The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-02-25

why, LUDLOW! you KNOW L never
hinted at such thing. Miss Hester, I
hope you won't believe anything that
he says"
I'm not at all afraid of your put
ting the fcud into story" replied Hes
ter. with an air of conviction.
Ringbrand could not let we'll enough
alone. and he asked: "Why?"
because the characters are all too
dreadfully impulsive and natural. Yon
couldn't possibly tone them down into
correctness, if you were to try ever so
hard"
Ludlow laughed uproariously: "Yol
don't know how much good that does
Inc. Hester. I've been telling Hugh all
along that he didn't know the first prin-
ciples of story-writing."
I'm sure | don't know why you
should say that" responded the girl,
changing front with an easy facility
that made Mrs. Ludlow catch her
breath. 81 think Mr.. Ringbrand's
stories are perfectly delightful. Ionly
meant that he wouldn't care to use such
rough materials"
Ringbrand glanced up gratefully and
saw Mrs. Ludlow trying to look re-
proachfully at Hester; then the uncon-
ventionality of it all appealed to him
like the turning of new leaf in the
book of experience, and he laughed
pleasantly. do you know it's quite
charming to hear ones self discussed
in open meeting?" he said. I'm all my
o1-f1 yr,11nh fror lr
criticism as Miss Latimer and Tom
have given me in the last few weeks.
It's decidedly refreshing, after half a
lifetime of meaningless praise on one
hand, set off by an equal amount of
spiteful abuse on the other. I'll give
fair warning now. though, that mean
to turn the tables some fine day, and
you'll hear me telling Ludlow how to
run an iron-furnace, and"
"And Miss Latimer how to hold her
tongue" interrupted Hester, mali
ciously.
Indeed, ! wasn't going to say any
such ungallant thing" protested Ring
brand.
"You might as we'll say it as to think
it. "rejoined Hester, meekly. II know
l shall catch myself looking for an i'm
pertinent young woman in all your fu-
ture stories"
| After that the talk drifted back to
the feud, and Hester related the incl
dent of the evening before. 81 suppose
it must have been one of the Bynums," t"
she concluded; though l can't imag-
inc what his object could have BEEN"
perhaps it was Uncle Ephraim
after q chicken" suggested Mrs. Lud-
low. =
"Uncle Eph wouldn't come around
the front of the house when there were
four of us sitting on the veranda," re-
piled Hester.
May ask to be introduced to Uncle
Ephraim?" inquired Ringbrand.
you've met him." said Ludlow;
"'Yes, sab, please, sab, tank yo', sah.' "
"Oh! the old fellow who carried my
valise up from the train. Why, I've
seen good deal of him, and he seems
to be quite above chicken-stealing. I
believe I'd trust him with my pocket
book"
"You could do that safely enough;
he'd bring it back; but that isn't saying
he wouldn't borrow fat chicken il
Providence threw one in his way. Un.
Gle Eph is as honest as the day is long,
but he'll bear watching after dark" re.
piled Ludlow. However, agree with
Hester; the intruder wasn't q vagrant
or a chicken thief"
NO." said Hester; 81 suppose it was
one of the Bynum boys; and wanted
to ask you, Mr.. Ludlow, if there had
been any new Developments lately; I
can't get anything out of father or
Henry"
Nothing that know of, except
well. yes; we've decided to begin work
again on the McNabb vein, but don't
see how that could account for your
visitor; that's distinctly company af-
fair, now"
"You may be sure they won't consid-
er it so. I'm afraid it will mean re-
turn of the old days of cut clotheslines,
and broken fences, and border warfare
generally"
Ringbrand looked shocked, and Lud-
low replied, gravely: 1--WE won't have
that, at any cost. wish there were
some way Of getting evidence against
them"
Can it be possible that there have
been no witnesses to any of their depre-
dations?" asked Ringbrand.
"Oh, suppose there are few, only
they won't testify, and ! don't know
that blame them much; l'd go on the
witness stand myself, if | were morally
sure of a conviction, but otherwise it
would be risky enough. 1t takes he
roic love of justice for its own sake to
make q man willing to incur the enmity
of such people as the Bynums,"
what would be necessary to con-
vict them?"
THE testimony of one or more relia-
BILE eye-witnesses. or chain of circum-
stantial evidence that could not be easi-
ly broken"
Ludlow's bantering suggestion that
he should turn detective came to Ring
brand with a sober meaning in the
light of the threatened danger to the
I.atimers, and in connection with his
discovery of the crevice cave He saw