People's voice., 1899-08-03

revenuers, though, hit moughtn't be
sich a bad idee to let on like the bows
done took him for one; hit d sort o.
make the scare come more natchel
like"
The brothers smoked in silence for 0
few moments, and then began to dis.
cuss a plan suggested by the younger.
While they talked the stars came out
one by one and the shadows deepened
in the cove until they lay black and
brooding over the thickets on the sides
of the mountain. With the drawing
of the curtain of darkness the noises
of the night began-the drone of the
jar fly passing with the fading light
into the chirping of the cricket and the
shrill song of the tree-toads. Thread
ing the irregular voices of nature with
the measured pulse of human effort,
the rhythmic beat of the blowing en-
gines at the Tregarthen furnace Vi
brated upon the still air; and at inter
walls dull red glare appearing above
the shoulder of the mountain an.
nounced the feeding time of the fiery
monster of the valley.
The brothers talked on in low tones,
pausing only once, when a shadow
passed the door-yard and glided toward
the forest.
who's that?" queried JEFF, peering
intently into the darkness.
Hits only Jed, reckon" was the
reply.
"Whar's he goin' at this time o
night?"
II dunno; goin' to soak his haid in
the creek, maybe. Imore n half believe,
sometimes, that he's gettin' foolish
bout the Latimer gal; he new did have
much sense, nohow. But, as | was
a-sayin'-" And the talk dropped
back into the channel from which Jed &
appearance had diverted it.
The two men sat on log behind the
barn, facing the cliff at the head of the
cove. Had they been gifted with the
visual powers of the owl which hooted
dismally from the top of blasted oak
standing in the adjacent corn-ield,
they might have discerned, half an hour
later, black speck zigzagging up the
bace of the apparently inaccessible
cliff. 1t was Jed, and when he reached
the summit just under the shadow OF
the tree that years before had borne
such ghastly fruit, he turned his face
south%Sard and walked rapidly toward
"The Laurels." -
"Do you know, Mr.. Ringbrand, that
I've always had persistent and haunt.
ing impression that we've met some.
where before?"
Ringbrand was spending the even
ing at the Latimers as usual, and they
were all sitting in the starlight on the
veranda of "The Laurels."
"You mean before came to Tregar'
then, Miss Hester?"
"Yes, it might have been ages ago.
Ringbrand smiled under cover oi
the darkness. perhaps it was. Dc
you believe in transmigration?"
81 think not" she answered doubt
fully. 81 believe in the creed"
MAY ask what creed?"
"Td think you'd be ashamed to
when there is only one-or, at most
two"
81 stand corrected. Would it be her
esy if l asked where l might find thu
one-or two?"
"0f course not; they're in the prayer
book; l supposed everyone knew that.
Going back TO your impression
again, do you know that have an ex
sctly similar one? l am almost posi-
tive that you are right. Can'tyou helI
me solve the mystery?"
whats that you-all are talkin!
about?" inquired the colonel, knocking
the ashes from his long-stemmed pip,
and crushing dry tobacco leaf in tn
palm of his hand for fresh charge.
miss Hester was just saying sh
thought we'd seen each other some
where before came to Tregarthen, an,
I'm almost sure she's right. We wer
trying to locate the time and place"
"Oh, reckon it's just imagination,
replied the colonel, packing the tobacc
dust into the bowl of his pipe. THAT is
without you've been visitin' the younI
ladies' schools in Virginia"
mo, haven't been doing that" sal,
Ringbrand, laughing, though itwoul,
doubtless be delightful experience
THAT would depend entirely upo
your errand," interrupted Hester. ''
think most of the visitors used to leav
Miss Pelton's with tingling ears; the,
should have, if there's any truth in tn
old saying"
As Ringbrand was about to reply, b
saw shadow moving in the bushes
few yards distant. Whats that dow
there by the laurels?" he asked, risin
to get abetter view.
Atthequestion Harry Latimer sprani
from his chair and ran into the house
appearing moment later with his rife
AS he came out, the shadow darted fror
the bushes and glided among the tree
on the lawn. Henry saw il, and woul
have fired if his father had not wreste
the gun from his hands. Seems lik
you get less sense every day, Henry,
gasped the colonel breathlessly. "Ho'
do you know who you were going I
shoot at?"