Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-09-04


because the higher road rejoins the
lower with rather sudden dip, and
on a dark night like this you might
make straight through the trees for
the lake, and be into it before you
knew you were off the road"
Thanks. I'll certainly follow your
advice. Good night"
Good night, SIR"
A few seconds later Armathwaite
heard the hotel door close, as he rode
slowly down the hill, watching the
lights in the shops and houses, and
the dancing reflection on the snow of
the lantern he carried at his saddle
bow. The cold was intense; the wind
which blew straight towards him.
dashed the snow-fiakes into his face
and made them whirl before his daz-
zled eyes until. benumbed by the
frost and excited by the storm, he lost
control of his thoughts, and rode on
oppressed by a nightmare Of vain
imaginings, in which the new faces
he had seen that day seemed to fight
for mastery with those of his old ac-
quaintances, until they all melted into
one blurred mass, out of which doomed
mistily the vaguely discerned features
of the Unknown face he had seen IL
his vision by the fire. He had reached
the bottom of the HILL the irregular
street of shops and houses now
dwindled into broken line of occa-
sional villas and cottages, the twinkl-
ing lights in the windows of which
still proved a sufficient guide. The
horse seemed to know the road and
kept up a good pace over the level
ground; so that Armathwaite, keeping
what lookout he could in the blind
ing snowfall and the driving wind, be-
gan to think that both hotel-keeper
and ostler had exaggerated the diff
ficulties of his short journey as much
as he himself had over-estimated it's
Inconvenience. For the fight with
the storm had raised his spirits lust
as listening to its fury from within
snug walls had depressed them, he was
healthy, warm blooded young fell
low, in chronic state of need of a lit
tie gentle spur from without to show
him at his best, but able to give a
good account of himself when the oc-
casion came.
He rode on in a pleasant sense Of
mingled excitement and security, un-
til. by the slackening of the horses
pace, he suddenly became aware that
the ground was rising. A few PAGES
further the ascent became quite
steep, and he could no longer doubt
that, in spite of the lookout he was
Keeping, he had done what he had
been warned not to do, and taken the
higher road. There was nothing for
it but to go forward very carefully
and to be specially cautious when the
road began to dip again. While still
on the ascent, he passed various
dwellings which, though he could see
nothing OF the buildings themselves
but an occasional light in the windows.
he judged from the gates and the tall
snow-laden evergreens which formed
screen parallel with the road. to he
Villas and ornamental cottages. These
were chiefly on the right-hand side
ana they were further apart as the
ground still rose; he then noticed
that the road by which he was travel
ling skirted a hill, which rose up
steep and black on the left. He was
Keeping, through an instinct of
natural curiosity, a sharp watch for
the building which the ostler had
spoken OF as a lunatic asylum.
Just as, after a few yards of partic-
ularly steep ascent, the road took a
pretty sharp turn to the left, long,
low-built house standing back only a
few feet from the road, but on ground
so much higher as to give it an i'm
posing appearance of dignity, sprang
quite suddenly into view, and caused
Armathwaite to give an instructive
nod towards it, as he said to himself:
That's the place." The house was
built Just where the road, having
reached its highest point, began to
descend again. A solid stone wall.
about four feet in height at its COM
mencement, and at least twice as
high at the end where the ground
sank, rose up straight from the road
ana terminated in a large and heavy
iron gate, which led into a small
square of steep and rocky garden.
The front door, approached by
flight of steps and adorned with a
very deep portico, was at this end of
the house; so that the side of the
building which faced the road. with
its long row of smallish upper win
dows and the bars in front of most
OF the lower ones, was decidedly th at
OF the workhouse or asylum order of
architecture. Two things only broke
up the monotony of it's aspect with
out increasing its cheerfulness: TIE
one was rather unkempt-looking
mantle of ivy which, rising from
thick stem between two of the lower
windows. spread itself over a great
portion of the upper part the other
was very narrow conservatory. built
barnacle-wise in front of large win
dow near the garden-end of the house.
Armathwaite unfastened his lantern
from the saddle. and checked the
horse TO make swift examination of
this misunderstanding residence. Except
Mt the upper, or servants end. where
the RAYS of the hnse Sra ctraap,a,y