The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-06
CHAPTER XVI.
sHOLTO CAPTURES A PRISONER

SHOLTO CAPTURES A PhlSON Elk
He found that the noise came from
the chamber occupied by the little Lady
Margaret. When he arrived at the door
, he found it open to the wall. The child
was sitting up on her bed, clothed in
the white garmentry of the night.
Bending over her, with her arms
thrown round the heaving shoulders of
the little girl, Sholto saw Maud Linde-
say clad in a hooded mantle thrown
with the appearance of haste about her.
The door of the next chamber also
stood wide, and from the coverlets cast
on the floor it was obvious that its oc-
cupant had left it hastily in order to fly
to her friends assistance.
At the sound Of hasty footsteps Maud
Lindsay turned about and was in
stantly stricken pale and astonished by
the sight of the young man with his
sword bare. She cried aloud with
stern and sad countenance: "Sholto
MacKim, what do you here?"
And before he had time to answer
her, the little girl looked at him out or
her friends arms and called out, "Oh,
Sholto, Sholto, I am so glad you are
come. / awoke to find such a terrible
thing looking at me out of the night
1t was shaped like a great dog, but 1t
was rough of hide and had upon 1T a
head like a man. [ was so terrified
that at first I could not cry out, but
when it came nearer, then l cried. DO
not go away, Sholto. l am glad, so
glad that you are here"
Maud Lindsay had again turned
toward Margaret.
"Hushr' she said, soothingly. "It
was a dream. You were frightened by
vision, by a nightmare, by vision
of the night! There is no dog within
the castle.
But I saw it plainly" she cried. TT
opened the door, as if it had hands,
saw it stand there by the bed and look
at me-Oh, so terribly. l saw its
teeth glisten and snap together!
Little one, be still; it was but a
dream" said Sholto, untruthfully, but
1 will go and search the rest of the
castle"
And with these words he went along
the corridor, meeting his men, whom
he had summoned by means of his cap
tain's silver CALL clustered upon the
landing of the turret stair which COM
nunicated with the third floor. AS he
glanced along the long oak-paneled
corridor it seemed to Sholto that he
discerned a figure vanishing at the fur
Their end. He instantly resolved on
searching. and, summoning his men to
follow, he led the way down the pas
sage, sword in hand. AS he went he
snatched the lamp from its pin on the
wall and held it in his left hand, high
above his head.
At the further end of the corridor
was the door of a little chamber, and it
seemed to Sholto that the shape he had
seen had disappeared at this point
He knocked loudly on the door with
his sword and cried, IF any be within,
open in the name of the earli'
No voice replied and Sholto boldly
set his foot against the lower paneling
and drove the door back to the wall
with a clang.
Then, at sight of a something dark,
wrapped in a cloak, standing motion
less close against the window, the
young captain of the guard elevated
his lamp and let the flicker of the
light fall on the erect figure and
| naughty face of young man, who,
1 with his hand on his hip, stood con-
| sidering the rude advance of his pur-
suers with a calm and questioning
gaze.
| 1t was the Earl of Douglas himself.
Sholto stood petritied at sight of him,
and for long minute could in no wise
recover his self-control nor regain any
use of his tongue.
well, said the earl, whence this
unseemly uproar? What do you here,
Sholto?''
! Then the spirit of his father came
upon him. He knew that he had only
done his duty in it's strictness, and he
boldly answered the earl: Nay, my
lord; were it not for courtesy / have
more right to ask you that question.
Your sister hath been frightened. and
at sound of her terror all we who were
throughout the castle rushed to the
spot AS / came down the stairs from
the roof at speed I saw something like
to great hound about to descend the
turret before me. With my sword /
| struck at it. and, to, all appearance,
! wounded it. 1t vanished, and. after
searching all the csstlA> / could find no