The Irish standard., 1896-02-29

for having provoked it. III wished to 50
something entirely diferent-tos tell
you something OF my self
They both looked around ut the sound
Of horses hoofs on the gravel5of the
avenue, and saw the colonel and his son
riding toward the house. Hester rose
and waited for him to finish. Its Of
no consequence he. went on, .'or, at
least, YOU wouldn't think so now. Will
you tell me good-by, Miss Latimer?"
She suffered him to take her hand,
wondering little at his abruptness.
"Sureiy you are not going SO early?"
she said. Il. ~
"Yes, | think I'd better" ~,
s'But we shall see you again soon,
| shan't we?" she asked. ~,
He was saved from replying by the.
entrance of the colonel, who protested
warmly against his early departure.
adding: 'sCyan't you stop awhile long,
er, and then take one OF the hawsses TO
ride down. $3.50. ,.;
"No, thank you, colonel: thinl, I'd
better be going; and Ill enjoy the
walk. Good night" ~
The flush OF the summer sunset was
still in the western sky when he reached
the end Of the avenue. Il cant go
down there and meet Tom and his
wife" he unused; "Htlen would drive
me crazy with questions that l cans
answer Tonight III go the other way
and walk till they've gone to bed.
He turned out of the avenue and took
the road leading to the head of Nc
Nabb's cove, sauntering slowly along
and going over the events of the. past
few weeks for the hundredth time.
Its no use arguing the thing he
nauttered, mot the least in the world.
I can't change my nature, and she
would despise me if she knew what.a
miserable craven am; | don't believe
could bear that: and yet it's harder
than death to leave her now. 1 know
! could make her love mel saw it in
her eyes tonight, and [ should have
made a wicked fool of myself in another
minute if the colonel hadn't come
Hello! who's that?"
He turned at the sound of a galIop-
irg horse behind him and waited until
Henry Latimer reined up beside the
footpath. The colonel's son glanced
quickly around into the gathering dusk,
and then leaned over and handed a re-
volver to Ringbrand. Father saw you
turn up this-a-way,' he explained, and
he says you'd better tote that. You
mightn't need it in hundred years,
but if you did you'd need sit right
much" -.,.>..
Rngbrand took the weapon aw-k-
wa1dly as a man handles unfamiliar
tools. "lll carry it because you We're
kind enough to bring it, but [ doubt
if I'd have the de2terjty to make use
of it; however, l imagine there's not
likely to be any occasion. Please thank
your father for me"
He dropped the pistol into his pocket
and stood looking after Henry as the
latter cantered back toward THE Lau-
rels;." then he resumed his walk and his
gloomy meditations.
Thinking about it afterward, he
never knew just how far he had gone.
He had an indistinct recollection OF
coming out upon the cliff once, oppo-
site the furnace, and Of stopping to. look
down into the fiery throat Of the cupoia
lighted by, the intermittent flare or
the burning gas. After that he remen-
bered that the road made detours into
the forest and came out-upon the cliff
alternately for what seemed a distance
of several miles. His last clear i'm
preston was the picture of a deep rent
in the mountain lying before him in
the obscuritv of fathomless darkness:
he felt rather than saw that he was
looking into it's depths from the verge
of {; precipice; and he noticed that the
shadow of a great tree came between
him and the stars. Itwas here that tho
mysterious warning of the underlined
sense which tells OF approaching dam
ger began to make itself felt; and
when he recognized it's admonition he
realized that it had been pressing upon
him all along, and that he had been
too preoccupied to heed it. Now, how
ever, it refused to be longer ignored,
and he felt cold little chills of apprehen-
sion creeping. over him: as he peered
around into the shadows of the forest.
"What contemplate coward l ami.
he nuttered, struggling to brace hinr-
self against the unnerving attack,
standing here shivering like a child
in dark room! l don't deserve to
be called mani
Then he turned to retrace his steps
toward Tregarthen; but he had not
left the shadow of the tree when two
men appeared before him as suddenly |
and as silently as if they had dropped |
from, the branches over his head.
'Th 'ow up yer hans, dern vel" COM
manded the one nearest him, advancing !
with rifle half raised.
Ringbrand saw his opportunity as I
distinctly as if it's details had been writ
ten in letters of fire on the murky back
ground. Though both of the men had
guns, neither of them covered him;
he had only to draw his revolver. and
step behind the tree, lighting or parley-
ing from that stronghold as the ur-.
gency of the case demanded. 1t was
all simple enough, and his mind was
clear to direct; but alas! his palsied
limbs refused to obey, and almost be-
fore he Knew what he was doing he
was standing with uplifted hands, his
teeth chattering and his knees shaking
in pitia BILE agony of fear
He captors gave him no time to pros
test. You so on ahead" said the one I,
who had spoken, addressing his com-
panion. Nov, then, fall in. Mr.. Spy, |.