The Irish standard., 1896-03-14

gets good and ready. I suppose he and
Hester had some little tiff and he's gone
off to sulk."
TT isn't anything of the kind she
insisted. "Hester's been here this
morning. and she told me all about it.
They parted good friends. and she's
sure something dreadful has happened
to him. Don't you know any of his
friends in New York to whom you could
telegraph
sNo; and if Ibid, they wouldn't know.
He.hasn't had time to get to New York,
unless he went in balloon
II don't care, think it's perfectly
heartless Of you to be SO Indifferent
about him; one would think you q care
q little bit about what became of him."
Ludlow put his arm around her and
lifted her face so that he could look into
her eyes. perhaps I'm not SO indif-
ferent, after ALL" he said. Tell me
what you wish me to do, and I'll go do
it, If l have to let the furnace freeze
while the men turn out to hunt for
him.
.'That is what ought to be done--to-
morrow. anyway. Hester's gone to ask
her father to ride along the mountain
to see if anyone has heard of him, and
Henry will go to Dunbar. If they can't
find out nything. think. you ought to
get up a search party. Now, Tom,
there's one thing more. Tell me why
you thought Hugh wouldn't have any
thing to do with the feud if he knew
about it?''
Ludlow saw he was upon the brink,
and braced himself for the plunge, but
he evasively asked: "When did say
anything like that?'
why, you remember-the first time
we were talking about him and Hester;
you said he'd have to be very much
changed from the man you used to
know, if he consented to assume any
such responsibilities"
"Did say, that?"
''Of course you did: and I want to
know what it meant, and all about it."
why. didn't mean any thing in par
ticular, except that Hugh was always a.
peaceable fellow-a man who avoids
rows as a cat picks her way around .
pool of water"
"There's more than that to it, Tom,
dear, and you might just as well, tell me
first as last. Hasn't he been talking to
you about this-this idiosyncrasy OF
his:"
. Ludlow dropped into his chair with a
groan. II knew just how it would Be-"
he said; and then he told her what he
could remember of the conversation in
which Ringbrand had confessed his in
ability TO face danger and the bearing
this would have upon his relations with
Hester and her family. ''He said he
was gbng to try to fight it out with
himself and that if he failed we needn't
be surprised if he turned up missing,
because ne wouldn't have the face to,
say good-by. Now you know the whole
OF it, and why [ haven't been borrowing
any trouble about his disappearance.
! concluded at once that he'd made
miss-go Of his fight and had decided
that discretion was the better part of
valor''
Mrs. Ludlow pursed up her lips and
walked airly around to her place at the
dinner-table Tom" she said, smiling
serenely across the table at him, ''Im
positively ashamed Of you. Do you sup
pose for a moment that Hugh would
have stayed here all this time making
love to Hester when he knew al along
that he wasn't going to have the cour-
age TO stand up for her when he. got
posterous things, and don't know
which is the more rit'iculous-his alb
suridity in telling you. or yours in be-
lieving him.
y Ludlow fell back in his chair in an
attitude of helpless despair. "Helen,
my dear. you'd make an angel weep;
you would, indeed! What have to do