The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-09


Barbara Rankin stood In the doorway
Of the old House of Llndean, looking out
into the. gathering gloom of the short
November day. The cloud that had
canped slhce morning on LIndean lawn
mad crept down to the low ground with
the sunsetting. The mist that had Turk
cd in ambush In the marsh beneath had
stolen up the slope to meet It. These
Two troops OF darkness had Joined forces
on the skirts OF Llndean wood; the lone
~ house was cnveloped In thick-comlng
shadows. II stands, as every antIquary
Knows, in fold of smooth green hills
that look across the plain OF the Merse
10 The far away blue barrier of CheYlot.
Save for shepherds house or two
there is no dwelling OF man between 1t
and the crest IT the Lammermuirs. lAh-
dean itself has almost ceased 20 F9hS
R6aong inhabited houses. Once Il mad
been a strong fortalIce, able to keep the
border thieves at bay. II had STOOD a
siege. had given q title to the ancient but
decayed family that still held It. Now It
had fallen to the estate OF a shooting
boz. occupied for a few months IN the
sporting season by tenants who knew
nothing and cared nothing for It's story.
Everywhere about 1t were the signs ot
neglected and unionOred age. The very
ivy had begun to lose It's hold on the
walls, and hung in iltdeatis trailing
masses about the door and the windows.
A few scrubby gooseberry bushes and
Iyeedy rose trees alone survived to show
where the orchard and the flower pots
mad been, The outhouses were unroof-
cd. and the avenue OF venerable beeches
and ashes was, like the mansion, more
than half y rv;n. The great gale OF six
'y6ars bP.N bad smitten It sore. The
grandcst trliGEs-trees as old az the
Tower at lIadean itself-had been laid
prone, and the huge roots stu numbered
1.-THE wood.
Barbara gazed down the dark vista
until the mist Ind swallowed the last
male CLEAN of the dying day. The air
was still. Nothing came 10 her ears eX-
,cept the patter OF the falling leaf ana
TIE. strangled roar OF the stream IN the
cleuch below. To her ibssopnded ike
the voice OF silence and lonelinesa-the
'sdIrge Of the fortunes OF lylndean: she
stepped across the threshold and looked
flfIl lIlG tENNNNAAGRhA NfAAtF 49,
door. II was too dark to make out the
familiar device OF a hand grasplng the
trunk OF tree and the motto, Time
alone overcomes me-" But through the
duct could plainly be deserted the fresh
scars TIE last tenants Of Lindean had
made on the proud crest Of the Biackad-
,ders. Out nf humor at their Ill luck on
the moor they had fired a parting salute
at the family arms. The. eyes OF the
faithful oldservItor CLEANED augrtiF, No
BIackadder would have done such q
deed. Evil lIvers they might have been
! daredevil, spendthrift, graspinB. But
At least they had always borne them
selves like gentlemen. The crude 0rnuse-
ment and vulgar talk Of these new-rich
young men who had come for season
"a carouse under the family roOf-tree
and abuse the family gods were enough
II make the old Blackadders turn
their graves In the aisle Of the abbey
church. Had Barbara been present she
would have rescued from this last indig-
nifty the house in which she had been
born and had lived for over sixty years,
even as she rescued the great rusty An
drea Ferara that Vivian Blackadder
welded at Flodden when the little Cock
ney sportsman took Il dOSgn from Its
DlAEG anu lLlGA " bEaAA ~ NNNNAI va 49,
stone flags OF the hall. THE fushion-
Z less body" she murmured, smiling GRIM
liz to herEeIR, remembering the ease
WherewIth she had wrenched the weapon
from the grasp Of the astonished MINI.
rod.
She went indoors and Nehting her
candle, made her tour through the de-
serted house ere retiring f0r-the night.
She climbed the spiral staircase and
threaded the low .Vatttted passages
from story to story and4frpm room TO
room. The stone paveQfegt underfoot
waB worn and broken. The plaster
hung In fragments frcm the ceilings
The oak panehngs and the old fashion
ed furniture had suffered badly from
time and iBl-usage. There were cham
bers IN the oldest portion Of the build
ing that had been boarded up and had
become black holes utterly abandoned
to the stnrlings, the owls and the bats.
Still & dozen rooms remained In occa-
6ional use, and these were under her
care. In the dining and drawing .roims
spacious, bare. low-ceiltIsed apart
ments-the candle made only small
island OF light, leaving the many COR
nerB and .recesses In impenetrable shad-
ow. TIA hangihgs were Eaoth-eatea
and the family portraits on the walls
furnished and faded. The bedrooms
were in still worse case. Nothing had
been done to repair or furnish them
since the late Lord LIndean brought his
bride hither forty years ago. One
chamber alone-what in other days had
been known as the State Bedroom
gave signs Of being prepared for an
honored guest Fuel had been laid
ready in the crate, Under the heavy
catsfalque OF the bed the coYeret had
been turned down and the white and
well-aired sheets exposed. a pair Of
white slippers had even been placed be-
side the fireplace for the half expected
guest. Had Batbsra's larder bean
searched there would have been found
the materials for what Caleb Bladder.
stone would have called cold colla-
ton" Her eyes Travelled lovingly over
these preparations. Once more her cara
listened In vain for the noise OF mp
preaching wheels or roofs In the drive
without. With q grief and longing in
her wrinkled face and load OF care
weighing on her gaunt and stopping
shoulders she descended TO her quarters
In the kitchen.
The fire Of peats in the cavernous
chimney had burned low. Barbara re-
plenished It with wood, and, drawing
her stool close to the bars, sat down
with her elbows on her knees. and with