Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-06-20


song "from morn till dewy eve" over his
busy mate and newly Matched young. All
the world seemed full of life and Joy and
hope. He had to cover his ears ere he
could get to sleep, for the birds were al
ready awake and singing 80 loud.
An hour or twos rest and Roderick was
up again, huff dizzy with his unbelievable
new JOY, and trying hard to talk business
with Mr. Black, who had come to Black
hall himself to get the earliest news, 0Sd
persuade the young father to escape from
the ignominious position Of total neglect
which befalls all fathers under these
happy circumstances, and take refuge in
"bachelor's hall" Directly after there
drove up the Symington carriage, with
Indy Symington in it, who straightway
disappeared upstairs.
When she came down her round, rosy
face was pale and her manner painfully
quiet. She offered no congratulations,
but laid her hand on Roderck's arm
81 have been up seeing your wife. Have
you seen her this morning"
"Not yet. They would not let me-"
"Quite right Stop! You must not go
to her just now. Instead, take my car
riage and fetch DIR. ---"
Roderck in his turn became CHASTITY
pale, for this doctor was the most noted
man in all the countryside, and he lived
twelve miles off,
as there then such vital necessity? Is
she in danger? Why did they not tell me? ?
| Oh. nv Godl my GodW
"Hush! we must not waste time in talk
ing 1t may be nothing, my dear'-the
old lady's soft "my dear" was more terri
flying than aught else-"but we never
know The horses are fresh; they will go
there and back without stopping. Bring
the doctor with you--don't come without
him. will stay here till you return"
She spoke briefly, almost sharply with
the calm decision that treasures even
while it alarms.
Without word Roderick obeyed; al
lowed Mr.. Black, who had listened in
silence, TO give him his hat and coat, and
throw plaid into the carriage after him.
"Will you not go, too, Mr. Black? You
had better. He is quite stunned, you
see." .tN
"Yes, my lady; but I know him-he's
brave lad. he will bear up alone. And |
must go elsewhere"
The old man grasped the young mans
hand with sudden God bless you!" then
Roderick sprung into the carriage and
drove away.
Oh, that awful drive! sitting like a
stone, watching mechanically the trees
and moors and hills slip by his watch in
one hand, counting the half hours-no,
the very mnutes-as they crawed along;
in the other hand cmtching Lady Syming-
toms note, ready to be given to the doc
tor as soon as he could be found.
And then the drive back, with the "cele-
brated" man to whom ''the case" was
only case, and who talked cleverly and
cheerfully and indifferently Of that and
many other things, till he saw he was
scarcely heard. and then, with a natural
human sympathy for the white, set face
beside him, dropped into silence and a
book for years Roderick never saw the
title of that book without a shudder.
A ray of hope" he learned there was.
Only q ray! and three hours before the
whole world had seemed to him to be
flooded with sunshine. He asked no ques-
tons, made no remarks. Mute and unap-
pealing he sat, half stunned half blind,
like man who has suddenly received
sentence of death-death utterly unde-
served and unexpected in the very
midst of life. so that reason refuses to
take it in as a reality, and the mind is con-
scious of neither terror nor pain, only a
dull sense of something happened, or be-
ing about to happen, which one can no
more escape than one can escape from the
falling rock or the advancing breaker,
either of which will bring certain and in
Simultaneous doom.
They reached Blackhall, ai:l he heard
at the front door the DoctorA question,
"Is she alive" and Lady SsmingtOn's
affirmative answer; then he staggered in,
and Janet had to fetch her master glass
of water, and put him into the armchair,
quite dizzy and blind.
But he soon recovered himself, and went
back to listen at the foot of the staircase.
"It will be hard fight-a hand to hand
fght-but we'll beat, l trust" the Doctor
was saying, with q thoroughly profess
sional look on his clever face, and CLEAN
of his keen eyes often seen in men like
him when they brace up all their skill to
do battle with the great enemy. Then
he and Lady Symington both vanished,
and Roderick was left alone,
Hour after hour he sat, no one coming
near him. Once Janet knocked at the par
lor door and asked if she might bring in
the baby whose crying disturbed the
mother. Roderick assented, but took no
notice of his son; indeed, at the moment
he almost felt as If he hated him. Kind
Janet was the only person who paid the
least attention to the young heir of Black
hall.