The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-25

death and silence
ut 10 mot much use to the world nat
urally," laughed /.
"None. Unless yon admit the posi-
bility Of ghosts"
mo 60 either. Ghosts never are use
full. The bad ones don't care, I suppose
and the good ones are too happy"
i heard q faint sigh behind me ant
looked up. Then he smiled. 1t was {
charming face-refined with q touch o.
humor in it.
"Let US imagine q Laodicean ghost,
then. Say, a fellow like you or Inc
harm perhaps, not much good either
a bit of a drone, eh? Can't you imagine
such a one pursued, when the game il
over, with a wish to have played O
stronger hand? / can. I can imagine
him coming-say, to q faraway spot
like this-to q loch where life ended for
him perhaps, to lay his hand ON some
ones shoulder, as / lay my hand ON
yours, and say: Fish no morei It is a
pixie Turing you to deathr All, / am a
good actor, you see. / have made you
start"
1t was true. Something in tons and
touch had sent a shiver throughme. /
forgot the big fish in a sudden desire
for home and rest, not to say hdinner.
IA very good actor" I assented, be-
ginning to reel up as he rose. do you
come my way?"
mo, my road lies yonder." He point
ed to where the western wedge of light
was fast darkening.
"Ah, the inI at Corriebuie, Isuppose.
Well, goodby. / may meet You here
again some day"
Scarcely" he answered, with a
smile. ="
Then elsewhere. The world is
small
"Very-what we know of it.
"True. For all / know, I may be
parting from a real friend" I replied
gayly. "You may have saved me from
a pixie or a Eve FOUNDER. Which is
it?'
LET us say from infatuation. That is
certain. Goodby."
A boggle in my cast claimed my at
t~ention, and when / looked up he had
disappeared behind the rocky m
tory between the two arms of the loch.
AS / turned to go my eye caught a gilt
ter in the shingle at my feet. 1t was a
gold signet ring which / remembered
remarking on the strangers hand as he
laid it on my shoulder. / ran after him,
shouting as I ran, finally making my
way to bit of rising ground, whence /
could command the declivity leading to
Corriebuie inn. He was not to be seen.
AS / came back for my rod a faint cir
Gle of light showed ON the darkening
water. The big fish was still rising, and
/ hurried away, half afraid of being be-
guiled into trying conclusions with it. |
Next day being Sunday, / walked over to
Corriebuie in order to return the ring
to its owner. My friend of Loeb Fin
aich was not there, nor did the ring it
selfAgive me any clew, for the design ON
it had been much scratched and worn
as If by water. The world, however, as
we agreed, is small, and partly on the
chance that in the motley crowd of
London / might come across its owner
and partly from q strange fascination
for the memory of my five minute
friend, I took to wearing the ring con-
stantly until a sense of possession and
an odd, u~naccountable affection for it
grew up in me, and / felt / should be
sorry to have it taken from me.
In the November following I was ON
my way to join a yacht. bound for the
Mediterranean at Plymouth. Immersed
in a book, ! scarcely noticed the advent
another traveller into the smoking
carriage in which I was seated until /
saw him searching vainly in his pockets
a match. Naturally I offered him
my cigar. As / held 1t out he started so
violently as almost to knock it out of
my hand.
Il beg your pardon" he said courte-
ously, but the ring you wear aroused
q painful memory. A very dear friend
OF mine had one somewhat similar"
"A friendl Wa he by any chance in
this summer"
My companion sheek his head and
looked out of the window. sNo. He
joined the majority years ago. A terri
bic loss to the regiment. One Of those
good all round. Crack shot,
rider, Al fisherman and &C
He paused.
1T cost him his life in the end, |" he
went on. II was in India at the time,
20 ! don't know the ins and outs of il.
it was at some place in Western
Ross. he went ont fishing one day and
never returned. A simple thing to say
only God knows what happened"
So inthralled had / been by his I'M
expected words that I had failed to no
the train was stopping, and before
| realized what he was about the stran-
ger was on the platform of a roadside
My gesture of dismay must
have been construed by him as a fare
we'll, for he raised his hat. The express
already in motion. craned from
The window to catch the name of the
but before i realized / was on
the wrong side all hope of that clew
gone. Three hours after I had left !
England.
subsequently inquiries in Ross-shire |
the fact that an Englishman
81 - E@I II