Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-10-15
frowning Fortune, 56s struck INTO 4
road that cr0ssed the railway tracE

frowning Fortune, 5ks struck into 4
road that crossed the railway track
and hurried onward.
She knew not where she was bound.
She knew not where In all the north
Allworth Abbey, the goal OF her de.
eires, might be situated. She knew not
even whether she might be within Ave
or ten miles Of the place. In setting
out to seek 1t she had taken the gen
eral northern route as far 40 the train
would carry her for her money, trust,
ing to the chapter Of accidents to find
the rest of her way to her destination.
ut must be within circuit of twen-
about here must know something
about it. So tonight I must seek shell,
ter from the storm, and tomorrow in
auire my way to the abbey" she
thought, as she trudged onward
through the gathering darkness.
Low mutterings Of thunder and large
drops of rain warned her to hurry her
steps. She ran on, hooking eagerly to
the right and left to spy out some way
side cottage in which she might find
refuge from the impending storm. But
the darkness was now so thick that
she could scarcely see her own road.
Suddenly the clouds were cleft as
under BY q stroke Of forked lightning,
that blazed from horizon to horizon,
making the night for one instant as
bright as MONDAY. This was immedi
ately followed by reverberating
crash Of thunder and q heavy fall of
rain.
Amelia stood still, but not appalled,;
for in that one instantaneous glare of
light she had seen ,on rising ground
far to the westward the white chin
neys Of mansion house. And, al
though the whole scene was again
swallowed up in darkness, she kept
the direction of the house in her
minds eye," and bent her steps to-
wards it, trusting in the frequent
flashes of lightning to correct her mis-
takes and guide her on her way.
Her way lay up and down hill
through this dreadful night Of storm,
of binding lightning, of deafening
thunder and of drowning rain. Con-
fused by the warning elements, satur-
ated with wet and exhausted by IA
tigue, Amelia yet held on her way to-
ward the mansion house upon which
she had fixed as a house of refuge.
AS she approached the neighborhood
of this dwelling she grew independ-
ent Of the lightning as guide, Tor In
the darkness between the flashes she
could see the windows of the mansion,
which seemed to be Illuminated from
within, as for a festival.
And from the moment that she
found she could keep the house con-
stantly in view, she toiltd on towards
it hopefully, saying to herself:
"It may be a gentleman's house, or a
lords house, but it must be civilized
Christians house. and therefore it
must afford me shelter from the storm
for this one night
So, though nearly blinded, deafened
and drowned by the lightning, thun-
der and rain, Amelia valiantly pushed
on toward the goal.
But, ali that place of refuge was
much farther off than she had sup
posed it to be. A brilliant light set
upon hill is seen for long way Off
on dark night; and long after An
neella had first caught sight Of the
Illuminated windows she continued to
toll on through night and storm and
darkness, through thunder, lightning
and rain, up and down hill, over the
rough road without seeming to get
much nearer the desired haven.
Even the storm grew weary of rag
ing, and growled itself to rest. The
lightning ceased to flash, the thunder
to roll and the rain to fall; the
clouds dispersed the stars came out
and the moon rose; and Amelia, hun
CRY, wet and weary, still pushed on up
hill and down hill toward the i1lumln-
ated house, to which at last she was
certainly drawing pear.
At length she began to ascend hill
on which the mansion stood, blazing
like beacon light at sea. When she
reached the summit Of the hill she
found herself arrested by low brick
wall, that seemed to enclose the home
park attached to the house. Taking
this wall for her guide, she followed it,
hoping that it would bring her at last
to the gate or the gamekeeper's lodge.
Keeping close to the wall and walking
rapidly, she came indeed to the gate,
which stood wide open and unguard-
ed, as the lodge beside it was unten-
anted.
She passed through the gate and en-
tered long semi-circular avenue Of