Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-05-08

l00keu upon as ulSuly lludSihau'S'
but now his love made him snatch at
this or at any way Of escaping the
dreadful possibility of having to ac'
knowledge that Nell was thief.
The sleep-walking notion had
| brought him some comfort, and he felt
, quite hopeful about clearing up the
| mystery, when faint noise outside
his door made him start up and listen.
He peeped out upon the landing. but
| there was no one to be seen. How
ever, he kept his door ajar and
! watched.
In few minutes he felt rush Of
cold air from the grOund-fioor of the
house, and dashing quickly out upon
the landing. he came face toface with
! Nell herself. as she ran up the stairs.
Now if it had not been for the
strange occurrence of the night Cliff.
| ford would have thought nothing OF
| this early meeting. People rise early
in the country, and Nell had the live
stock to attend to. as sne had told him.
| taking her turn with the servants. The
fact of there being visitor in the inn,
too, would have explained satisfactory.
ly the care she took not to make any
noise.
But with his mind full of the agony
| of unwilling suspicion, the young man
could not help noticing that Nell looked
guilty and frightened. that the color
suddenly left her cheeks. and that she
stammered in her efforts to give him
greeting.
"You-you get up very early. II
had not expected to see you down be-
fore eight o'clock" she managed to
say at last.
And there was in her eyes, as she
looked shyly up at him. an unm!stak-
able anxiety which made his manner,
as he answered. short and cold.
Il was disturbed in the night" he
said, stiflly.
And he avoided her eyes as steadily
as she avoided his.
"Dis-turbed" exclaimed Nell. faint
ly.
And then she looked IN quickly in
his face with glance so full OF in.
Quiry, OF fear that, against his wish
and his will. Clifford's own eyes met
hers with Il suspicious frown.
What was it that disturbed you"
asked the girl.
He hesitated. Surely this candid
anxiety was proof of innocence, not
guilt! Surely thief would have been
ready with a glib speech. with look
Of overdone surprise. He looked away
again. absolutely unable to frame, to
her, the story OF his adventure.
"Oh, don't know. 1t was nothing,
l suppose he answered. confusedly.
He felt the girls eyes were upon
him, but he would not meet them. He
must speak about his loss. Of course,
but it should be to her uncle, not to
her.
What are you going to do with
yourself till breakfast time" she
! asked, pleasantly. 1--WE have no nice
garden where you could walk about
on a pleasant lawn and pick roses.
Will you go out over the marsh and
battle in the sea? l could show you
the way TO the ferry. Or would it be
too slow for you to watch US turn the
cows out?'
Innocence! Surely this was inno-
cencc Clifford only hesitated for
| moment. During that moment be told
himself that he would conquer his
feeling for the girl, that he would not
run the risk of becoming more infat.
uated than he was. But the next mo-
ment the girl conquered. and looking
down into the fair sweet face, he was
ready to think that his own senses had
lied to him, that the hand which had
robbed him could not be Nel1s.
So he followed her out into the fresh
morning air, helped her to turn the
bolts and draw the bars to let out the
cows for their days wanderings over
the marsh, and to look for the eggs
which lay warm in the nests Of the
fowl-hOuse.
Long before breakfast time the oc-
currence OF the night had become q
half-forgotten nightmare, and Clifford
was enjoying Nelrs unaffected, lively
chatter as mucn as OH the previous
day. Only when his hand touched
hers, as she TOOK the basket OF eggs
from him, did Clifford remember, with
shudder, that il was the same touch
which he had felt in the night, the
same smooth, soft skin, the same slen-
der little fingers; so that he was
bound, before he met the landlord. TO
come back to his Old theory that Nell
was a somnambulist.
1t was a disasreeable business. that
of making known his loss to George
Claris. But it had to be done. and as
soon as he had had his breakfast
Clifford followed the landload to the
front OF the house, where he was tax
ing down the shutters, and told him
he had something unpleasant to relate
to him.
The young man at once perceived,
by sudden change to sullen expec-
fancy in the landlords manner, that
he was not wholly unprepared for the
sort of story to which he was listen
ing. He heard with attention the
whole story, and only looked up when
Clifford described how he had actually
touched the hand as it was Withdrawn
from under his pillow.
"You touched it, you say" said
George Claris. sharply. "Then why
on earth didn't you hold on and
shoutW o..