Catoctin clarion., 1896-09-10
CHAPTER I.

Under an early morning sly beside
that ocean to which the heart OF man
leaps instinctively, perchance as symbol
ing in its glorious freedom that which
he longs to, but never can be, man and
girl were walking, absolutely blind and
insensate to the heavenly influences
around them, though the causes for their
Indifference were wide as poles asunder.
The man was scientist, too wholly
engrossed in subject that, sleeping and
waking, never left his consciousness to
be aware Of his body at all or OF any
agreeable sensations affecting that body;
the other because with all che strong,
sweet influences Of life crying out to
her she was forced to gaze only on her
own heart with Its seethlng revolt, Its
impotent horror thrust back upon itself,
to endure all the degradation, the hor-
ror Of an existence that did not belong
to itself, but was sacrificed quick and
quivering, on the altar of discovery.
A distant clock struck the hour OF z.
The girl lifted her face for moment to
the pale sky, rccreated over again for
her, for every ono of us, each day, and at
the same moment there burst upon them
round the corner of the cliffs something
also new, in blood, in heart, in pure joy
fulness and rainbow glory OF love-two
young lovers, arm in arm and breathing
contraband bliss from top to toe.
Fools" muttered the scientist as the
pair, like bunch of warm crimson roses
dividing dry feshless bones passed be-
tween his daughter and himself but the
girl stood still to look back, as she al
ways did when she met the handsome
young pair of lovers.
Irresponsible, gay, chattering 9 to the
dozen, just as you will zee two mites.
wholly engrossed with one another, start
off intent upon some delicious childish
game forbidden by their elders, they
were apparently getting fast out OF sight,
as usual, when one Of them stopped,
and she, too, looked back at the figure
at the corner of the cliffs, which turn
ed and hurried after the gaunt man who
had not even missed her.
"Oh, Willie!" cried the younger Of
the frivolous ones, tuning pale, an
image of thoughtless youth who has
looked in tho faco of old age as in
mirror and is atfronted at the retiec-
tion. "why didn't we turn back sooner?
He freezes the blood in my veins. Cole
ridge must have had just such man
as that in his mind when he described
his Ancient Mariner, and, oh, that
poor, poor glrl!'
Will Cassilis took prompt advantage
Of that corner of the cliff, which had
proved at once the opportunity and dis
coyery of moro than one pair Of lovers.
and kissed her warm again before he
said:
1.-THE man is i'll, probably dying, and
l wish he had chosen any other place to
die in, as he seems to affect you in an
extraordinary way
"Hc will never die" cried Mamie
"He was never born, he is nothing hu-
man, though what he is no one knows
Don't you see the fisher people shrink
and turn pale when he passes by! He
Just locks at them with those awful
eyes, and their bodies shrivel up, ordi-
nary life is suspended, and some horri-
BILE unknown influence takes its place
when he is near You have felt it your
self, Willie, only you are obstinate and
will not own it. )"
lyon see he is DID, said Will decid-
edly, land we are young. It's atrophy of
the muscles, of heart, Of everything, and
of course we don't understand it. 1t
must be awful to be like that-awful.
He stretched his long athletic limbs
in all the rejoicing strength of five and
twenty, and keen, alert, swift footed, he
looked lover to be reckoned with and
only outstripped with difficulty as he
took his sweetheart g face in both hands
and squeezed it up together so as to kiss
as much of it all at once as he possibly
could.
1t was one Of those kissable little
faces of which the lovableness struck
one first and the beauty after, with
something, too, Of the winning and pa
thetic trustfulness Of child. as she
stood on tiptoe with one hand on his
shoulder. 1t sometimes troubled him,
that pathetic look, but she always ex-
planned it by saying that beside him she
was so very, very happy!
Mamie, Mamie" he said ruefully,
mako haste and grow old Only l6
last birthday, and the chief won't even
listen to me for another year. l shall be
an old man by that time, and some one
else will have carried you Off, perhaps
that brute Trelawny, who has stalked
you from infancy. Who knowsp"
"Willie, " she said irrelevantly, now
can you call me even good looking after
that girl who has just passed us? And
you know always hated black men. "
"Darling" he cried rapturously.
"And 'Trelawny is black, and l detest
those tall women with grand, uncom-
Portable ways, who want to make you
live with them on deuced cold hilltop
ana if, as You say, she has never known
an hours happiness it would take fell
low far too long to teach her. No, thank
you, Nanniel l want my own, dear.
sweet little Titania No one else y
"Irst you wait, SIR" she said, nod
ding ferooiously, "for l haven't done
growing yet. Willie!" For they had
come within sight of what went by the
name of the parade at Chudleigh Salter-
ton, and young mans white flannel
arms might be discerned at a consider.
able distance if enveloping blue cam
brio gown.
But it was quite early yet, and Lord