Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-11-04

head, at the Burro Pass affair, had set
all Europe talking about him, but
had nearly done for him all the same.
Then came weeks of fever and the
weary journey to Bombay the re-
lapse on the road. which, but for Mrs.
Diamonds nursing, must have finished
him; the almost miraculously accom-
plished move on to shipboard, which
the doctor allowed was an experience
of kill or cure.
And now he was steaming home as
fast as the P. & O. line could DO it,
and every day some fresh sense OF
power in mind or body was reborn IN
him; one day he could arrange his
own pillow, the next he conld read a
few lines of the paper. a little later
he asked Mrs. Diamond if she could
find him paper and pencil, as ne
wanted to write a note "home.
Life was worth living again with
Moyliscallan drawing nearer day by
day. Mrs. Diamond was a little wid-
ow lady, who since her husbands S
death had been keeping house for a
brother in the civil service. "The
Judge" as she called him, had fallen
a victim to the charms Of an l8-year-
old schoolgirl, fresh from England,
and Mrs. Diamonds S services were re-
quired no longer. Coming down
the country she had stumbled upon
Teddie Blake, fever-stricken and vir-
tually alone, and it was undoubtedly
to her care that he owed his recovery
from the relapse, which had been
worse than the original attack. She
had deferred her own plans to the
convenience Of the patient, had super
intended his transfer to the steam
ship from the Bombay hotel, which
she had hardly dared to hope he would
reach alive, and was a witness Of his
convalescence on board ship, as day
by day his strength and spirits re-.
turned. SO it was not wonderful
that Teddie turned to her for paper
and pencil on the very first occasion
that he felt he could scrawl a line,
and imperiously demanded that he be
allowed to to write "to his people.
"Are you sure you can do it?'
Mrs Diamond asked, producing her
writing board, but not giving it over
to him unconditionally.
"Quite sure-that is, not a bit of
it-but III try.
q thought you said You had no.
body belonging to you?'
mo more | have-no real rela-
tions-but an adopted family that is
the dearest in the world-not a mere
accident of birth like other peoples
families. must write them just a
few words to say that am alive and
coming home, and it will be ready
when an opportunity comes for post
ing it, though it can't reach MoyEs-
callan more than an hour or two be-
fore do myself
"Moyliscallan," repeated Mrs. Dia-
mond, what do you know Of Moylis-
callan? only heard of the place for
the first time about a month ago, and
now it turns up again =
Its my home Blake said, pain
fully scrawling the date at the top OF
his sheet of paper. The castle be-
longs to me, only I've never been able
to live in it. Ny people live at the
rectory-it is to Mr.. O'Malley, the
rector, that I'm writing. And what
did you hear about Moyliscallan, the
sweetest place on all the earth p
why" cried Mrs Diamond, ex-
citedlv, "this is the oldest thing
Ny cousin, George Strangeways,
rented the castle from some one some
years ago-from you, it appears-and
now he is engaged, married probably
by this time, to one of the rector's
girls, Ellen OMalley, a daughter, l
suppose, of this very old gentleman
you're writing to. l had the letter
Just before I met you at Rahmsdnug-
gar and had scarcely gwen 1t
thought since.
One of the rector's girls
Teddie Blake had seen death glaring
at him from a wall of black Afghan
faces he had looked fever in the eyes
more than once; but he had never
known what despair meant till Marcia
Diamond told him her little story Of
odd condolences sitting on the steam
ship deck, halfway through their home
ward voyage. For moment he re-
peated the words: "Ellen O'Malley;
there is only one daughter at the rec
tory" and Mrs. Diamond, whose eyes
were on the silk sock she was knit
t;ng went on cheerfully: "Oh, then,