The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-07-18

heart suddenly sick with fear, and look.
ed in his face with silence full of in
quiry, but as it produced no answer
she asked:
"Have done aught to anger you, ia
ther? Why don't you speak to me?
"Sit down. Helen," he replied. 81 have
some bad news for you. am not an
CRY at you in particular, but am an
cry at you in the general, for you have
brought this sorrow on yourself by
your ain free choice and will and
against the choice and will of father
that was wiser than you and who loved
you with love that had no selfishness
in it,
"I'm thinking all these words mean
something against poor Roy. Folks
won't let the lad alone"
HE won't let alone what he has
naething to do with. Let me tell you
that there is more trouble in the village
than words can sort l have had to put
my ain body between Will and Roy
Anderson or Will would have thrashed
his cousin within an inch Of his life
and weel he deserves it."
Helen did not utter word. Her eyes
were dropped, she seated herself in
chair beside the table, and her father
noticed that she grasped the edge for
further support. He watched her a
moment and then continued:
"What do you think Of man who
opens a letter that is not his and keeps
it a. of ten days without saying word
or witten about it? That ia what Roy
Anderson has DONE"
"How does anybody know the like Of
thatT
Lucky Hislop gave it to him. It
was from the McBrines of Glasgow
and was closed wi their big seal, with
a ship in full sail on it. Lucky knew
that Roy had once been in their sery-
ice. and she saw the name Anderson,
and Roy happened in on the minute,
and she gave it to him, and he said
Thank you, Lucky; that is all right
and so went AVA with it. And it was
a. wrong, for the letter was Wills let
ter, and Roy must have known that as
soon as he opened 1t, If not before. But
he never said a word to Will, and SO
Will has lost the trade he was seeking,
and it is big loss, to his thinking"
"How did Will find it out2"
For a moment the elder did not an
swer. His eyes were fixed on his child.
whose face was white as death. In
deed the few words that formed her
question were shivered from between
her lips rather than spoken. He laid
his hand on the trembling one, which
had fallen from its grasp of the table,
and asked, do you want me to stop
telling you, Helen~
mo, noP' she cried, with a sudden
passionate sob. Let me hear the last
of it and the worst of it."
"Weel, then. Willie got letter from
McBrine this morning saying that, as
he had not closed VII the trade on no.
tice, they had made it elsewhere, and
the like of that. And Willie went in
passion to Lucky. and she told him she
had gfen that very letter to Roy ten
days syne, and just then Roy came by,
and she called him in and minded him
Va II, bul khOy WOulo AOl ISuSLhDcI
aught of the circumstance, and the
lads got to words and then to blows,
and there was like to be red murder
done when Providence sent me that
way, and put myself between them
and got a blow on my head that has
given me sair pain. The village is
just boiling like the sea with school
of herring fry, and some say Will has
been oerhasty, and others say he did
what was well and right"
DO you tell me that Will did not
know about the letter till this after
noonw
'Not until an hour ago."
Then Helen's face flushed scarlet.
Shaken, confused, lifted off her feet by
this revelation of her lovers lying
treachery, she did not shrink or COM
promise or slide away from the truth,
A moment or two she hesitated, while
she looked unswervingly on the shame
full fact. Then she asked her father if
he thought that Roy had been guilty
of taking and keeping his Cousins let
ter.
"You may give him thesbenef1t of the
doubt, if you wish to-" he answered,
"but / am most sure the lad is guilty."
81 have no doubt" she said. HE
told me that he took the letter. He