The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-01-05

cheerfuIly. as he crossed To the mantel and
struck a light
Mrs. Hare started out Of her doze
Is it YOU. Stephen she cried. quer-
ulously. Martha Gregg 4 witch. She
wants to pu, me in madhouse. hate
Martha Gregg
Pooh said Stephen. lightly.
She wants to take me from You, She :
witch. say. Her great great grand
mother was hung at Salem in Cotton Math-
ors time. Don let her meldle with me,
Stephen.
lie went to the sofa and bent over the
pale shape stretched. thereon.
Asleep Lefty? he said. in low
voice
No. whispered the blind girl. and
straightway put mp one hand ard passed It
over his face-a careful. critical touch
Don mind mother She IS at her
worst tonight What is the matter. Ste
DhsT'
7You have found new wrinkle. ehF
he said. with forced lightneSs.
Yes-here. between your eyes, You
cannot deceive poor blind me. feel tron-
ble All over your face Have You had "a
bad dav ont there in the fields
Not particularly he answered. kis'-
. ing the fingers ~ near to his lips
She still kept her sensitive hand upon
his face. -.
What have YOU been thinking oi al
day. Stephen 2--somethiog bitter and
sad r.
The brown cheeks which She touched
rev hot. I.ettv had marvellous jutui,ionS
No-that l.. a trife perhaps, >iam-
mered Stephen. There ART times. yoo
know. when. however harl one tries thing
viii 20 wrong.
What things persisted the quiet
voice Are yuu ircttius about The farm
No
Poor mother. theu. or pn,r me
Ne. no
What then, stephen
He drew down her hand Tie could
not besr it, scrutiny laageF.
Yetf silly Lefty You can asA mere
questions than Martha t;rcgg Nothing
frets me-nsthine at al Your hand Is
ike fire. You have been IN pain all DAY
have you not Tome come must lay
the demon for You.
He went e. a clo,cs and brouehl "Ui q
yinliu-an old instrument. well WSli"v'si
hy time 'nder hi Csns-sIng tos'cS a
deep. plainsiye tone swelIed vut fran ii.
Yos. are t,-a tir,Sl tonight protested
Ie,ty. lyiug there IN her great daFs"c~-.
am never too tird ;n amu-e y"u,
he answered and ,,t down BY her ~,ia
and drew the hs,w arr,s<. the sweet, sbud
dcring -irings
Tie plavcd with taste aud Kill this
brown. crave fellow -Scsseh airs, luo-'ly
bg,sarse the blind eirl hkel ta'~e b,rS'
Under III hand the violtn seemed {" h'.-
oome a living. -cnJien, thing and t" sIz'as
with sad human yoso, The kUchen
cl,.ck struck ten and Martha tn-sg ''I-''''''i
the dooJ aud locked in.
1t time l.esty was in s'esl. sin >ald-
grimly
The blind giri flung her arm, armand
stephen meek and kissed ham
Heu esd you are she sighed and
be ar~e and p'r the yiplip away. and
stepped GA, into the might
The missn Wa riding high in heaven
IL it, white light the ear,leu iay. Sitter
ing with dew. Martha Gregg holiy.
ho,-k. and narie,lls dr,oTed heavy with
sl,-p. Stephen drew hi hat over hi'
lrow> aud passed out into ;he white.
urrhed summer mad shadows IF way
side bargserrv .brl~l,- and sldcr-tr-- firing
ed it. This whippooFwiIl called lar of
through the dew and she silence Witf
srea, strids-,. stephen swung away through
the light and the shadow. over the hflds'
aud mp tine bin
There the tumble down fence sa,,
place to a faced wall Gardens and lawn
blazing with bIsom. aud full - warm
sweet olors. appeared The gray walls 4"
villa ,bane through the tp'e~ SteIheI
came e. an irun gate .iandiu. ajar pssshe,
II naiS.I,-s>ly back. and entered a sid,
path. lie had no right therc, and b.
knew it. ANY servant Of the hul-e Inigh
discover and eic,J him a. tre,I.ass'-r
lie was likely G" encounter Miss Hardin.
herself, nevertheless. be went an e. 'h'
end of the walk and there stepped IN al
ambush of chestnut tree>.
The house was cl,~e before hinl III
laoked arross a terrace and saw GAS i'''
standing open on 4 long esd piazza BE
yond was r,om glittering with @ld ans
ar.eu tints and with lights turned nw
and softened by colorel shades Stephen
heart gave great bound as through thi
open du"r a woman stepped suddenly ga
intn the wind aud moonlight ui the piazza
she wore a dress Of Opaque white. with
clot of purple panSies fastened upon he
corsage. Her face was pale, oval. young
with proud eyes set under level brows am
night black hair. dressed like a diadeu
above her low forehead. She leane'
against the railing Of the piaza. shaking
cloud of incense from the honeysuekl
vines. and with a sigh. audible In tn
utter silence. looked off into the night
And Stephen Hare? Here was recon
pense. indeed. for the toll and sorrow e
the day-joy enough, though of the stole
|. and unlawful sort. TO wipe out the memoir
, of all his troubles. He forgot that he Wa
tired and poor. newer Of wood and
: drawer of water. who had no right To b
, prowling about Miss Harding grounds a
that hour Of the night She stood befor
him-the woman who was at once his toI
ture and his rapture his heaven and hi
hell for one surreptitious glimpse OF whol
. he would have brayed death itself an
r with the blood ebbing out of his cheek
! and the breath held suspended ON his lip,
Stephen leaned back in the shadow an
| watched her
2 A spaniel came out from the green an
e gold room. and fawned around her feet
o Miss Harding patted him with one ringe
r hand
Poor Viking, she said. good fe
| low and then again there was silence
Stephen set his teeth darkly jealous I
e the very dog that licked her fingen
r Alas deep down in his heart this son
n the soil carried sadder burden than Graz
mother or helpless blind sister or debt. {
q ,,o,-ort the bur,lep of n first last e