The herald., 1894-11-02

for thy sorrow, my breast for thy head
when thou boune thee to sleeping, my
life for thy calling''-- Then she Stop
ped and looked vaguely at me and bel
yond me, and 1 finished the oath with
words that rose in my mind, though 4
had never heard them before:
My life for thy calling, my death
for thy living. Hear, Thor and hear
Odin and Hector MacKenneth. Z" Then 4
drew my hand out from the hole and
turned to the witch, but the next min.
ute 1 saw that her thoughts were not
with me or with this material world at
all, and went softly away, leaving her
standing with her back to the sea and
her eyes fixed on the great stone, listen.
ing intently ard vainly, with her hand
against her ear.
So 1 saw her the next time passed
her neat cottage. She had been gather.
ing some herbs. and now she stood lis.
tening again, with the herbs held Tight
ly TO her breast, This time stopped to
speak to her. ''Lief MacKenneth, +
said quietly, are you not going to give
your sister the morns groeting?"
She gave me O quick, wild, wonder,
ing look, and her eyes filled with sud-
den sunshine. "God bless you for tho
MacKenneth. " she said earnestly, 'andi
for the sisterhood. But you must not
stop with mo today"
"Why?" ! said "We are not going
to have storm, Lief"
care we nor she laughed. woman,
dear, you're no Zetlander. There'll bs
storm on US inside of an hour, and
black wind strong enough to blow the
heart out O. your breast, Or .
Cor the dead out of their graves" L
said, with meaning, apa her face light
ed up again. 9sIvsse
Maybe" she muttered, maybe.
Now go home, you wife Of MacKenneth
and dream O your man and the BARNS
to be. Oh, aye, as drew back, flushing
hotly. I'm not witch for nothing,
and can see their shadows round you,
Eleanor MacKenneth, two, three and
four. Now"--she turned and caught my
hands in hers and kissed me on lips and
cheek and forehead with eager, close
kisses. There, now, go home, Eleanor
woman, and shut the storm out. When
dc you go to your own home, soon?"
Next week, answered. "I told
Hector to expect me on Thursday
"Aye, and fine, calm journey to
you, dear heart But I'll see you again.
Go now, and goodby, woman dear"
heard very little of the storm that
night, for I slept as soundly as child,
and when, toward morning, began to
dream my dreams were pleasant enough
though they were all of Lief. The last
dream Of all was the one which made
the deepest impression on me. 1t was Of
Lief again, but as had never seen her,
Young and with wonderful shy glad-
ness in her eyes, she stood at the door
Of her cottage in the driving rain, with
her hand fast in the hands Of man
with fair hair and bold blue eyes, al
younger edition of my own husband. I
saw them kiss each other, and then r
woke.
Ronald has come back to her,"
said to myself as Z rubbed my drowsy
eyes, and somehow I was not in the
least surprised or grieved when mine
hostess came in later on in the morning
TO tell me that the storm had wrecked
half score Of houses and had blown
the witch's cabin out to sea. Nothing
was ever heard Of the witch herself, but
after little while my husband and I
had pine wood cross put up close to
the stone Of Odin, and on tive wrote,
she two names, Lief and Ronald. And
in the snail church of Kirk Harold
where Lief was christened, we put up o.
tablet to the glory of God and in loving
memory of Ronald MacKenneth and
Lief, his wife. Macmillan Magazine