The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-12-26

expected of any one daring to tell what
seems supernatural, it is only right to
relate, by way of compensation, various
circumstances which may have infiu-
enced my mind. Christmas fell that year
on Friday, and Wednesday night / had
slept at the Lodge. as l often did in
those days when the g neral and Kate
Carnegie were living there, and the old
house had still roof and warm hearth
stone. The colonel was a guest at the
time, who had been a very desperate
fighter-Clelland' Horse are still con-
founded with satan ON the Indian from
tier-and now was very poor preacher,
affording an endless source of amuse-
ment to Drumtochty. There was also
another soldier-5 feet in height, and
"a inches round the chest, and as genial
soul as any man could wish to meet
who had obtained the Victoria Cross for
killing IL sepoys in room at Lucknow
to save a woman's life. Winter was
very beautiful and heartening with us,
and the colonies had come to spend
Christmas with their old companion in
arms, as they had spent it together in
strange places of the past, where they
swallowed make believe plum pudding
buckling ON their sword belts. Ono could
not see the old warriors without a
fierce curiosity, and Kate came to my
help that evening with cunning allu-
sions, that ought to have been irresisti-
BILE, but nothing would induce one of
them to open his mouth about the things
he had done or seen in those years when
with his fellows he had guarded the
borders of the empire. The colonel could
not be weaned from the beast in Reve-
lation, ON which he had got some new
light that very morning, and the general
was full of Jamie Soutar's last story.
Drumtochty, he declared, was the
place for humor, also for scenery and
men. As for Victoria Cross, he could
speak only of the curry, which Kate
had seen TO herself, and which he SOL
EMMY Observation-Disclosures the others
to deny it If they dared-was monu-
mental in its excellence and such as no
mortal could have deserved. We had
our two standard toasts ON great occa-
sions, 1.-THE queen, God bless her." and
kate Carnegie" and well did the old
fellows show, standing erect over the
silver candlesticks and against the black
oak woodwork, with their close cropped
gray hair and bronzed faces. Then Kate
toasted them, standing up with her
glass in her hand, for she was gallant
lass and bonnie, as became Carnegie's
daughter, and coupled each mans name
with N no,.taiY, bottlofia1d fill tha x,afar
ans were utterly abashed and severally
besought me TO understand that all this
was only girls daffing 1t struck me,
however, that they were wonderfully
pleased, and when V. G. opened the
door for Kate he told her boldly he
wished he were 40 years younger,
whereat Kate threatened to box his ears,
but thought the better of it and kissed
him instead.
Kate kissed me first when she was
little toddle and Twas young dog of
subaltern. -
"That was in Lucknow. Kinloch,"
said the general, land shell broke five
minutes afterward in the room" And
nothing more was said by any man till
we went to the smoking room.
We talked Of various things, and at
last we lighted upon ghosts. OF course,
every man announced ostentatiously
that he did not believe in such Absurd
nonsense. except myself, who am
Highlander and soaked in superstition,
but finally we agreed, upon q mutual
understanding of infidelity, to describe
any incident in cur lives that ignorant
people might call supernatural Our
host led off with one that left us
thoughtful, and the colonel deepened
the impression, but the v. Is story
was so wonderful that none was asked
from me, We kept close together going
up the stair to the old wing, and when
the turret door slammed, it was not the
civilian that dropped his candlestick.
Next morning the general was closely
questioned why he had opened and shut
various doors in his room and admitted
that he did not relish an ambuscade,
preferring to meet his foe in the open,
and thought it only fair to confess my
suspicious of a large black chest, whose
lid looked as If it had begun to rise.
The light was failing as walked home
to The Cottage after luncheon, through
the woods ON the other side of the
Tochty, and all the horror of the v. c. 8
story was in my mind-a face appear
ing at the foot of your bed. My little
home looked eerie as came up the gar
den, and l started when man opened
the door in place of my housekeeper.
Its me, SIR" said Jamie Soutar, "yir
housekeeper askit me tae wait till We
cam in, for she's AFT wi bottle o. wine
tae Barbara Stewart. A just happened
tae gle a cry in passing" and Jamie
settled himself down in my big chair by
the study fire for talk.
Now, no mans conversation I have
ever known had such smack, and or
dinarily it was full Of dry, biting hu-
NOR, but this evening Jamie was grew
some. He would speak of nothing but
the resurrection" days, when a guard
kept watch over the kirkyard by night
that the bodies Of the dead might not be
lifted, and every man had to take his
turn.
"The Drumtochty fouk are no. push.
in, /" said Jamie, at ony time. and their
humility ABBOTT gairdin the kirkyard
was by ordinar. As sure as a m sittin
here, they just quarreled hoo tae pit
the honor on ane aBither.
1t was the smiths father at keepit
the key o. the deadhouse an gied us COR
directions. He had an awful tongue, an
naebody cud complain at he wasna
faithful afore he left the twa men for
the NIGHT.