The Holly chieftain., 1901-05-10

called. tASush Il was not built In tur-
ret fashion, Rose came upon . tangible
relic Of the past. q
Il was . largo oaken cabinet. black
with age. Its doors were open. AS
they approached It the setting sun
broke from hank OF thin white fog,
and Allea the whole apartment with a
rudy glew. Rose, ever curious, was
the hrst to search the cabinet.
There were several toilet ornaments
In Venetian glass and gold upon the
upper shelf. Upon the. lower one lay
a small yellow packet and . fragment
OF an old letter. Rose took It up en-
gerly and read these words traced in a
delicate yet uniformed handwriting:
"And 20 send the gift but fear It
Will outlive your love. Last night,
when you left me you forgot my good
bye kiss; and so this morning I
Thought"
There the fragment ended. It was
the old. old story. coming down from
remote years. Woman's tender love-
woman's panied recognition OF slight
-woman's faith, mixed sweetly with
woman's fear Of losing what she priced
far more than anything else the world
had to bestow. Rose stood musing
with the torn paper In her hand, till
her father spoke.
Poor little goose! wonder where
she and her lover are now? What is
In the packet, Rose?"
The girl broke the string. A long
tress Of dark brown hair fell lightly
over her hand. That was the gift"
no doubt. which was still fresh and
glossy, while the head on which 1t
grew was perhaps lying low In the
grave.
Rose laid It reverently back beside
the letter Mr.. Cowley fidgeted about
a moment or two, and then said that
they had better go. He had evidently
seen enough for that day at least. As
FOR Rose. the dead girls words seemed
sounding In her ear all the way home,
Yet why dead?" She asked herself
that, as she woke with a start at two
O'Clock the next morning.
Mrs. Cowley went back to the village
hotel in a more agreeable frame OF
mind. She fondly imagined that the
gloom and silence of the Hall had been
too much even for the 1ovial spirits of
her husband TO encounter. BRIGHTON
looked aearsr than ever, n she sank
placidly T. sleep that night.
But the next morning undeceiyed
her. Mr.. Cowley was up with the lark,
and when she descended with the girls
to the nine O'Clock breakfast, he was
not there. He had gone to the Hail."
meek Mrs. Grimes, Informed them with
courtesy.
ITO the HALL" gasped Mrs. Cowley
in dire dismay, What for?"
"Mr. Grimes went up with him,
mum. They took out lot Of painters
and plasterers, mum. Not to speak of
the two charwomen as is to 70 next
week." 4
Mercy preserve u.s." exclaimed the
horrthed British matron. Is the man
IN his senses? Can he think of living
there after all that we saw last niRht."
Mrs Grimes shook her head and
sighed. '
Men is that contrary. mum, that an
angel from heaven would not well
know what to do with .them!" she OBJ
served. sympathixingly. And certain
~. after living 70 many years with
Simon Grimes. she ought to have been
q Judge.
Mrs. Cowley took her breakfast with
what appetite she might. At noon her
iiege lord appeared-dusty, tired and
cross. From him she learned that tho
workmen were progressing fayorably.
that the place would be ready for the
charwomen by the end of that present
week. instead Of the next. and that ev-
erything would be finished by the last
DAY OF the month.
go get ready to move on the nrvt
day OF December, old lady" he added,
merrily. "for we shall keep our Christ
mas therew
Tho "old lady" groaned at the
thought. What sort Of Christmas
would it be in that dismal. lonely.
haunted ruin?
But Mr.. Cowley carried his point, as
he always did. Day after day did he
spend at the Hall, sometimes with Mr..
Grimes. Sometimes with the AGENT. but
: oftener alone with his workmeu. who
did their tasks in platoons, and would.
on no account, stay ON the premises \
moment after sundown. Not 70 the
charwoman whossucceeded them. She