Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-02-09
CHAPTER TX.
A NIGHT ON THE MO0RS.

1t is now darkening toward the night
and a small and dilapidated boy thinks
that 1T is time to be turning home
ward. For one thing. he wishes
that he had the shoes which he
took off so gaily in the morning. He
sees quite clearly the stone under which
they lie so quiet, and he longs still more
for the curious knife with the queer criss-
crosses dn the sheath. 1t is true that it
would not come out, but he would feel
safer if he were fully armed. The sun
has travelled long way since he left the
hillside cottage where Miss Katie dow
cred him with a farewell piece" in addi-
ton TO the orgie which they had held in
the parIor Walter wishes heartily now
that he could see the blue smoke shooting
upward which would tell him that he was
i'm the neighborhood of that cottage
amemg the roses But he has wandered
on all day, light hearted as the birds. fol
lowing the bent of his twinkling feet,
sore and scratched now with the heather
stubs. BY dint of saving for an Indefi-
mite time with a p0cketknlfe perfectly
innocent of edge. and whose blunt eomdi-
tion was 0ne of Walters most painful
trials, he has managed TO cut the
straight, green shoot of hazel and trim
it into Il weapon of defense, but even
thus. in spite Of his best precautions, he
felt the inadeqUacy of his means of de-
Tense against the numerous tigers, leop-
ards and other wild beasts which infested
the Galloway moors.
But though Walter Anderson looked
around, he saw nothing but the hilltops
circling the horizon. TOO like one another
to afford any guidance to boy so near
the level of the heather as he. Then he
mounted to the top of hillock of shag-
gy and matted heather and looked long
for any glimpse of the treetops of Drum
quhat. But he only saw the slow twi-
1.-~l.A
the brown moOrs: and in the moist hOl-
lows Of the boys shallow pools of mist
gathering. 1t was a lonely place, but il
was a stout little heart that beat in the
breast of the lad. and he had no idea Of
giving in. though the darkness threat
ened to come upon him far from his
gran" and the white farm square of
Drumquhat. His mother. too. would
have TO take her walk down to the wa
terside by herself. and ut the thought
tear almost forced itself out from under
the unwilling eyelid. He knew that the
cows were coming lowing home and there
would be no one to stand at the gate and
cry
Hurley. Hurley, HE ava hame.
There is nothing so pathetic to a boy
as the thought that he will be missed
and this remembrance was the most
grieyouS of all Walter had no idea Of
how far his feet had brought Linn that
uaN. nor YET OF the direction III which ne
ought to return. The m0orhirds came
circling and calling plaintively around.
and the pewits. treasured by the small
size of the intruder, came as he thought
extensively near. Whereupon Walter
filed his pockets with numerous and ap-
propriate pebbles to drive them away,
feeling that the depth Of all possible hu-
initiation would be TO he Inferred by
them. \ sensible boy, even if he We're
going to die. did not want any Babes in
the Woods" and Robin Redbrcast" non
sense.
Before il was quite dark. the moon
rose. aud then Walter knew that his
time was Come in earnest. for every boy
knows that lions and tigers always hunt
by moonlight. There was a great silence
on the face of the mOorland. 1t was
bleache,l now and melted away into
vague lmmensitieS and gray mysteries
which vanished as YOU approached. Wal
ter listened. and there came oH the light
night wind the sound Of some amin n
trampIng over hard ground. then a So
lence as II some intervening hiliock kept
back tne sound. and then again the noise
Of feet heating nearer and nearer.
N Walters little heart went 10 his throat.
he tried 20 cry out. but his voice would
not come. He started up 10 run. bur
discovering that be had started without
his hazel wand. his only means Of de-
Tense save the saw pOcket-knte. he To-
turned without q moments delay 10 the
spot where be had left it. Having So
cured IL, he applied himself with ali his