The herald., 1897-10-17

"That you CRIED" I said - -
stopped.
May" she answered. with IN offend.
ed look. little ladies do not cry. was
only sorry out loud-that my father
should be kept waiting"
"And your mother sent you all this
way by yourself-was not that cruel Of
her?" went on. to try her.
Little ragged boy" she said. looking
at me with a certain compassion. you
do not know what you are saying. I
cannot, indeed. tell you who my father
is, but I am Mary Gordon, and my
mother is the Lady OF Earlstoun."
So was speaking to the daughter Of
Earlstoun, the most famous Covenant
er in Scotland. and, next to my Lord
Viscount Of Kenmore. the chief land
owner in our country side.
"And have you come all the way
from Earlstoun hither?" asked in as
constituent. For the road was at least
four or fve miles and the road rough
and ill-trodden.
may" she made answer, mot 80. My
mother set me SO far upon the way. and
now she waits for me by the bushes
yonder. so that must make haste and
return. We came in a boat to yon
water-foot down there where the lit
tie bay is and the white sand" And
she pointed with her hand to where
the peety water Of the moorland stream
mingled with and stained the deep blue
of the loch.
Haste We, laddie!" she cried sharply,
a moment after; my fathers not one
to be kept waiting. He will be impa-
tient and angry. And because he is 20
big man, his anger is hard to bide."
you must not go up to the hilltop"
said, "for there are many bad men ON
the Bennan to-day and they would per-
haps kill you"
But my father Is there" said she,
stopping and looking at me, II must
go. My mother bade me-
And happily at that moment I saw
the entire company of soldiers, led by
the man in the red coat, stringing down
the farther side of the mountain in the
line Of flight by which the second fugi-
tive had made his escape. So judged
it might be as well to satisfy the lass
and let her go on to the top. Indeed.
short Of laying hold of her by force, 7
knew not we'll how to hinder 80 insis-
tent and imperious a dame.
Besides thought by a little general
ship would be able to keep her wide Of
the place where lay the poor body Of
the slain man. So straight up the hill
upon which I had seen such terrible
things we went, Ashie and Gray slink-
ing unwillingly and shamefacedly be-
hind. And as went cast an eye to my
flock. And it appeared strange to me
that the lambs should still be feeding
quietly and peacefully down there.
cropping and straying on the green.
scattered pasture of Ardarroch. Yet
in the interval all the world had
changed to me.
We reached the summit.
Here is the place was to wait for
my father" said Mary Gordon. II
must arrange my hair, little boy, for
my father loves to see me we'll or
dered-though he is indeed most care
less himself in his attire"
She gave vent to a long sigh as If her
fathers delinquencies of toilet had
proved matter of lifelong sorrow to
her.
But then, you see, my fathers q
great man and does as he pleases"
She put her hand to her brow and
looked under the sun this way and
that over the moor.
There were so many evil men here
about-your father may have gone
down the further side to escape them"
I said. For desired to withdraw her
gaze from the northern verge Of the
tableland, where as I we'll knew lay a
poor riven body, which, for all I knew
might be that Of the little maids
father, silent, shapeless and forever at
rest.
Let US go there then and wait" she
said more placably and of more docile
fashion than she had yet shown.
So we crossed the short crisp heather.
and walked between ner and that
which lay upon our right hand so that
she would not see it,
But the dogs Ashie and Gray were al
most too much for me. For they had
gone straight to the body of the slain
man, and Ashie, ill-conditioned brute.
sat him down as a dog does when he
bays the moon. and stretching out his
neck and head toward the sky he gave
vent to his feelings in long howl Of
agony. Gray snuffed at the body, but
contented herself with an occasional
snarl Of angry protest.
What is it that the dogs have found
over there?" said the little maid. look
ing round me.
"Some dead sheep or other-there are
many of them about" I answered with
shameless mendacity.
"Have your Bennan sheep brown
coats?" she asked, innocently enough.
I looked and saw that the homespun
Of the mans attire was plain to be seen.
my father has been here before me,
and has cast his mantle over it to keep
the body from the sun and flies"
For which lie the Lord will, trust.
pardon me, considering the necessity
and that I was but lad.
At any rate, the maid was satisfied
and we took our way to the northern
edge of the Bennan top.
(To be continued.)