The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-05-07
XI.

of the old mountaineer and Thorndyke
shut himself in his room to finish the
letter begun the previous evening. He
went about it leisurely, placing the
table in front of an open window and
sitting where the sweet afternoon
breeze might blow in his face as he
wrote. Between the sentences he
stopped often, weighing and turning the
words until they fitted his purpose;
which was to make this latest letter to
his mother as one with those preceding
it. This preserving of the unities proved
b. be less difficult than he had thought
it would be. The new determination
was but sucking as yet, and the turn
ing of fresh leaf in the book of reso-
lutions is, in any event, only begin
ming. Besides, ones mother is always
the first to accept show of franliness
as Il substitute for the real quality,
and Mrs. Thorndyke would have found
reasons for refusing to believe Philip
if he had told her the plain truth.
The window in the attic bedroom
looked out upon the stretch of yellow
road leading to Allacoochee, and in
one of the inter-sentence pauses Philip
saw two horsemen ride over the crest
of the spur which shut off the view of
the lower valley. They halted among
the trees on the hillside, and one of
them pointed to the farmhouse, while
the other took something from his
pocket and went through the motions
of a man drinking from bottle. Philip
watched them listlessly until. at the
end of a full minute, his curiosity
awoke to comment upon the phenome-
nal thirst of the man who still sat like
an equestrian statue with arm bent and
head thrown back. There was a field
glass hanging in it's case on the wall,
and when Philip took it down and TO-
cused it upon the statuesque horseman
the mystery speedily took another form.
The man was not drinking; he was eX-
amining the house and the adjacent
mountain through glass not unlike
the one in whose field Philip was OBJ
serving him.
Thorndyke's first thought was of Kill
grow and his prosecutors, but before he
could form a plan for warning the old
mountaineer the two horsemen rode
down to the house, and he heard one of
them ask Mrs. Duncan if the road led
to Alta Springs, a village on the western
slope of Johns mountain. Since the
question appeared to explain the recon-
naissance, Philip let his suspicious
lapse. and straightway forgot the Incl
dent when the travellers had ridden on.
H. Lo1 a., l. = Ia l,
ginning to wonder if Duncan would
succeed in finding Kilgrow, when he
heard voices below, followed by STUN
bling footsteps on the stairs. and Dun
can entered with the old mountaineer.
This is auld johnnie keelgrow,
Master Thorndyke," he said, presenting
his companion with a perpendicular
gesture which seemed to call attention
to Kilgrow's great height. 81 just
made free to fess him till yer ain room.
whaur ye could haze it oot wi him in pri-
vate."
THAT was right-Im glad to meet
you, Mr.. Kilgrow. Sit down, both of
you, and let me ask few questions"
The mountaineer folded his thin
length upon the edge of a chair, but
Duncan stood irresolute. I'm no sac
over rash, myself, Master Thorndyke,
as ye ken, but auld Johnnie here is
mair captious than the canniest Scot O.
them a. D. ye think, now, he Wilma
set foot in the house till he makes me
promise to pit myself on guard on the
doorstane!"
Duncan's dissatisfaction with any ar
rangement that excluded him from
share in the conference was very evil
dent, but Thorndyke judged wisely that
his client would be less embarrassed if
the inquisitive Scot were out of the
way, and he commended the precau-
ton.
Its well enough to be careful, Mr..
Duncan; we're not likely to spoil our
chances of success by being over-pru-
dent"
That's guide seasonable Scotch
sense, d. ye ken that, Johnnie, man?"
said Duncan, forgetting for the moment
that he had been arguing on the other
side of the question. "Ye maun just
open yer min freely to Master Thorn
dyke; he's an auld held, if he does gang
aboot on young shouthers."
Kilgrow nodded, and Thorndyke's
heart warmed toward the old man when
he was at leisure to read the story of
privation and distress written so plain
ly on the thin face and in the restless
eyes. 1t was some sense of the need
for encouragement that prompted him
to speak first in terms of assurance.
Duncan has told me all about your
case. Mr.. Kilgrow, and l want you to
believe me when l say that you're in
no danger whatever of prosecution on
the old charge of brandy-making. If
you were arrested to-day could clear
you tomorrow. You shouldn't have
run away in the beginning"
The old man resented the imputation
upon his courage. II reckon yo'-uns
d run, too, 18th thee r four of 'em u
poppin' at ye 18th Their rifles"
perhaps l should, after it got that
far along; but l should have gone quiet
ly with the officers at first and fought it
out in court"
Kilgrow shook his head obviously.
1.-The law hain't fer pore man like me-"
That's just where you're mistaken;
the law is for everyone, and we couldn't
do anything in the present case without