The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1901-12-27
CHAPTER /.

CHAPTER /.
! was a great solitary when I was
young. / made it my pride to keep
alOOf and suffice for my own entertain
ment, and l may say that l had
neither friends nor acquainta-,cea until
I met that friend who became my
wife and the mother of my children.
With one nan only / was on private
terms. This was r. Northmour, ESQ.
OF Garden Easter, in Scotland. We had
met at college, and though there was
much intimacy. we were so much Of a
humOr that we could associate with
ease to both. M~isanthropes we believ-
ed ourselves to be, but have thought
since that we were only sulky fellows.
1t was scarcely a companionship, but
a co-existence in unsociability. North
mour's exceptional violence of temper
made 1t no cas- affair for him to keep
the peace with any one but me; and as
he respected my silent ways and let me
come and go as l pleased, l could toll
crate his presence without concern. l
think we called each other friends.
When Northmour took his degree,
and | decided to leave the university
without one, he invited me on a long
visit to Graden Easter, and it was thus
that I first became acquainted with
the scene OF my adventures. The nan
sion house Of Graden stood in a bleak
stretch OF couLtry some three miles
from the shore OF the German ocean.
It was as large as a barrack, and as it
had been built Of a soft stone liable to
consume In the eager air Of the seaside.
It WAS damp and draughty within and
half ruinous without. 1t was impossi-
BILE for two men to lodge with comfort
In such a dwelling.
But there stood in the northern part
OF the estate, in a wilderness Of links
and blowing sandhills and between a
plantation and the sea, a small pavilion
or Belvedere Of modern design, which
was exactly suited to our wants, and In
this hermitage, speaking little, reading
much, and rarely associating except at
meals, Northmour and I spent four
tempestuoas winter months. / might
have stayed longer, but one March
night there sprang up between US a
dispute which rendered my departure
necessary. Northmour spoke hotly, I
remember, and / suppose I must have
made some tart rejoinder.
He leaped from his chair and Crap
pied me: ! had to fight, without exag-
geration, for my life, and 1t was only
with q great effort that / mastered him,
Tor he was near as strong In body AZ
myself and seemed filed with the devil.
The next morning we met on our usual
terms, but / judged 1t more delicate to
withdraw, nor did he attempt to dis
su4de me.
Il was nine years before l revisited
tho neighbOrhood. I travelled at that
time with q tilt cart, a tent, and a
cooking stove, tramping all day beside
the wagon and at night, whenever it
was possible, gypsying In q cove OF the
hills or by the side OF q wood. I be-
li0ve I visited In this manner most OF
the wild and desolate regions both In
England and Scotland, and as I had
neither friends nor relations l was
troubled with no correspondence, and
had nothing in the nature OF h~eadquar-
tiers, unless It was the office of my So
l~icitors, from whom / drew my income
twice . year. It was q life In which I
delighted, and / fully thought to have
grown old upon the march and at last
died In 4 ditch.
II was my whole business to find des-
olate corners where ! could camp with
ont the fear Of interruption, and hence
being In another part Of the same shire
I bethought me suddenly Of the Pavil-
ION on the Links. No thoroughfare
passed within three miles Of It. The
nearest town. and that was but q fisher
village. Was at . distance OF six or
seven.
The pavilion stood on an sven space;
) little behind It, the wood began In a
hedge OF elders huddled together by
the wind; In front, q few tumbled
sand hills stood between It and the sea.
A 0utcropping Of rock had formed q
bAstion for the sand. so that there was
here : promontory In the coast lire
between two shallow bays: and just
beyond the tides. the rock again crop
ped out and formed an islet Of small
Dimensions but strikingly designed.
The payilion-it had been built by
the last proprietor. Northmour's uncle,
: ailly and prodigal tirtuoso-presented
little signs Of age. It was two stories
II height, Italian In design, surround
~ ~ = patch Of garden In which moth
tng had prospered but ! few coarse
Mowers. and looked. with its shattered
Windows, not like ! house that had been
tenanted BY man. Northmour was
plainly from home; whether. as usual,
sulking In the cabin Of his yacht, or
II n Of his fltful and extravagant APP
pearances In the world Of society, I had,
OF course. NJ lei Of guessing.
found = den. or small hollow, where
there wAs = spring Of pure water, and
there. clearing away the brambles. !
pitched the tent and made a fire to cook
my supper. My horse / llcketed farth-
sr n the wood where there was q patch
" sWard. The banks Of the den not
Only concealed the light OF my fire, but
sheltered me from the wind. which was
cold ~ we'll ~ high.