The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-10-29

Win tue rcctoI TWICE over, anu hurried
away of TO Thomastown, and thence
to India. And. oh dear. il was dull at
Moyliscallan without him.
Five years later Capt Edward Blake
was coming home on sick leave. IL had
been a near squeak" as he said him
self. That wound on the head, at the
Burroo 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 10 Bonn
bay; the relapse on the road, which,
but for Mrs. Diamonds nursing, must
have finished him; the almost miracu-
lousy accomplished move on to ship
board, which the doctor allowed was an
experiment of kill or cure.
And now he was steaming home as
fast as the l.. & 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 pill
lows, the next he could read a few
lines of the Times. A little later he
asked Mrs. Diamond If she could find
him paper and pencil, as he wanted to
write note "home." Life was worth
living again with Moyliscallon drawing
nearer day by day. Mrs. Diamond was
a little widow lady, who, since her hus-
bands death. had been keeping house
for brother in the civil service. 1.-The
Judge" as she called him, had fallen
victim to the charms of an 1s-year-od
school girl, fresh from England, and
Mrs. Diamonds services were required
no longer. Coming down country she
had stumbled upon Tedde Blake, fever
stricken and virtually 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 steamship
from the Bombay hotel which she had
hardly dared to hope he would leave
alive, and was a witness of his con-
valescence on board ship, as day by day
his strength and spirits returned. So
it was not wonderful that Teddie turned
to her for paper and pencil on the very
scrawl line, and imperiously demand
ed that he be allowed to write ito his
people"
''Are you sure you can do it?" Mrs.
Diamond asked. producing the writing
board, but not giving it to him uncon
ditionally.
quite sure-that is. not bit of it.
but I'll try"
II thought you said you had nobody
belonging to your"
"No more / have-no real relations
but an adopted family that is the dear
est in the world-not mere accident
of birth, like other peoples families.
l must write them just few words
to say that I'm alive and coming home,
and it'll be ready when an opportunity
comes for posting it, though it can't
reach Moyliscallan more than an hour
or two before l do myself
.Moyliscallan." repeated Mrs. Dia-
mond; what do you know of Moylis-
callan? / only heard of the place for
the first time a month ago, and now it
turns up again!"
Its my home" Blake said, painfully
scrawling the date at the top of his
sheet of paper. THE castle belongs to
me. only I've never been able to live
in it yet. My people live at the rectory
it is to Mr.. O'Malley, the rector. that
I'm writing. And what did you hear
about Moylisca'lan, the sweetest place
on all the earth?"
why" said Mrs. Diamond, excited
ly. "this is the oldest thing! My cousin,
George Strangways, 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 O'Malley, a
daughter. / suppose, of this very old
gentleman you're writing to! / had
the letter just before l met you at
Rahmednugger, and had scarcely given
IL thought since"
One of the rector's girls.
Teddy Blake had seen death glaring
at him from wall Of black Afghan
faces; he had looked fever in the eyes
more than once. but he had never known
With utS pair HHtdilt I'LL NIdlClu iyidiiiuHu
told him her little story of odd coinci-
dences sitting on the steamship deck,
halfway through their homeward voy
age. For a moment he repeated the
words: ELLEN O'Malley; there is only
one daughter at the rectory;" and Mrs.
Diamond. whose eyes we're on the silk
sock she was knitting, went on cheer
fully: "Oh. then, that's the girl. /
did not hear from George Strangways
direct; the news came through my
brother. but of course it is the same
the young lady at the rectory. Fancy
lid George succumbing to an Irish girls
destinations after going all over the
habitable globe unscathed till now!"
rs he good fellow" Teddy asked.
Something in his voice made Mrs.
Diamond give swift glance at her
companion, and in that glance she I'M
derstood everything.
"Hc is very good fellow" she an
swered. little more seriously than she
had hitherto spoken; "any girl will he
happy and tenderly treated by him,
though he is an elderly man-55, /
4 Al. Al. Al.