The Holly chieftain., 1897-12-03
A CASE in EQUITY.
BY FRANCIS LYNDE.
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A RELUCTANT sAMARITAN.

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VI.
A RELUCTANT SAMARITAN.
Robert Prothcroe wss no. the man to
ct q good resolution warp in the cool
ing. He was self-made, in the sense
that he owed his parents little beyond
the fuct OF existence; and the world,
after iA wont with waits, human or
otherwise, had tempered him in salt
ish bath of adversity and sharpened
him upon the grindstoac of experience.
Having made shift to climb some in
considerable dts,ance up the slippery
hill of knowledge by his own unailled
exertions, he fell easily into the habit
Of thinking himself more capable than
other men. The demonstration was
simple and conclusive. He had proved
his ability to wiring measure Of sue
cess out OF adverse circumstances where
others. with all the advantages OF pre-
paratory training. bad failed. He was
too kind-hearted to be cynical, but he
could not help making comparisons;
and they were usually. unfayorable tc
those who inspired them.
In the short Conversation on the ho-
tel veranda, Protheroc had taken
Thorndyke's measure with q consider
able degree Of accuracy, and but for
the enlistment Of his sympathiea he
might have been inclined to look upon
the New Yorker us a person who would
probably serve. upon better acquaint-
ance, to point the moral of another
comparison. As 1t was, however, crit
icism was swallowed up in charity,
and Is minutes after leaving Thorn
dykes room Protheroe was galloping
out one Of the prospective streets,
which. turning abruptly around the
shoulder of Johns mountain, became
a country road leading up the valley
of the Little Chiwassee. His .destina-
tion was small farm-the home Of
the Duncans-lying six miles up the
valley; and his object was to prevail
upon his friends to open their doors
to the sick man.
There was small romance at the bot
tom of the Scotchman's settlement in
Alabama. Duncan had been q schooa-
master in Lanarkshire, and Martha Kin
ross was first his pupil and later his
sweetheart. Martha was the laird's
daughter, and the laird, having just
regard for worldly gear, objected to
the penniless pedagogue. For once in
way, Duncan put his hereditary eau
ton under foot. gave up the school,
married the girl, and tossther they ran
away from the laird's wrath and from
the old world. Once over seas, the VIM
ters of Quebec became sufficient pre-
text for farther wonderings, and these,
being aimless, ended as well in Alabama
~ elsewhere. They had bought the
woem-ort farm in the Little Chiwassee
valley before Elsie was born, and the
chief motive in its selection was one
which neither Duncan nor his wife
would have acknowledged. The nar-
row valley was Scottish glen; the sur
rounding mountains were the hills OF
Lanark magnified somewhat by the
kindly perspective Of time and distance;
and it WAN within the compass of a mere
ly practical imagination to transform
the small river into . Scottish burn.
Not to be outdonc in matter of
sentiment. the valley had repaid the
parents in kind by giving what a mild
climate and inspiring scenery mny give
toward the endowment OF the daughter.
Elsie Duncan was comely and passing
fair to look upon, ~ the native-born
daughters of aliens are wont TO be:
moreover, she was simple and true
hearted, thinking that there were no
noun ntnins like her own mountains and
few men.Yas good as her father. She
was the apple of Dnncan's eye, and for
her sake he had turned schoolmaster
again, giving her whit she had other
wise gone wanting in a bookless land.
Without having been pointed thither-
ward. Duncan's efforts to lift his
daughter above the educational level
of the neighborhood brought about
a result which was not the less crafty
ing because it was Unforeseen. The
book-learning raised barrier between
the girl and the mountain and valley
youth which was more impossible from
their side than from hers, and until
Protheroe had stumbled upon the Dun
can homestead on one Of his prospect
ing journeys there had been no suitors
at the fnrmhoase. Nor is it quite fair
to say that the young engineer was
the exception. He had always been
welcome at the stone house in the val
ley. but he had not yet got beyond the
nnspeakable stage with Elsie.
1t was the uncertainty of his stand
ing with her that made Protheroe hcsi-
tate to introduce o possible rival; and
II was his assumption of superiority over
the common foiblcs and weaknesses OF
humankind in general. and OF jealous
lovers in particular, that united with
his sympathies to make him change his
mind.
The wagon road up the valley of the
Little Chiwassee follows the stream to
q point within quarter Of q mile Of
Duncan's house, wheFe it climbs . low
wooded spur Of Johns mountain. From
the top Of this spur the young engineer
could look down upon the house and its
surroundings. and he saw Duncan in the
tlfnyard talking TO a astranger-an old
man with white hair and beard falling
oser the cape Of tattered army over
eea4 A. sight Of Protheros the man
climbed the fence and ran up the noun
tain. while Duncan came around the
house to the gate. Eg *
'-Good morning, Mr.. Duncan: hope
didn't scare your ncighbor awny. He
took to the woods as II he thought !
might le constable with = warranty
"An' who kenned you were not, when
ye cam loupin' over the hill ycnder?r