The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-02-22
you notice 4 log house ii the. bottom 81

I've been telling Hugh the history OF
the feud."' said Ludlow; :he threatens
to write'it up s5i.
Why, Ludlow! yon know never
limited at,such a thing. Miss Hester, I
hope you won't believe any thing that
he says. ., 3. is5ss8.
I'm not at ali afraid Of your put
. ting the feud into d story" replied Hes
ter, with an air of conviction
Ringbrand could not let well enough
alone, and he asked: "Wly?"
Because the characters are all too
dreadfully impulsiye and natural. Yoi
+, couldn't possibly tone them down into
correctness, il you We're ia. try ever SO
hard #. ssz s5..ssss i.
Ludlow laughed uproariously: 'Yo,.
don't know how much good that does
me, Hester. I've been telling Hugh all
along that he didn't know the first prin-
ciples OF story-writing."
'L'm sure l don't know why you
should say that" responded the girl,
changing front with an easy facility
that made Mrs. Ludlow catch her
breath. 81 think Mr.. Ringbrand's
meant that he wouldn' care to use such
rough materials as'a5@s .sfi55 80 .
Ringbrand glanced UP gratefully and
saw Mrs. Ludlow trying to look re-
proachfully at Hester: then the nncon-
ventionality of it all appealed to him
like the turning OF a new leaf In tho
book of experience, and he laughed
pleasantly. EDO you know it's quite
charming to hear ones self discussed
in open meetinge;,' he said. Ain all my
. life I've never heard 80 much, frank
criticism as Miss eLatiner anti Tom
have given me III the las few weeks.
it's decidedly refreshing, after half a
lifetime at meaningless praise on one
hand, set off by an equal amount Of
spiteful abuse on the, other. I'll give
fair warning now, though, that mean
you'll hear me telling Ludlow how to
run an iron-furnace, and" s,@''.sz
"And Miss Latimer how to hold her
tongue" interrupted Hester, mali
ciously. '*''@ ~
Indeed, wasn't going to say any
such ungallant thing" protested Ring
brand. +: ~. 49,. 81 ~
you might as we'll say it as to think
it, ''rejoined Hester. meel>ly. 81 know
! shall catch myself looking for an inn
pertinent young woman in all your fu-
ture Stories
After that the talk drifted back to
the feud, and Hester related the incl
dent of the evening before. II suppose
it must have been one of the Bynun,s,"
she concluded; though / can't mag
inc what his object could have BEEN
Perhaps it was. Uncle Ephraim
after chicken" suggested Mrs. Lud-
low.
Uncle Eph wouldn't come around
the front of the house when there were
: four of us sitting on the veranda," re-
piled Hester.
MAY i ask to be introduced to Uncle
Ephraim?" inquired Ringbrand.
you've met him." said Ludlow;
"'Yes, sab, please, sab, tank yo', sab. I"
"Oh! the old fellow who carried my
valise up from the train. Why, I've
seen good deal Of him, and ;h,ee seems
to be quite above, chicken atfaling.
believe I'd trust him with my pocket
] book" t'+H1 ,t'1nu4iE j -
"You could do that safely enough;
he'd bring it back; but that isn't saying
he wouldn't borrow a fat chicken il
Providence threw one in his way. Un-
Gle Eph is as honest as the day is long.
bnt he'll bear watching after dark, re-
piled Ludlow. However, agree with
Hester; the intruder wasn't n vagrant
or chicken thief"
"No," said Hester; II suppose it was
one of the Bynum boys; and wanted
to ask you, Mr.. Ludlow, if there had
been any new Developments lately; l.
can't get anything out of father Or
Henry" ~ W.
Nothing that I know of, except
well, yes; we've decided to begin work
again ON the McNabb vein, but don't
see how that could account for your
visitor; that's distinctly a company af-
fair, now"
"You may be sure they won't consid-
or it SO. I'm afraid it will mean re-
turn of the old days of cut clotheslines,
and broken fences, and border warfare
generally" 's 4
Ringbrand looked shocked, and Iud-
low replied, gravely: I'VE won't have
that, at any cost. I wish there were
some way of getting evidence against
them" .@.i ,.-
Gan it be possible that there have
been no witnesses to any of their depre-
dations?" asked Ringbrand.
''Oh. l suppose there are few, only
they won't testify, and l don't know
that J. blame them much; I'd go on the
witness stand myself. if We're morally
sure of convictions. but otherwise it
would be risky enough Intakes ahe-
roic love of Justice for its, own sake to
make man willing TO incur the enmity
of such people as the Bynams." =
what would be necessary TO- CON
vict them?" ,...,;sa
''The testimony of one or more relia-
BILE eye-witnesses, or q chain of circua-
stantial evidence that could not be east
ly broken"
: Ludlow's ,bantering suggestion that
he should turn detective came to- Ring
brand with a sober meaning in the
light OF the threatened danger to the
Latimers. and in connection with his
discovery of the creyice cave. He saw
his opportunity. and how drawer man
would have turnedi it to account; a dozen
plans for entrapping the criminals
flashed through his mind, but they. all