The Irish standard., 1897-01-30

upon feminine curiosity knew not
whereof he spake. AS compared with
the greed for enlightenment which as
sails the masculine mind at the bare
scent Of a mystery, the curiosity Of
woman is, but sedative. Philip was
no exception to the rule governing his
sex, and the pathos in Elsie's voice was
becoming quite irresistible.
=. "Tell me about hfm," he urged; F1'll
promise anything you. can ask i'll the
way of secrecy and -discretion; and,
as she still hesitated,s he did not scruple
to lay snare in her way by adding:
'I'm quite prepared for the worst you
can say; I'll be dumb even if you tell
me that the old man is an escaped N ur-
derer." =. =
ooh, mo, no!"~ SHE said, quickly; 1T
isn't anything like that! He did wrong
in the first place, but that was years
and years ago, and he didn't under
stand; and now The others have been
so mean to him!" ~
81 think :;you'ds better tell me about
it," said Philip, gravely; "if you don't.
I may imagine it's worse than it really
is, YOU knOW."s ;:'&.H
If Elsie did mot answer at once it was
not because she: svyas; afraid to trust
:Thorndyke, but rather for the reason
that the daughter of James Duncan
could not we'll help inheriting some
thing of his cautious habit. At length
she said: "Perhaps you could think
of some way to help him; III tell you
the story, but you mustn't say anything
about it at home till after I've told
father. Let's move back a little way,
80 he can't see us from down there"
They retreated few steps from the:
brow of the cliff and Elsie sat down upon
a log, while Philip stretched himself
u pom the grass at her feet.
':The trouble commenced a long time
ago, when the mountaineers used to
make whisky and sell it to the valley
people," she began. ''They knew it
was against the law, but don't think
they cared much about that, and, any
way, they kept on till one time the
revenue officers raided the mountain.
AT that time John Kilgrow was living
on little farm over yonder where you
see the old orchard, and for years he
had been in the habit of making few:
gallons of apple brandy from the apples
that he couldn't sell. I'm sure he never
thought he was doing wrong; and
father says he never sold any of the
brandy, though he used to give itaway.
sometimes, to his, neighbors. Besides
the place up here, he owned farm i'll
the big valley, and that was rented out
=, to a man by the name of Gates.
Father says Gates always had bad
name; he used to encourage the noun
taineers to, make whisky, and then he
would help them sell it in the valley.
He was owing Mr.. Kilgrow two or
three years back rent at the time of
the raid, and to get out Of paying he
told the deputy constable-or what
ever you call him-that Mr.. Ki!grow
made brandy, offering to show him the
house and the stil]:'
'"The Internal wretch!-1 beg your
PARDON didn't mean to be proiane.
Please go on"
Gates did what II he q said he would,
but he was sharp se eehhe04agh to see that
Mr.. Kilgrow migheige&.clear if he was
taken, or that he has1seaf might be ar
rested as witnesSa ga he went to Mr..
Kilgrow first and dRreftended to warn
him as friend. Did you ever hear OF
J; such a mean thing?" 'e
Never. hope itahan't succeed"
Eyes. it did; it al! turned out just as
Gates had planned. Tie revenue men
surrounded the house, but Mr.. Kilgrow
got out of back window and ran. They
chased him clear 'away over to the other
side of the mountain, shooting at hin,
: every time they caught sight of him,
and soaring the poor old man so that
she left the country and never did come
back It'll this spring. And now. as I
say, he's afraid oNeverybody. except
80