Evening star., 1899-02-04

cen. Shall l tell it you, all and all? 1
Will-thOuSh you can tell stories far better
than 1.
"Methought that and you'll mean, dear
Maud, you and I-were sitting together in
the cleaning at the door of little house
up on the edges of the moOrland, where the
heather is prettieSt and longest And we
We're happy. We We're waiting for some
one. l shall not tell you who, Maudie, but
II you are good and stop crying you can
guess And there was a ring on your
finger, Maud. No, not like the old ones
not a pretty ring like those in your box,
yet you loved it more than them all, and
never stopped turning it about between
your finger and thumb.
They had let me come up to stay with
YOU and the men who had accompanied
me were drinking in the caChan. AS we
sat l seemed to hear their loud chorus
sounding up from the change house.
And you listened and said, wish he
would come. He is very long. 1t is al
ways long when he is away But you
never said who it was who was long away.
| shall not tell you, though I know. Per-
haps ii was old Jock Lacklands, who used
to be captain of the guard. and perhaps
gTouting Peter from the gate house by the
ford But, somehow 1 do not think
All, that is better! Now, do not cry again,
But listen, else l will not tell you any more,
but go to sleep instead
Perhaps you do not want to hear the
rest. Yet-it was such a pretty dream and
of good omen.
You do want to hear? Well, then, be
gcodi
"As we sat there we could hear the bum
blCbees scurryng home and every now and
then one of the big boom beetles would sail
wLirring past us. We could hear the sheep
crying below in the little green meadows
so lonesomely, and the snipe bleatng an
answer away up in the sky above their
| heads, and you said. 1t is all SO empty,
| wanting him.
Then the maids brought in the cows and
| MIXED them, standing at the gable end,
! and we could feel the smell of their breath,
! sweet, like the scent of the flowers they
| had been eating all day long. Then, after
| awhile, they were driven out Of the yard
| again and went in a long string, one after
| the other back TO their pastures. doucely
| and sedately, just like folk going to holy
| klrk on Sabbath days when it is summer
| time in Galloway.
| Then you said, I am weary of waiting
! for him" and I answered, 'Why-he has not
| been gone more than a day. Sometimes [
| do not see him for weeks and L never fret
| like that!
Then you answered Gt has all come so
| clear into my head: Some day you will
! know, little oner And you patted me on
! the head and went to the house-end to look
| into the sunset You looked long under
| your hand and when you came back you
said, as if you had never said it before,
| He is long a-coming! l wonder what can
| be keeping him.?
Then the maidens told us that the sup
|
| you scoded them, telling them that it was
| too early, and that they must keep 1t hot
| against their masters coming. And to me
| you said, You are not hungry, are you?'
| And l answered No though l was indeed
| very hungry On my dream, that isl Then
| You said again, signing, 1t is strange that
| he should not come homei / cannot eat
| till he comesi Perhaps he has fallen into a
| ditch or some eagle may have pecked out
| his eyesn
Then all the time it grew darker, and
| still no one came Whereat you cried a
| little, softly, and said, He might have come
! ! know right well he could have been here
| by this time if he had tried But he does
| not love me any more! And You were pat
| ting the ground with your foot as you used
| 60 do when-Well when he went away from
| ThrieVe without coming out upon the leads
! to say Good night'-When all at once there
was a noise of quick feet brushing eagerly
| through the heather and some one mo not
| Landless jock leaped the little wall and
! caught me-me-in his arms
! mo, he did not catch you in his armsr'
| cried Maud Lindesay, Indignantly, and then
| stopped abashed at her own folly. But the
| little maid laughed nerlily.
| "Aha!" she said Il caught you that time
| in my trap. You know who it was in nv
| dream, though l have never told you, nor
| so much as hinted,
| And he asked if you had missed him.
! and you made sign to me not to speak,
| Just as you used to do at Castle Thrieve.
! and 1 were quite happy together We
| hoped you would not come back at all this
night, for then we could have slept to-
| gether!'
| Maud Lindsay drew long soft breath
| and looked out of the window of the White
| Tower into the dark.
That is sweet Dream" she murmured.