Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-09-10

Before she could reply the butler an
nounced that MacDougal was in the
hall and very eager to speak with Cap
tain Carew
''Show him in. " said Lady Hastings.
and in minute he entered, looking
more gaunt and dreamy than ever.
ooh. MacDougal." cried Ruth, "I
have been dying TO ask you about that
telegram We cannot find out who sent
it. A"
1T is just about that I came to
speak, men, l hear the captain has
been making inquiries about it. and
have come TO beg he viii not, or I'll
likely lose my place. F"
"How so. MacDougal?'' asked Carew
Just hear my story, sir You'll re-
member, Miss Ruth, that Sabbath even
ing. You was alone in the grounds, and
told you how ] met KhOdja and how
he said where he had tracked that she
devil Well, Miss Ruth was in sore
trouble and cried as if her heart would
break Her sorrows seemed TO enter in
TO my soul. / never knew what was at
the root of the matter before, so l went
away home fairly dazed TO think that a
sort of shifting mist which was not
truth nor reality was just hiding the
right road, and you could not sweep it
away. / fell asleep thinking of you, sir,
and of Miss Ruth, and it seemed a min
ute after / heard the telegraph bell
sharper than usual l jumped up and
ran into the Office The letters came
quick and clear. just what 1 would
have wished, so ! hurried on my
clothes and across the fields as light as
if an all powerful hand held me up.
Anyhow found myself inside the gate
here and Miss Ruth speaking to me out
of the window in no time. She let me
in, and then l had queer sort of turn
and sat down in the hall, when seemed
to come to myself all of a sudden, and
knew had been walking in my sleep
Miss Ruth did not come back to me for
few minutes, SO l had time to think
Says to myself: III let it be. It's a
regular telegraph form, and it may be
of use TO her. But it was all done in
my sleep. feel it was, and if you go
and push the head people about it and
the truth comes out I'll be sent adrift.
How could they trust a man who has a
special wire in his dreams?''
This is most extraordinary" cried
Carew. "You ought to send the account
to the Psychical Research society. II
was lucky dream for me, MacDougal
You have saved me at a terrible crisis.
see that we must keep the affair
dark / will tell the authorities that
have discovered the sender of the tele
gram, which is the truth. yet viii con
ceal the truth. !"
Dear MacDougal, some friendly
Highland fairy must have inspired
you, " cried Ruth, shaking hands will
him.
After some further talk respecting
this curious delusion Lady Hasting
took MacDougal away to give him I
book for his daughter, and for few
minutes Val and Ruth were left alone
81 have dared TO speak to your moth
er, Ruth" cried Val eagerly, "but sh
is inexorable She says i must SHOW
that am proof against temptation be
fore she would entertain the idea of Civ
ing me her treasure.
"You must accept her terms, Val,
she returned sadly. 81, too, want yo'
a TO prove yourself.
a "But you believe me-you trust me
! Ruth?"
l. when / trust thee not, chaos
\ come again. What are two years {
II waiting compared to the happiness W
!. hope for?' said Ruth, yielding to h
\ embrace.
- And" added Carew, Though thel
n is TO be no acknowledged engagemeI
"a this is our true betrothal."
n He bent to fasten his lips on her
"a till, gently extricating herself. Rut
said softly and solemnly, It'll deaf
" Us do part, Val.
ii THE END