Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-01

thought of it makes you tremble and
turn quite white like a grill"
Quite true" said he very quietly.
have remembered"
Without another word to her, but
with tIotherly and significant glance
at Mile, whose quick intelligence
understood by it that there were no
desperate issues at stake, he left the
room, and putting on his hat, snatched
up his overcoat and ran out of the
house without waiting to draw it on.
He felt all right again as soon as he
got into the open air; nothing more
terrible than an eager desire to get to
Mereside troubled him, and obeying
this impulse without question, he got
over the ground at a great rate, think
/ ing singularly little meanwhile of any
possible result of his walk except this
he should see Alma Crosmont. The
day was already darkening towards
evening; the westward hills were quite
black against the yellow light left in
the sky, faint shouts of the boys on
the Recovered lake came to him over
| the intervening narrow stretch of
land; here and there bird, rendered
tame by the bitter weather and the
hunger it brought, chirped weakly
from the hedge as he passed. Arma-
| thwaite neither saw nor heard any
thing very clear, for the vision of the
face by the fire came to him again,
| the bright blue eyes fading into the
soft brown ones and re-appearing, the
one face always pressing close to his,
the other retiring before he could well
distinguish it. They were no portrait
picture, to which he could give names;
but there was enough Individuality
about them for him to recognize the
| types, to weIm to the one, TO feel alter
nately fascinated and repealed by the
other. And so, in a strange, semi
ecstatic state, docile to the impulse
he drew near the outskirts of Mere
side, and stepped at the junction of
the higher and the lower roads.
But at 81, 1T of the square walls of
the house Oh the hill he abruptly woke
out CT his hazy in aginings, and found
the Geld water of actuality quenching
his viaicraIy ardor. His unaccount-
able impulse seemed suddenly to have
| died of indulgence, and here he was,
| a young man with a career and rep
utstion in his hands, risking them both
| by as inexplicable an escapade as was
ever perpetrated by one of the poor
lunatics who had been the inmates of
/ that house years ago. He stood for a
moment irresolute, and then, firmly
making up his mind to conquer the
med impulse which impelled him to
call and see Mrs. Crosmont at all
hazards, he walked up the hill with
the intention of passing the house,
cleaning what scent information he
could f. ON careful inspection of the
exterior, and then when he had
reached the village itself, returning by
the lover road. AS he assembled the
hill he found his pulses throbbing
fastel end his steps growing quicker
until, having ssed the iron gates
and come under the high outer wall,
he looked up and stood still with fear
at the sight which met his eyes. Tow
ards tho north end of the house, where
the ivy grew thickest, a sash-window
had been thrown open; and peering
cut of the heavy green mass Arma-
thwaite saw the face of Alma Cros-
mont, staring across the lake at the
hills opposite with unnaturally wide
open eyes, while her hands clutched
the leaves which hung over the win
dow, trying with feverish eagerness to
she seen ed to s5e nothins carer than
the tops of the distant hills. Without
any furthe4' hesitation he went quickly
back, passed through the I on gates
up to the house, rang the bell, and
asked for Mrs. Crosnont 1t was the
door end after saying that her mis-
tress was lying down and could not be
disturbed, considered the visitor at
tertively for moment with her head
on or e side, and then added, with
sympathetic shake of the hes d:
she isn't WE'LL
Armathwaite instantly made up his
mind for a bold stroke.
No said he, 81 krow that That is
why | have come. l have been sent
for to see Mrs. Crosmont | come
from DR.. Peele. Will you ask her if
she can see me?"
Nanny looked puzzled and doubtful
Then she evidently delibel ated with
herself, and finally made up her mind
with a rush.
Gene slong," she cli1d. IF | lose
this place I car get better enc any
day"
And with a majestic defiance of fate
in the carriage of her head but an ex-
cusable feminine timidity in the cor
ners OF her eye she led the way up
stairs with suOduod footsteps, and
along the irregular corr idor to the door
of one of the frort rooms rear the
north end. Here doubt end hesitation
seemed again tc ascsil heI. She looked