Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-03-02

a STRANGER COMES TO DRCMQUHAT.
Drumquhat was expecting a visitor
There were white. mysterious whiries on
the stone floor OF the kitchen. crosses and
crooks alternating from the settle bed in
the corner to the vast ingle nook where
in the great pot boiled and dubbed the
dinner mash for Saunders camorous
pigs in their whtewashed sty at the foot
of the hill loanng. Nuw Mary
MQuhirr's house was always 'snoG." \
visitor might come ut any time and she.
be n0WiSe Shamcd; but today there was
such Il floor that dinner might we'll have
been served upon it, The irons and rein
rings on the wall flashed as though made
Of the precious metals. 1t was Nelly An
dersOn who had polished them. much To
the surprise and qualification of the mis-
tress OF Drunquhat. Al 8 in the after
noon the two were sitting in the room.
Mrs. MQuhirr with her ''bettermous'
frock on and Nelly dressed with her I'M
varying good taste. Each had piece Of
work IN her hands. the mistress a pair of
"rig-and-fur' stockings for the guidman,
and the younger woman a bit Of PLAIN
white seam for the boy. Walter was by
distinction The Boy" at Drumquhat. the
Stalwart sons Of the house being collcc-
lively THE Boys"
The terror of his disappearance and the
duNitlN NutlH2 TIE ttIflnt time HtINfte
the red cart brought him back had al
tered his mother more than all the previ-
oHS five years. The past was struggling
back. and the legacy that it brought was
not the happieSt; but there was an awak-
cning glamour OF love in her eyes rs she
looked ut her boy and Walter. too, cIave
To her in quite a new way. He loved his
gran as much as ever but it was
easy 10 see that without loving her less
his mother was far more in his thoughts
than hitherto. But with the renaissance
of the soul came the partial return Of
memory, and she seemed to herself 20
walk ever on the verge Of some great
prccipice. She awokc sometimes in the
night, clasping Walter close to her hos
ON. and CRYING ont in agony of fear.
1t was old MIR, Duraud, Walters friend
from the Big House of DCeSidC. whom
the Drumquhat folk We're expecting. He
had promised to come when Mrs.
M'Quhirr drove off that day with her
hoy in the cart-a Scdatc triumph IN her
eye. after her great victory over Janet
Adair. Since then he had written
again aud again concerning his little
friend. and the beechwaled walk
past the SundiaI was loveler than be
fore The tad had taken his heart, and
IL he had been inclined to forget, Marion
dred times in Il day. Indeed, but for her
and her chatter, the old house had been
4 dull place. She flashed here and there
/ like wind-horne fay, her hair glancing
| in the sun-never five minutes in one
| place At Drumquhat Walter had been
out for hours watching the Hill road
/ which led from DeeSide hut had fallen
! in with no Que hut Archibald GrierSon.
whose studies still took him often 70 the
moorland, never again to repeat the eNpe-
| rleneeS Of that June cleaning.
Now, Walter and Archibald were firm
| friends, and they amused themselves
| among the peat hays and gathered
! lunches of white heather as they came
! homoward Archic'S heart beginning to
! beat with the expectation Of seeing his
sweetheart and Walters rejoicing 10
! bring his mother such an armful of good
/ luck. As they turned to leok back over
1 the moor they saw a thin, dark man com
| ing towards them along the undulating
line of the march dyke. He had the look
/ of commercial man in a good way.
| When he came up with them he asked il
he were on the right way for the farm
| Of DrumQUhat. There was an accent in
his voice which the student diSnpprnved
Of, also a way at seeming able to look
through man and see something I'M
pleasant ON the far side
Does one Ellen Anderson live there?'
he asked.
Mrs Anderson lives there" said Ar
chibald GrierSon. with some quiet en-
phaSiS.
That's my mither" said Walter.
The stranger looked at him with 8
sharp sidc-long glance, as though there