The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-22
..yyIthering unseen. that they might -four
ish still.


when the anniversary Of the night of a
aforementioned storm comes round, the
y.uagers still talk Of the death of Shep-
herd Drew under the great oak at the end
~ the village: OF the blackened bodies
of the sheep lying beside him, and of how
Farmer Ives's new barn was set alight and
nearly destroyed But most of all they love
10 Iinger over the story OF how, while the
lightning blazed over the yew trees and
the thunder crashed and rolled. a strange
foreign guest drove up to the inn.
The landlord. more than half terrified,
was In the back room, with the curtains
drawn tightly over the easement. His
daughter, Nelly. was holding a little dog,
which shivered with terror, in her arms. =.
who can be driving up at this hour,
md in such fearsome weather. Nell?" said
her father, shrinking back in his armchair
as a terrific flash came through the cur
tains and nlumined the kitchen with its
Fanded floor and oak settle.
The girl went out OF the room into the
parlOr and passage and lifted the latch of
the front door. She saw a shut fly and
driver, whose clothes were wringing wet
and inside the carriage. behind the raised
glass. she caught glimpse of the
face Of a man.
Its an awful night, Miss Nelly" said
the driver, squeezing the water out of the
cape Of his coat. But this ERE gentleman
was found. as they thought, dead, in the
train and no one knows where 'es a-trav-
ellin' TO. The stationmaster, he hasn't
spare bed, says e, you jist take i'm
along to the Rose in June" and look
sharp and fetch a doctor to him. The storm
come on worst since, and I'll be uncommon
glad TO get back"
As he spoke another flash, alarming in
Hs briIliancy lit up the shabby carriage
and the red face of the driver. The horse.
tired as II was, gave violent start and
Nelly's little hand went up to her eyes.
Then the coachman opened the carriage
door It's occupant was white and motion
less. There were bloodstains, the result Of
a sudden hemorrhage, on his shirt front.
He was a tall, hollow-cheeked man. with
a delicate. aquiline nose, a short pointed
beard and a mustache like that of a for
eign officer OF cavalry.
Nelly, the driver, and her father, whose
curiosity had now got the better of his fear.
half lifted. half led the exhausted traveller
into the house. His eyes had opened when
the gust OF air and rain blew in upon his
face, and he tried, but vainly, to speak and
10 thank them.
'Tt wouldn't take much. should say. to
make i'm kick the bucket" said the land
lord In a loud whisper to the other man.
The stranger tottered very feebly into the
parlor, while Nelly flew like the wind up the
oak staircase. and busted herself lighting a
fire in tbs best spare room. Since the ad-
vent of the railway. very few guests halted
at the Rose in June" and she was in a
tremor of excitement and pity Her father
assisted the newcomer to undress, and
\
assiduously aired with her warming pan,
the old man came numbering down the stairs
and Joined her in the kitchen. The violence
OF the storm was now somewhat abated,
the roll OF the thunder more distant, and
the lightning far less vivid.
He's a foreign chap-that," said Mr..
Whitehead. pointing solemnly over his
shoulder with an expressive thumb. And
] don't ever hold with 'em. The moment
he gets on his legs again. Nelly, he takes
his hook. I asked him his name and no
mortal man could for is life pernounce it,
He has a nice face" said tender-hearted
Nelly. And did you notice his long white
hands? He's a gentleman, II ever there
was one"
I'VE don't want that sort at the Rose in
June nohow.' replied Mr.. Whitehead, with
conviction. -
II.
II was three weeks after the storm. and
Mr.. Kraftmeier was still an inmate of the
hotel Mr.. Whitehead liked to call It,
And with all the landlords fixed prejudces
against foreigners he could not deny that
his guest was inoffensive. nay more, an
agreeable person. His English was quite
good enough for ordinary familiar talk and
he had seen much of the world and talked
OF his experiences with great intelligence
He had almost recovered from the faintine
attack in the train. but his lungs he told
Mr.. Whitehead were very weak and he had
OF late had good deal to try him. No doubt
anxiety and trouble were, in a great meas.
ure, responsible for his last illness.
Business bad? Trade not what 1t WASP
said Mr.. Whitehead, with a knowing look
Evidently Mr.. KraftIneier German
merchant Of some sort. But the guest die
not respond otherwise. to this rather lead
ing question than by a quiet, rather sac
smile.
I've seen one of them big sailing ships
bound for Amburg when 1 was in Ports
mouth last summer" the landlord observed
tentatively on another occasion.
'Ah, indeedT' said Mr.. Kraftmeier. Anc
that was all. To Nelly he was perhaps q
little more expansive. One day. as he ant
she were walking home towards the inn
after stroll in the fields. he looked
thoughtfully at her, then at the ivy-covereC
walls of the Rose in June" and observed
That is a little haven of peace. have
ccme through great storms TO 1t, mademoi
scle. through lightning and tempest, TO q
Larbor OF rest :"
Nelly smiled up at him. She was a fresh
looking girl. rosy-cheeked, and tender-eyed
and full of kind thoughts.
You must not go out yet awhile upon tn,
rough seas again. she answered.
All. no. my voyage is over, and perhap:
11r always" Then he relapsed into silence
Since his stay at the inn, Mr.. Kraftmeier':
cheeks had become shade less white anC
thin. but he had not lost the sad expression
in his eyes-gray eyes that seemed to looi
out beyond the smiling English Landscape
that surrounded them. and TO see vision:
and dream dreams.
To Nelly Whitehead's simple mind, few
places were fairsr than her own home. Ye
the name OF the inn itself was, perhaps, th'
most picturesque thing about 1t. 1t wa
damp. and little melancholy in its shelter