The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-03-25
copyright, 1906. by J. B. Lippincott Col
in a single night"

III d SluSle hight.
81 don't know anything to tell, except
what is evident enough to a man up
a moderately tall tree. Hugh has
about as pronounced a case as | ever
saw develop in so short time, and it'll
go hard with him if he doesn't win. If
be surprised to have him leave US
without 4 word; it would be very much
like him" So much good-natured Tom
Ludlow ventured on the chance that
Ringbrand had carried out his threat.
''Why should Hester refuse him?"
"Bless my soull how should l know
I'm not in the young woman's conf
dence; and, besides, l don't know that
she has"
Ludlow hurried through his break
fast, and breathed freely again when he
was we'll out of ear-shot of his home.
I'm a lucky mani" he chuckled; five
minutes more, and she'd have had the
whole story out of me, and l really
mustn't tell her that-not yet awhile;
it d be cruelty to animals. I'd like to
know if that Anticipated rascal has
actually taken Frepch leave. I must
try and find cut from the colonel il he
comes down to-day"
The colonel did come down, but Lud-
low learned nothing more than that
Ringbrand had left THE Laurels" quite
early in the evening, that he had in
sisted upon walking, and that he had
taken the north road instead of turning
toward Tregarthen. Ludlow guarded
his inquiries carefully, but the colonel's
hospitality took the alarm at once.
'Do 1 understand that youh friend
didn't come home las night?" he asked.
Ludlow admitted it, and FASTENED to
add that Ringbrand was sometimes
rather erratic in his movements.
81 reckon it would be something a
little mo- than erratic if he camped out
on the mountain all night; thah's no
house this side of Squire Craven's, an
that's good ten mile"
perhaps he went on down the road
to Dunbar" suggested Ludlow; "he's
good for long tramp if he felt like it.
He'll turn up all right
| L Hc cOlOHcl lOOheu tllOuS uIlul
hope so; indeed, do He's mighty
i fine young gentleman, and we-all think
a heap of him up on the mountain. He
told me yesterday that he was going
back to New York befo' long"
Ludlow took this as O confession of
his suspicion. and answered, accord
ingly: "Yes; he's quite anxious to get
back to his work.
Here the matter rested, and the three
people who knew of Ringbrand's dis
appearance held widely different views
as to it's motive. Mrs. Ludlow, finding
the packed valises in the guests room,
reluctantly gave place to the carefully
insinuated suggestion of her husband
that the young man had fled because
Hester had refused him. Ludlow, some
what better informed. was quite sure
that the Mceremonious departure was
/ due to Ringbrand's failure to win in the
battle with his weakness; while the
colonel went home with slightly-con-
| fused idea of the unaccountability of
authors and story writer's, whose
vagaries led them to refuse the hospi-
talities of a comfortable mansion for
the sake of spending the night in wan
/ dering about on the mountain. Impart-
ing his convictions to Hester, together
with the information that Ringbran,l
had not returned to Tregarthen. he
awakened an emotion in the heart of
that ingenious young woman which