The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-05-29
Chapter /


underneath. and film of seet falling
made the hills and valleys of beautiful
Westmoreand dreary and desoate. Be
tween two ridges of bare and rocky hill a
market cart was jogging slowly along the
whitening road. and the thud of the old
horses hoofS and the rattle of the wheels
were the only sounds tina. broke a still
ness which was vault-like in the narrow
valley.
From under the rough canvas hood of
the little cart peered out two mems faces.
not clearly visible even to each other: $
the cart entered the valley its occupants
had dropped into silence. which was not
broken until a light began to twinkle in
the dimness on the road ahead of them.
At sight of the little thread Of brightness
across the path one of the men started,
and the other laughed good-humoredly.
This is solitary, there's no denying
that spoke the younger of the two men
in a deep, mellow voice that conveyed
volume of information, true or false. con
corning the owners pedigree, disposition
and education; and all in his favor. I'm
as nervous as a eat tonight. and for my
life | can't tell why. for I'm Yorkshire
man. and = doctor"
"Eh. not from Lon'onr' exclaimed the
pIAi NilldStl, StHclllS biCh INV piiAiA''i'i"
towards the place where the stranger
Gladstone bag lay in the bottom of the
cart.
Il come from London just now. certain
ly, as my luggage labels attest. But that
doesn't make me Londoner any more
than the fact of my being on my way TO
Scotland makes me Scotchman. It is
an accident altogether, this going TO
Branksome | made Il stupid mistake at
Haverholme junction, where | got into
the wrong train and found myself pres
emily at Conismere, and, as there was no
train back to Haverholme before tO-mor-
row morning, | made up my mind to IntlIct
myself for the night upon an old acquaint-
ance of mine Or. Pecle. of Branksome.'
"Dr. Peele, Oh. ay, | know 'un. There's
been bit of a bother about young part
ner DR.. Peee took. who got into little
difficulties with some o t doctors pa
tients, and had to go away bit sudden
like in consequence.
"Dificulties. What sort of ditiiculties:'
well. two Of t patients under his care
poor men both, a laborer one was, and
t'other man as kept a small stationer,s
shop, were took III wi / same sort of
symptoms and one died. It was SO odd
that it got about. and people talked
And what did they say
why, that t young fellow'd got n bit
careless-lilse. and was little too fond of
the same drug in his prescriptions"
And what drug was that
'Laudanum. think twas
people said something more than that.
l suppose:'
The gossips say this young spark had
had his head turned by Il Teddy and Il fine
I.ll,- hut bn boI brsinuI Of
ready, and that his head was runnin' on
her"
"A local beauty, them
'She lives hereabouts. sir, if that's what
you mean. But she's Lon'on beauty.
too. there ism / an eye, young or old, gentle
folk or village folk. that can look at her
bonny face once and not care to look
twice. She worth walking a good mile to
see, is Lady Kildonan.'
Lady Kildonan; oh. she is the wife of
the principal land owner about here
"Ay."
They are popular i'll the district, Lord
and Lady kildonan:'
''She makes him popular. bless her. He's
always porin' over s books, is his lord
ship, but she's all over I place like a sun
beam. on her horse. or in her carriage or
here, a can O jelly there. with word for
every woman, and smile for every man.
and a kiss for t children. She's sight
Tor sore eyes, she IS"
as she young
Let me see; she was born t year my
girl Janet was married; that's twenty
four year ago.
And Lord kiidonan what sort of an
age is he:"
"WeIl. there's matter of thirty years
or more between him and is Wife
Surely she might have found better
mate than an old Scotch bookworm"
sWell, she was bit Of madcap as q
lass and they say old Mr.. Diehton. her
father, was glad to get her off his hands.
and married to an honest man. And she
don't fret for him and his books; she has
too much life III her for that" the old man
added with evident admiration
lie was still speaking when the noise Of
slcighbells grew louder and IouGier behind
them, and the duh sound Of horses quick
steps upon the snow; while the bright
notes of a woman's laughter rang out
clearly. In a moment more sleigh had
dashed by, with its twinkling lights. its
Jingling bells, and all that the doctor
could see through tn" darkness was that
II contained two people, sitting side by
side. But as il passed with a whir-r-r and
rush of cold air something light and
soft and scented, tiuttered up like Il cr-!od
white leaf, and fell on the young mans
knees like an unconscious challenge Of
fascinating. warm-blooIed coquetrv: n
iadys handkerchief, flmy and lace edged.
sweet with perfume that whispered
through the senses 10 the imagination. and
brought up fancies Of delicate white fin
gers that had held the dainty toy. The
old Nillager. however, was not troubled
/ 10y superHuous poetry; Oh catching sight
/ Of the handkerchief, he began to call out
Justify:
Hey! Whoa! Stop, You've dropped
I summct. Your ladyship. hey"
4 The sleigh Was rapidly APPROACHING a
2iy in the road where Il group OF rough
} >toae cottages. one of which was an inn
( Of the hunhlest kind, broke fhe straight
/ lile of tie roadside. and threw little
/ streams Of hight across the snow through
their latticed windows. At the sound of
I the old mans cries both occupants of the
! sleigh turned the. reads. and. Al last.
a. he still shouted. the ;.nginG Of the bells
subsidized tn faint tnklc. the sleigh drew
+ UP just out Of The CLEANS Of light from the
4 cottage windows, and a mans voice called
! out impatientIy:
What is it,"
The Young doctor, holding the haudker-
chief, had already leapt Gown from the
( cart. ana was running over the snow as
fast as limbs stiffened by cold and 4
/ cramped position could carry linn. Even
as he ran. and the rapid movement dis
. pcrScd the fanCiful reverj"s which novel
/ circumstances and lis new and strange