Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-11-05

Early in the morning Ernest Hart
reg left Annadale for Winchester. &c
companied by Caleb. who followed his
master about like a dog, and preferre |
the pain and jolting OF a hard saddle
to remaining quietly behind till Ernest
returned.
The young squire did not slacken his
pace till he entered the old city. with
its quaint buildings and massive ca
thedral: and then. only pausing 70
leave his horse in safety. he FASTENED
on foo to the prison.
There again disappointment awaited
him.
The warder was sullen and despond-
ent, till Il timely present of half n
crown drew from him the information
that Matthew Rivers had been liber-
ated, but was too i'll to converse with
any one.
Had his daughter been to see him?
Well. there was a young woman with
n red face and rather lame. oh. no.
she came after the young man who
vas in for horse stealing. There was
n young woman, now he AIM TO think
of ii. who came up in the pouring rain
to see Matthew Rivers. The doctor,
he saw her: perhaps Mr.. Hartrey had
better see him. too
Ernest thought he had; and, accord
ingly. in a short time he was seated
opposite to the kini-hearted physician.
who had been SO friendly to poor little
May.
But, as the reader already knows, it
was little pleasant news he had to tell
Ernest Hartrey.
He told him how May was married
TO John Gridley and the young. squire
heard no more.
"The ~ilounG-tiie m~eaf-spiritcd Great
ure! When first we meet there will he
n long account TO settle between u.s.
he cried. dashing his fist heavily down
upon the table.
Don't kill him. said the doctor,
smiling: but anything short of that
he richly deserves"
But John Gridley had flown. His
ervan HAD neither seen nor heard
anything of him since that night of the
storm. when he galloped off in such
mad haste.
AT Winchester Ernest Hartrey lost
all clue 70 May; for both she and John
Gridley had disappeared. leaving be-
hind them 20 trace of the direction
they had taken.
Slowly AMI sor;owfully he turned his
horses head toward Portsmouth and
rode sadly home.
All his bright dreams We're at an
end; his expectations of happiness
with n bride in the masters daughter
had faded away and he saw only a
dismal future before him.
The second night after his arrival n
England he passed in a hotel in Ports
mouth. and the next morning rode
slowly to his fathers house.
Hartrey Park was then the same TO
all appearance rs Ii had been 4 twelve
month since. There Were the aid trees.
and there, at the end of the avenue.
was the ugly old o house, In which
many generations of the Hartreys lad
been born and had died.
is my father ut homeg" asked Ern-
est of the servant who opened the door
to him. forgetting the alteration his
beard made in his countenance.
Your father! Your Why, can it
be? Yes-it is. It's Master Ernest
come back among us again. Lor'. 10
think OF it,"
My father, James. is he at homer
repeated Ernest. shaking hands with
the old servant, who had lived ut Hart
Fpy ldTh ITDul tllie llulitliloi III. anu
was generally supposed TO he Il realiza-
ton of that fabulous creature, 1.-THE
oldest inhabitant.'
NO, sir: Sir Harold, he went off in
a chaise and pair a hoar ago, with an
other gentleman"
Where have they gomez"
well, Master Ernest, | did hear Sir
Harold tell the man to drive to Black
rock"
ITO Blackjack? Who was with my
father
"A gentleman. but I couldn't catch
his name rightly. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
no; but it was something like it,
sWas it Gridley?' asked Ernest
eagerly.
you've hit it. Master Ernest. John
Gridley it was"
"Hurrah!'' cried Ernest. "Hurrah,
Caleb. we're on the track again. For
ward.'
Regardless of the old servants Won
der Ernest, followed by the faithful
black. dashed away, bound for Black
rock.