The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-11

asking nm TO come down at once on
an urgent matter, and this be sent by &
mounted messenger 10 be dispatched
from town ten miles away where the
Office was open all night.
Then he had saddle horse brought
round, and he rode off fast through the
night TO Mrs. Villyers' honse to try to
gather from her some elew to Lola &
movements.
As he went he took up the train of
thought which his mothers words had
suggested and Mrs. DE Witt had en-
forced. Was there any connection be-
tween that scene of the morning and
Lola's flight? Had that villainous cow
ard anything TO do with forcing them
apart? By heaven, if he had-and un
| der his breath Sir Jatfray swore deep,
strong oath-he should pay dearly for
| it.
But how could it possibly be so?
If the signs of a true and deep love
were ever shown for "a man, Lola had
shown them for him that day both by
word and act Not for a moment would
he distrust her-no, not If all the world
were against her to swear away her
faith and truth and love for him.
He would find her and bring her
back. That he vowed TO himself, and
the thought that he could do it COM
forted and cheered him and lifted him
in "a measure above the choking flood of
misery and regret. He would hold TO
that resolve-to that and 10 his I'M
dimmed love for her.
When he reached Mrs. Villyers'
house. all was in darkness. IL was late,
and the household bad gone to bed.
Till that moment he had had a faint,
flickoring hope that he should find Lola
there.
But the darkened house quenched the
hope. If she had been there, there
would have been some signs of an un-
usual stir in the place instead of the
unpromising darkness.
He reused the household and when
the servants came shivering and irrita-
bic TO know who it was and what was
wanted he learned that Mrs Villyers
was from home and had been away for
two or three weeks. Asked where she
was, they gave him an address in North
Devonshire, and that was all the in
formation he gained by the long night
ride.
Then he turned his horses head |
homeward, choosing the road which |
would take him past Leycestor Court ON |
his way. He was half minded to go and !
rouse Beryl and find ont whether Lola |
had, after all, gone there or whether
she could help him in deciding in what |
direction to begin his search.
When he reached the Court, however,
he found the place in darkness as COM
plete as that at Mrs. Villyers', save
only for a light from the windows of |
the sick mans room. and, feeling that
he could do no good by rousing Beryl |
merely TO put question to her and to
receive an answer which be knew only
too well would be that Lola had nor |,
been near the place, Sir Jaffray turned
his horses head again and rode straight !
for the manor.
As he neared home an incident &C.
Cured which excited him almost be.
You'd control.
he had ridden very hard and fast
during the greater part of the distance, |
finding relief in the violent exercise, (
and quite unlike his usual habit, with
out thought for the horse that carried
him, but when he had reached nearly |
home he noticed that his horse was
very much distressed, and he drew rein |
to ease it, allowing it to walk. Then
he found it had gone lame, and, dis
he felt in the hoofs and
found a stone.
Before he remounted he stood min !
ute or two on the turf by the side of the |
road to let the laboring painting beast |
get its breath. Then, himself feeling |
stiff, he walked along short distance (
on the turf, glad of the change from (
the saddle
He reached in this way the outskirts
of the Ash Tree wood, the boundary |
line of his estates i'll that direction, and |
there was surprised to hear what sound |
ed like the rustling of light footsteps in
the wood. 1t was late, near midnight |
or past, and no one lad right to be
abroad at such an hour.
Probably some rascal was out poach-
ing, he thought, and at another time he
would have welcomed the idea of tus-
sic, but now he was too full of real
trouble to be worried by any such
trifling incident as the theft of a head
or two of game.
He stopped, however, and listened
intently, and as the moon was shining
brightly at the moment he drew eau
tiously under the branches of a dark
yew tree whose shade was wide enough
to conceal both himself and his horse.
He was on the opposite side of the
road from the wood, and he did not like
to cross it lest the sound of the horses
hoofs on the hard ground or the glare
of the moonlight should reveal his
presence.
As he listened he distinguished that
the footsteps were short and quick,
while it seemed to him that the rustling
of the leaves as the person walked was
continuous, as though caused by wo-
mans dress, but it was very difficult
to detect any little signs of the kind.