Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-10-07

V>WHTT'P"'SHfm M&Is".
weak, and having given the former to his
host, took the latter for himself.
"Eh, but this is stiff" said the old
Scotchman, tasting the preparation with
out disfavor. "You have mixed this for
professor of medicine. and not for a
student o phiology, doctor. If were to
drink this off, and then lie down for an
hour as ma custom is, l should do ma
more work tonight, and there'd be some
precious hours wasted. An wi these lit
tie whipper- snapper pretenders to science
yapping a round us. it i'll becomes man
wi any prctensions to learning to gle his
time to whisky toddy and ma to word
roots"
He gradually emptied the lumber, and
being, as he had predicted, by that time
well disposed for his usual hours repose,
he excused himself to the doctor, and re-
tired to lie down ON the hard little sofa in
the ante-chamber.
AS soon as the curtain between the two
rooms fell behind his hosts retiring fig
ure. Armathwaite seemed to become diff
ferent man. Looking at his watch, he
discovered that it was seventeen minutes
past ten; and springing up lightly in a
state of high excitement, which there was
no longer amy need to conceal, he turned
up the lamp and paced the room from end
to end with soft tread, his ears on the
alert for any sound. When he came close
TO the outer door, or to the curtain which
hung in the doorway of the inner room
ne would stop and listen; and as, at last.
peeping behind the curtain, he saw Lord
Alldonan lying with closed eyes, he STEP
ped softly in and blew out the candles
that were burning on the table at the foot
of the sofa.
The doctor retreated into the next room.
It was now twenty-five minutes past ten.
Faint night unnoticed BY day. but
rendered startling in the silence of the
ozark hours, assailed the listening ear on
all sides. The chirp Of q cricket, the
cracking OF the woodwork, the scurrying
OF mice, each Of these sounds came with
almost deafening distnctness to Arma-
tnwalte as he stood by the door, hearing
the drawing Of his own breath and feeling
interested IN it, as If it had been that of
patent. AT last in the distance he heard
something which no nearer sound could
stine-the creak of board under hu-
man tread, followed presently by soft,
slow footballs along the uncarpeted gal
lery outside. He drew back from the
door. In the bare room there were neither
curtains nor screens behind which he
could retreat On the other hand, the
lamp. With its dark green shade, cast only
small circle of bright light ON the table,
ana still smaller one on the ceiling
above. He withdrew into the darkest cor
ner of the room and waited, standing up
right and as still as statue.
The door handle ratified and turned, and
the door itself was pushed open so very
slowly that Armathwaite had to battle
with an impulse to take three strides for
ward. pull t towards him, and look round
it at the intruder. At last a figure ap-
peared, looking hardly more solid than
shadow in the gloom that filed every cor
nef of the apartment beyond the little ring
of the lamps ight-a woman's figure.
moving slowly and lightly over the floor
towards the inner room. Armathwaite
remained motionless until she had drawn
the curtain aside on its rings and passed
through; then he stepped out from his cor
ner and passed to the other side of the
room. As he did 80 he saw in the gloom
the lady bend down over the head Of the
sofa and kiss the forehead Of the recum-
bent man.
stood night, my darling" be heard
Lord kildonan murmur. And then fol-
lowed q soft woman's whisper: Good
night" A moment later the curtain NOV
ed again, and the lady returned, passing
close by where he stood without turning
her head. She crossed the room, opened
the door, and went out into the gallery,
and It was not until her footsteps had died
away that Armathwaite began to breathe
naturally again.
CHAPTER XIII.
Frank Armathwaite woke about eight
O'Clock and shortly afterwad Lord Kill
DOMAIN, in his dressing gown, came in frpm