Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-08-21

ears, AMI caused him again to start,
as he had done at sight of the light
on the road in front of them.
you've no such strong nerves for
a doctor, SIR said his companion
jocularly. you started at sight o. Z
light in John Barlow's cottage yonder,
and now at t sound o'-why of her
ladyship's sleigh-bells,' he ended.
after listening moment to the rapid
Is approaching sounds.
II dare say you don't believe me, but
don't remember ouch thing ever I'D
have happened to me before; and l
can swear | never before made such
| fool of myself as have done tonight,
! in getting out of the right train to get
into the wrong one, and then coming
through the snow on a wild-goose
chase to see a person who is not even
a very old friend of mine, instead of
putting up at Conismere for the night,
so that might get into the right
track again the first thing tomorrow
morning"
He spoke with considerable irrita-
ton and self-scorn, and his companion
was emboldened by his tone to be
franker in comment than ever.
"Eh, but l was thinkin' it was a
queer thing to do, if you were at all
hurried-like on your Journey"
Eyes, it's more than queer, It's mad,
and shall do the best | can to bring
myself back to saner thoughts and
saner conduct by staying at Mereside
tonight and returning the first thing
in the morning to Conismere to con-
tinue my journey"
He was speaking with Impotence
which seemed unnatural to him, and
his companion observed that his feet
tapped the floor of the cart in a rest
less and excited manner The noise
of the sleigh-oells grew louder and
louder behind them, and the dull
sound of horses quick steps upon the
snow; while the bright notes of a wo-
mans laughter rang out clearly, and
filled the young Yorkshireman with
strong curiosity to see this lakeside
siren, the very sound of whose voice
bore exhilaration to its hearers. In
moment more the sleigh had dashed
by. with it's twinkling lights, it's jng-
ling bells; and all that the doctor
could see through the darkness was,
that it contained two people, sitting
side by side. But as it passed with a
whir-r-r and rush of cold air, some
thing, light and soft and scented,
fiuttered up like curled white leaf,
and fell on the young mans knees
, like an unconscious challenge of fasci-
mating, warm-blooded coquetry: a
lady's handkerchief, filmy and lace
edged, sweet with a perfume that
whispered through the senses to the
imagination, and brought up fancies or
delicate white fingers that had held the
dainty toy. The old villager, how
ever. was not troubled by superfluous
i poetry; on catching sight of the hand
kerchief, he began to call out lus tily:
Hey! Woa! Stop! You've al0pped
summet. Your ladyship, hey"
The sleigh was rapidly approaching
dip in the road where a group of
rough stone cottages, one of which
was an inn of the humblest kind,
broke the straight line of the roadside,
ard threw little streams of light across
the snow through their latticed win
! dows. At the sound of the old man S
cries both occupants of the sleigh
turned their heads, and at last, as he
still shouted the jingling of the bells
subsidized to a faint tinkle. the sleigh
drew up just out of the CLEANS OF
light from the cottage windows, and
a mans voice called out impatiently:
What is it?"
The young doctor, holding the hand
kerchief. had already leapt down from
the cart, and was running over the
, snow as fast as limbs stiffened by cold
and a cramped position could carry
him. Even as he ran, and the rapid
movement dispersed the fanciful
reveries which novel circumstances
and his new and strange perversity
had induced. a superstitious and
J dreamy idea took possession CT him
that this tritling accident had some
meaning for him, some bearing upon
his future life; and at the same time
an entirely mundane and applicable
curiosity arose in his mind concerning
the companion of the lady. His voice
was young, therefore he was not her
= husband; it was that of a gentleman
therefore he could not be the coach
man. The Yorkshireman was filed
with interest by the time he reached
the sleigh. which was drawn I'D on
the left-hand side of the road. It
was the lady who held the reins, sit
ting high on cushions at the right.
But If, on the strength of the old viii
layers tattling stories, the doctor
had scented scandal. he was disap-
! pointed; for the man beside her, sit
ting respectfully upright with folded
arms. was in livery. and could be no
other than the groom.
We'll. what do you want?" asked
the lady imperiously, before the
stranger had appeared beside her.
Hard times. l suppose, and you've
been out of work for weeks. and have