The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-11

gun barrels. the "fip-hap'' of guns sent
whirIiEg from hand 10 hand. or the
humping Of her pretty foot against GER
tain lifeless birds, tumb led with a single
energetic kick into cover Of tangled brush
BY her side.
And when the blast from old Noggins'
horn brought the shoot to finish. Rande-
vile Just looked once into the happy eyes
Of his loader to know that he had won.
"A hundred and sixty odd. thin" she
said joyously. "Twinty and more beyond
him"
Good! Get to bed early, Lucy. You've
had a nard day of it, girl. Besides" and
here he looked at her with mock stern
ness, you may be disturbed tonight
Old Dennis with donkey and cart might
be alongside the wall; toward midnight,
YOU know"
"Oh. master earl but her voice
only broke into a roZuish peal of laughter,
whereupOn she ran away
That night in The Den the lively ban
ter ran the other way. The rector pleaded
some pressing duty, aud was not with
[ tnem. From wondrOus tales OF other
wOndrOus shoots, the rattle-brained Cos
sip came along the line of the noble young
sters adventures in travel, at the univer-
I slty, In love, and finally to poaching and
/ pOachers and the remedy, in these wise
[ acres Judgment, for the evil; Darlington
/ holding with unflinching sternness to the
rigid enforcement of the law, and Rande-
| vile COntending that no generous lord
/ should fail TO know, and still less fail to
| overlook, these Insignificant peculations.
| All said Darlington irritably, you'd
| sing another song, if YOU suffered at Ball
/ nagee as we do in England"
''On the contrary" returned Rande-
| vile, IN lay you a hundred TO fifty
chance for your money, old boy THAT at
/ this very moment my loader Lucy, is
tossing brace after brace of pheasants
over the demesne wall :"
The odds were too temptingly in Car
lington's favor. He took the wager in
stantly. Their friends, tired from the
days sport, left them; and the two stole
stealthily out of the castle and, following
| the demesne wall closely, were not long
in passing the line of the thickest forest
and coming abreast of where the heavier
shooting of the day had taken place.
They soon heard voices; saw the occa-
sional fash of lantern; and, creeping
softly nearer and nearer, at last stood
well out Of sight behind the trunk of
huge sycamore.
by Jove!" whispered Darlington with
groan. You'll break me against your
brace games, Randeviller'
And well he might Shutting feet, the
| occasional stir of cart wheels and a low
but hearty larruping of an unmanageable
OOhhGg. were nGdIu 1IDM tHS
bog just outside the wall; while shaggy
| Irish head appeared and @reappeared
where the murderous broken glass which
| crowned the coping had been carefully
covered with hard clay; and the kindly,
compassionate and occasionally triumph
ant voice of the poachers' Lucy was the
| CHEEKY Accompaniment to the first au-
tumnal distribution of game from the pre-
serves of Ballnagee.
Here's the last pair, Dennis. There's
nigh forty brace, Dennis There'd not
been half the number this night if the
dear master hadn't already beaten the
shamer roundly by noon! All, Dennis,
my head was fairly blazin' keepin' the
count, this day! Parcel them out fair
now, Dennis. There's a brace for old
limpy Curran, thin; one for wildly
Malone, poor creature; two for Mickey
Dunn's fourteen hungry mouths; one for
Owen, the weaver one for mother Ryan,
poor soul! by the mill; and four brace
mind, now, Dennis, the fat ones for
Father Kilroy, an my compliments instead
o. confession and all the rest for your
swate, old, beggarly, spalpeen self. for the
rent, God bless you! Be lively now and
may the top o. your head never folly your
hair"
Get back to the castle; quick, CARING
ton! I'm going to take your advice and
put stop TO all this poaching, right here!
Easy and quiet, now!n
This, excitedly, from Vaudeville, as
Darlington stole away; for he had seen
what the pOacher's Lucy, with all her
cunning, and his own companion had not
seen-the figure of a powerfully built
man, crouching in the shadow against the
wall and contemplating the little poach
ing scene, his eyes following every move
ment Of the chief actor in it, with look
of pathetic hunger, of compassionate pity
and of Enph cnmnlpfR nttpTr bnO1iACz-
ness as he had never seen before, and
which he could not mistake
Lucy had scarcely tossed the lantern to
old Dennis, who was mumbling seventy
and seven blessings upon her head,
when young Lord Vaudeville stole lightly
to her side. took her arm firmly within
his own as the figure against the wall
sprang toward him with heavy, uplifted
stick !
ITS all right Brisbin. It's all right"
said Randeville reassuringly Here,
take my other arm. We three are the
best friends at Ballnagee-the best
friends in the world, hope" he added
with genuine tenderness.
Everything is shipshape with Den
mis-, now and we can go back to the caste
together"
There was no word spoken as they
passed through the dark walk slowly
and for the whole distance not a sound
save the occasional huttering of the
night-nesting birds overheard. and the
whispering rustic of the futtering leaves
beneath their feet.
just at the demesne entrance they halt
ed by the path leading TO the gamekeep-
er's cottage. Randeyille took Lucys
trembling hand, placed it within the
trembling hand of the rector; and then
held them both firmly in his own.
Tomorrow I shall be Duke of Ban
chester he began at last kindly, but
more solemnly than he had ever spoken
TO either of them before. L never had
truer affection for woman" this to Lucy,
or for man" this TO the young rector,
than to you two If a nobleman, with
those feelings, could ever be happy in
this world, think his happiest moments
could be passed when occasionally slough
ing oil a nobleman's cursed pretensions
and restraints. and tOastng his heels in
genuine good fellowship at the rectory of
Ballnagee. If | can have that privilege,
your living Brisbin, shall he a perpet-
ual One-fOr my own selfish sake; $1,000
besides the zoo guineas ] won from Car
Hngton, shall come with this rascally
poachers' Lucy, here, and the first act of
my ducal llfe-if 1t be the last decent one
III it--shall be to give this girl away.
Good -nightl'
Their eyes and voices were too misty
and ClOCged to send gnate fll answer after