The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-03-25

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groundless; but there had been no word
matchmaker made an unsuccessful at
TENT to conceal her resentment toward
the girl who had so ruthlessly demol-
| ished her beautiful air castles of domes-
tic felicity.
"Where do you suppose he can be?''
asked Hester, when the conversation
had been brought around by carefully
guarded approaches to the objectwhich
had prompted her early ride down the
mountain.
I'm sure don't KNOW" replied Mrs.
Ludlow, trying to look properly severe.
"Perhaps he's lost on the mountain;
I'm sure I'm glad we didn't turn him
out toto get lost"
Hester looked mystified and hurt.
"Why, Helen, do you mean that we
ought to have tried harder to keep
him?"
81 think you wouldn't have had to try
very hard, if you'd cared anything at all
about him."
Hester blushed painfully and hesi-
tated. at would be foolish to seem not
to understand you, Helen, but-but it
! isn't atall as you think; indeed, it isn't" :"
! And her voice quavered a little at the
! end.
1t was Mrs. Ludlow's turn to be aston
ished, and she gave a little gasp of sur
| prise. "Do you mean that you didn't
send him away last night, after all?"
Hester's embarrassment was pitiful,
but she made q brave effort at frank
ness. Not in the way that you mean;
II couldn't, very well, when he didn't
give me the chance"
There were tears in her eyes, and Mrs.
Ludlow crossed over to the sofa and put
her arms around her. "Tell me about
it, DEAR" she said, stroking the bowed
/ head tenderly.
There isn't anything to TELL" sobbed
the girl; 'he's just been good and kind
and gentle-as he is to ev-everybody;
and last night he told me good-by as if
/ I'd been the m-merest acquaintance"
"Told you good-by? Did he say he
was going away?"
"No; father and Henry came up just
then, and he didn't get chance to say
anything else"
81 think he menat to, Hester, dear"
"I-I almost know he did; he said he
wanted to tell me something about him
SELF and then he said it was of no conse-
! quence."
Mrs. Ludlow thought hard for a mo-
ment and then asked: Wasn't there
the least little bit of quarrel about
something, dear?"
Hester sat up and shook her head
vehemently. Indeed, there wasn't
not the smallest word. We had been
talking about the feud, and from that
we drifted into an argument about
courage; l remember we didn't quite
agree, but there wasn't anything like a
quarrel"
Mrs. Ludlow's mind reverted instant
ly to what her husband had said about
the feud being a possible obstacle to
Ringbrand's love-making, and before
replying to Hester she made a mental
note pointing to further inquiries.
''Then, if you haven't quarreled, it's all
right, dear" she said, soothingly; "he'll
come back; and happen to know that
he doesn't regard you as a mere ac-
quaintance-not by great deal But
what in the world do you suppose has
become of him?"
81 can't imagine, only I'm just
weighed down by dreadful fear that
something awful has happened. 1
know it's foolish, but l can't help it,"
"Have you said anything to your IA
ther about it?"
Not yet, but I'm going back right
now to ask him to go to Squire Graz
ven's; his is the first house beyond ours,
you know. Then I'll get Henry to ride
down to Dunbar to ask there"
"That's sensible. If you'll do that,
I'll stir Tom up when ne comes to din
ner, and if we can't find out anything
to-day, We'll Just make them get up
search party tomorrow"
When Hester had ridden away on her
errand, Mrs. Ludlow began to watch
for the home coming of her husband,
and that much-tired individual saw the
light of inquiry in her eyes before she
had said a word upon the subject of
Ringbrand's disappearance. While
Ludlow was quite sure that he held the
key to the mystery, he could not rid
himself of a certain indefinite response
bility for his friends safety. During
the preceding day he had found COM
fort in the belief that he would soon
get telegram from the missing man,
directing the disposition of his effects,
and when the second morning did not
bring this he had quietly telegraphed
to Dunbar and McNairville to ascertain
if Ringbrand had taken the train at
either of these places. The negative
answers came promptly, and on his way
home from the furnace Ludlow met the
down train for the purpose of asking
the same question of the conductor.
The man remembered Ringbrand per-
fectly, and was quite sure that he had
not had him as a passenger since the
day when he had ridden to Tregarthen
on fare paid to Kingville. In view of
these unsuccessful Investigations. Lud-
lows well-simulated Indifference to
his wife's anxiety was worthy of all
praise.
Don't you worry about Hugh" he
said; hell '"rn up all right when he
gets good and ready. I suppose he and
Hester had some little tiff and he's gone
off to sull."
"It isn't anything of the kind" she
insisted. "Hester's been here this
morning, and she told me all about it.