Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1901-03-07
THURM0NT Frederick County, Maryland Thursday March I, 1901.

At the bridge where the path di-
verged from the road she stepped for a
moment. By the latter route the dis
tance was nearly mile; by the path it
was considerably less than half that.
| But the path is so louely, and it is so
steep, and besides one is sure to tear
ones gown on the bushes she argued
mentally as she started forward again
by the longer route.
She might fatigue herself, but at
least her pretty gown of sand grey cloth
and her dainty cape of violet velvet
would incur no risk Of rents and stains.
Ofcourse she reached her destination
only to learn that Ranelagh had not
been there, that nobody had seen him
or heard anything about him.
She remained in the house only a
moment, and she departed without be-
traying any agitation or the cause for
any.
But she felt baffled, bewidered and
heart.sick.
u can't understand it, she murmured
as she turned homew8:d. >He is 80
careful always to do exactly what he
promises, even IN the smallest thing.
Oh. I'm so sorry vexed and panied
him. Perhaps he has Joined the army,
or perhaps be has sailed for South AT
RIGA to help do the fighting down there,
Oh, shall never be happy again if any
thing has happened to him. And some.
thing dreadful has happened Oh, l
know there has or he would never have
stayed away from the Secor place when
he had promised 10 be there. But l
deserve to be punished! Silly, evil,tem-
pered wretch that l ami
She felt sick and giddy, and her
limbs trembed beneath her. The road
seemed to stretch before her in an un-
ending succession Of weary ascents and
dreary hollows. And che dreaded a
possible meeting with somebody who
would notice her agitation.
She turned into the path without
any anxiety now about her pretty gown,
without any fear of the 6 loom and 80
|'litude.
The lower section of the path zig
Jagged steeply downward. 1t was
densely hedged with bushes, and here
aud there it was thickly cauopied by
the branches of great trees, the roots of
which colled across it in places like
tangled serpents. Below yawned the
black depths of the ravine, with tiny
streamlet cleaning and tinkling among
the rocks at the bottom.
just there the descent was little diff.
fcult. Miss Dorne stun mbled over vines
and slipped on pine needles, and at
length it was only by an instructive
grip on tough twig that she prevented
herself from falling head long oyer the
edge of the black abyss.
'Ohr she murmured, u ought to
have known better than to haye come
by such path at night
just then she heard somebody ap-
preaching from the opposite direction
with curiously staggering sort of oftread,
and the next instant she saw man 3
iudistinct figure, his head bowed and
his hat pulled over his face.
She lodged behind big bowlder and
and edged cautiously around it. There
was a sharp angle IN the path just be-
yond, and if she could gain the oppo-
site side CT that angle she might con-
tinue her decent without being observed
by the man, unless he should happen to
turn back, and that was not likely.
She paused behind the bowlder for
several minutes, watching and listening.
But there was no longer any sight or
sound of the straggler, who had appar-
emily gene on his way up the tortuous
path.
Miss Dorne pushed back the bushes
to step from behind the bowlder. But
at the second step a sinewv arm was
stretched toward her, powerful hand
clutched her by the collar of her dainty
cape, and she was jerked unceremoni-
ously out of her covert.
v thought somebody was ambushed
behind that rock. What the dickens
do you mean? Great Caesar! it's wom-
AMI exclaimed the man, who was Rane-
lagh, of course,
The curious meeting, and the still
mol @ curious b)under, were almost too
much for the girls strained nervers.
She did not faint. But she laughed in
hysteric mirth and wept like Niobe
all in the same breath.
And somehow in the midst of it mu-
tual explanations were effected, and the
n.hnn,,u tmain wara hannilu ren0nciled