Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-07-04
LOST MANS LANE.
By ANNA KATHARINE GREEN.
copyright, 1897, by Anna X. Rohlfs.l
CHAPTER XII.
MEN, WOMEN AND GHOSTS.

made it easy for me to say:
You areon hand early this morn
Ing! Do you sleep in the Knollys
houseT''
The stare he gave me had the leas
bit Of suspicion in it,
II live over yonder," he said, point
ing with his whip across the interven
ing woods to the main road. 81 com
through the marshes to my breakfast
my old woman says they owes me thre
meals, and three meals shall have"
1t was the longest sentence witt
which he had honored me. Finding h
could talk, l prepared to make mysel
agreeable, proceeding which he seem
ed to appreciate, for he began to sniff
and pay great attention to his horse
which he was deliberately turning about
"Why do you go that way?' | cried
"Isn't it the longest way to the vii
lager"
It's the way am most accustomed
to- said he. but we can go the Other
way if you like. Perhaps we will get
a glimpse Of Deacon Spear. He's wild.
over, you know.
The leer with which he said this was
intolerable. l bridled up-but no, will
not admit that l SO much as manifested
Dy my manner that L understood him.
merely expressed my wish to go the old
way.
He whipped up the horse at once, al.
most laughing outright. l began tC
think this man also capable of most any
wicked deed. He was forced, however,
to pull up suddenly. Directly in our
road was the STOPPING figure of WON
an. She did not move as we advanced,
and SO we had no alternative but to
stop. Not till the horse head touched
her shoulder did she move. Then she
rose up and looked at us somewhat in
dignantly.
Didn't you hear u.s." l asked, will
ing to open conversation with the old
crone, whom had no difficulty in recog-
nizing as Mother Jane.
''She's deaf-deaf as a post, NUT.
tered Mr.. Simsbury. "No use shouting
at her." His tone was brusque, yet
noticed he waited with great patience
for her to hobble out of the way.
Meanwhile l was watching the old
creature with much interest She had
not a common face or common manner.
She was gray, she was toothless, she
was haggard and she was bent, but she
was not ordinary or just one of the
crowd of old women to be seen on coun-
try doorsteps There was force in her
aged movements and strong individu-
ality in the chances she shot at us as she
backed slowly out of the roadway.
"Do they say she is imbecile?" asked
"She looks far from foolish to me-
"Hearken Bit" said he. "Don't
you see she is muttering? She talks tc
herself all the time And in fact her
lips were moving.
IT cannot hear her, 1 said. "Make
her come nearer. Somehow the old crea
ture interests me.
He at once beckoned to the crone, but
he might as well have beckoned to the
tree against which she had pushed her
self. She neither answered him nor gave
any indication that she understood the
gesture he had made. Yet her eyes new
er moved from our faces,
"Well, WE'LL" said l, "she seems
dull as we'll as deaf. You had better
drive on But before he could give the
necessary Jerk to the reins | caught
sight of some pennyroyal growing about
the front of the cottage few steps be-
yond, and pointing to it with some
eagerness / cried: "If there isn't some
of the very herb 1 want to take home
with mel Do you think she would give
me handful of it if paid her?'
With an obliging grunt he again
pulled up. "H you can make her I'M
derstand, +" said he.
thought it worth the effort. Though
Mr.. Gryce had been at pains to tell me
there was no harm in this woman and
that need not even consider her in my
inquiries / remembered that MIR. Gryce
had sometimes made mistakes in just
such matters as these and that Amelia
had felt herself called upon
to set him right. If that could happen
once, why not twice? At all events,
was not going to lose the least chance
Of making the acquaintance of the peo-
pie living in this lane. Had he not him
self said that only in this way could we
hope to come upon the clew that had
eluded all open efforts to find it?
Knowing that the sight of money was
the strongest appeal that could be made .
TO one living in such abject poverty as /
this woman, making the blind to see
and the deaf to hear, drew out my
purse and held up before her piece OF |
silver. She bounded as if she had been |
shot. and when [ held it toward her .
she came greedily forward and stood
close beside the wheels looking up. /
"For you," 1 indicated, after making
, motion toward the plant which had
attracted my attention.
She looked from me to the herb and
nodded with quick appreciation. AS IN
, flash she seemed to take III the fact
hat was stranger, city lady with
of the country and this hum
Die plant and going to it with the same
,wiftness she had displayed in advanc-
ng to the carriage, she tore OIL several
# the sprays and brought them back to
ne holding out her hand for the money.
/ had never seen greater eagerness
md think even Mr.. Simsbury was as
onished at this proof of her poverty or
Ter greed was inclined to think 1t
he latter, for her portly figure was far
rom looking either i'll fed or poorly
AIRED for. Her dress was decent calico