Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-08-06

Mrs. AudloW lookeu p0zxAou nohuAS s~A~So~'
he would stay"
on the mountain all night; thah's no
house this side of Squire Craven's, an
that's a good ten milc.'
"Perhaps he went on down the road
to Dunbar" suggested Ludlowa "hef
good for a long tramp if he felt like it.
He'll turn up all right e
The. colonel looked thoughtful. y
hope 30; indeed, I d., He's mighty
fine young gentlemen, and we-all think
a heap OF him up OH the nlountaiH,. He
told me yeste'day that he was going
back to New York befo' long"
Ludlow took this us confession OF
his suspicion, and, answered, accord.
ingly: "Yes; he's quite anxious to get
back to his work." n, g.. ',."
Here the matt rested. and the three
people who knew of Ringbrand's dis
appearance held widely different views
as to it's motive. Mrs. Ludlow, finding
the packed valiscs in the guests room,
reluctantly gave place to the carefully
insinuated suggestion of her husband
that the young man had fled because
Hester had refused him; Ludlow, some
what better informed, was quite sure
that the unceremonious departure, was
due to Ringbrand's failure to win in the
battle with his weakness; while the
colonel went home with shghtly-con-
fused idea of the unaccountability OF
authors and story writer's, whose
vagaries led them to refuse the hospi-
talties of a comfortable mansion for
the sake of spending the night in wan.
dering about on the mountain. ImpaTt;.
ing his convictions to Hester, together
with the information that RingbraHd
had not returned to Tregarthen, he
awakened an emotion in the heart Of
that ingenious young woman which
had slept quite peacefully through the
unobtrusive wooing of her lover; and
her quick intuition, finding a better
raiectory than the logic of the others,
went nearer the mark filling. her with,
vague npprehensions. for Ringhrands'
safety. She Immediately recalled the
conversation of the previous evening",
remembering his abstraction and the
abrupt leave-taking. Then she recol1
lected that Henry had been the last one
who had seen him, and she quickly OBJ,
tanned all the information that could be!
CLEANED from that SOURCE. 1t contained
a grain of comfort in the assurance thak
he was not unarmed; but she could not
help thinking that the mere possession
of the revolver promised little for his
safety. !
The following morning she mounted
Pluto and rode straight to Mrs. Lud--
lows, in the hope of finding that her un-
defined premonition of trouble was
groundless; but there had been no wor'l!
from the missing guest, and the small
matchmaker made an unsuccessful at-i
tent to conceal her resentment toward
the girl who had so ruthlessly demol-
isIaed her beautiful air castles of domes-
tic felicity. =. -r ,... -
where do you suppose he can be2%ss 2ss
asked Hester, when the conversation
had been brought around by carefully,
guarded approaches to the object which,
had prompted her early ride down the
mountain. :. ~. .....i E, O..
I'm sure Idon't know" replied Mrs.
Ludlow, trying to look properly severe.
perhaps he's lost on the mountain;.
I'm sure I'm glad we didn't turn him
out to-to get lost" t...
Hester looked mystified and hurt.
why, Helen, do you mean that we.
ought to have tried harder to keep
him?'