm evening sunshine
that had suddenly grown cold and dim
To her, and led him to Il retired part Of the
garden.
And now what was it that ye saw?''
Ana, looking at her with a strange eX-
preston OF fear and compassion, Sandie
SAID; Il saw my father lying. on the road
at the foot of the steep brae by Sir Even
CampelPs gates, and his cen were shut
but Tor a that he was the same as Uncle
Colin."
The self-controlled, Unconditional Ali
son Galbralth gave "a smothered scream
as she listened 10 her son, and, seizing his
arm! III a passion OF fear, with grip like
wee, SAID: "EIspeth Mctie was right
Wnen ySli she called you an awesome BARN!
W nat lor has God i'll his wrath given me
such chiid?' and she shook him Off and
Ielt hlin alone i'll his confused misery.
II DAVID Galbralth had not been over
come with drink that night. he would
nave seen that something terrible had oc-
Cured 10 agitate his wife, but when the
drunken Mt was spent he noticed that she
looked white and Ill.
Alison, woman, ye keep too close in
the house" he said; rye should walk TO
the sea and breathe The caller air, To bring
the color back to your cheeks"
The following Friday was the corn
market at Haddington, and David Cal
bralth sober, shrewd and business-like.
set out to attend IL, bent on driving a hard
bargain. Alison stood at the gate as he
mounted his horse, 10 wish him wiiely
admonltlon as 10 the advisability of not
urlnklng too much whisky before the re-
turn journey, and ''Ye'll no be late COM
ing nome the night, Davie?'
Alison" 0''-'
And yell mind to come by the level
road. There's the steep brae beyond the
Campbells' gate, and I'd rather We rave
1t a wide berth, and came by the long
road"
Not 1, woman! Do ye expect me to
max midnight ride mile longer lust to
avoid brae that l ken as well as my ain
doorstep? helpie I'll be SOBER douce
beast, if his masters not. and he kens
every suane ON the hill. Ye'll 60 to bed
and leave the house door unlocked for
me-" and David gave his horse touch
with the whip ana away he trotted.
Alson stood till the sound OF the hoofs
had died away, and then went back to
the house with boding heart. Sandie re-
turned from school at noon in high
spirits, and asked his mothers leave to
bring home u school-fellow to play with
hlm IN the afternoon. Ii was wonderful
how his spirits had rallied since his vision
OF few days before. 1t seemed as though
his body had now grown strong enough
to shake of the CHASTITY influence en-
tirely, but his mother was shattered both
by memory and apprehension.
A dreadful resrlessness possessed her
as night drew on, and after the shouts of
the boys at play were over, and silence
fell on the house and garden, she sljDped
out unnoticed and walked i'll the twilight
To the beach. 1t was nigh midsummer
when IN those latitudes the sunset fingers
on the western horizon till III the east the
vigorous dawn breaks TO quench its lesser
light. The crescent moon hung low in
tine sky over the gently murmuring sea
that glimmered mySterously in the diff
fused twilight, and the brown rocks
loomed dark above the water. A time
and a place to suggest eerie feelings to the
most unlmpresslonable; but Alison's
whole mind was SO filed with the appre-
tensions of approaching doom that the
scene had no effect on her-she scarcely
noticed where she was. The fear that
possessed her was inward and neither
suggested, nor could it be increased, by
aspect of familiar things. She did not
meet a soul in her restless wanderings.
AS she opened the house door on her re-
turn the clock struck II. ON, when would
David be home? He was seldom later
than midnight. Alison needed no light,
and, creeping softly up stairs, She
entered Sandie's room, and drawing
aside the curtain, by the solemn twilight
of the northern night, she saw his sleep
ing face calm and peaceful as an infants.
Did she grudge him his untroubled SUM
ber, that she would rather have found
him awake and oppressed with terror as
herself?
While she stood listening to the beating
of her own heart, that sounded louder
than the breathing of her child, she
heard the first distant sound of approach