Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-06-04

~ in the darkness that this mournful
and mysterious journey was like pill
grimage to fetch home the dead. They
skirted the head Of the lake and went
fast along the other side. Frank
scarcely dared to glance up at Cros-
mOnt's house, standing out square and
black from the side of the hill; this
gloomy errand, which was to lay bare
the misdoings of Alma's husband,
would wiring the poor lady's gentle
heart, and make Frank himself feel
like a guilty wretch when next he
stood in her presence.
1t was a cold night, but very clear
Franks eyesight was good enough for
him to make out that a vehicle some
! distance ahead of them, and going in
the same direction, was Crosmonts
Norfolk cart. 1t stopped, with a very
sudden pull up, to allow figure that
seemed to spring suddenly up from the
wayside to get in. Frank told Lord
| KildOnan in a low voice what he saw
and obeyed his direction to drive more
slowly. The pause made by the
vehicle in front was the shortest pos
Sible; still, acting under Lord Kill
domains instructions, Frank allowed
the distance between them % increase
until the Norfolk cart was undis-
tinguishable in the gloom. On the
outskirts of Branksome, just where
the first few struggling houses began,
there was bend in the road, round
which the cart disappeared altogether.
When the phaeton had passed the
bend in its turn, it was much closer
to the cart, which had apparently
stopped to allow the temporary pas
senger to descend, for the driver was
again alone. Slackening pace, Frank
drove on, following the cart, which
stopped at a little inn. Here the
driver got out and went indoors, while
another man took his place, and
turned the cart round to drive back to
Mereside: as the phaeton drove past,
Frank saw that it was Crosmont's
groom.
Always acting in accordance with
Lord Kildonan's suggestions, the
young doctor whipped up the horses.
drove past the station, and stopped.
The two gentlemen then alighted; and
after having given directions to the
groom, a Observation-Disclosures in whose
discretion his master had confidence
to drive straight back to The Crags
without any stoppage, Lord Kildonan
! led the way into The station by a
! private entrance, and went straight to
the statiOn-master's room, where they
could wait without fear of being seen.
From time to time Frank, filled with
! the most gloomy apprehensions for the
issue of this jOruney, cast a glance at
the elder man full of warning and
solemn entreaty. But Lord Kildonan
sat looking at the huge fire which
blazed in the rusty CRATE with a cast
| iron face, on which the dancing flames
threw ugly shadows, while not by a
word or a movement did he encourage
his companion to speak, or even seem
conscious of his presence. Frank
went to the door, and looked through
| the glass of the upper panels at the
groups Of passengers gathering on the
platform as the Liverpool train was
= brought alongside. Crosmont was
there among the earliest arrivals, pac-
! ing up and down, not with the saunter-
ing tread of the ordinary traveller, but
with the restless strides of a man
/ whose journey is flight. The sta
tion-master himself had brought Lord
! +,aJ- 4 L. i
compartment for him and his COM
panion exactly opposite to the room
where they were waiting. Frank, still
watching at the door, saw Crosmont
stop suddenly short in his walk, and,
| looking along the platform in the di-
rection of the agents gaze, he saw a
tall woman, shabbilv dressed, with a
limp in her gait, cross the platform
hurriedly from the booking coffee and
get into a compartment by herself.
Franks heart seemd to leap up as he
recognized the figure. Lady Kill
DOMAIN must have got wind of her hus-
bands intended pursuit, and invented
an ingenious trick as reward for him.
CrosmOnt stood still until the woman
closed the door of the compartment
upon herself, then made straight for
the nearest first-class carriage and got
in. The guard was crying, "Take
your seats!" The doctor felt Lord
Kildonan's hand upon his shoulder, and
in few moments they too had taken
their places.
The journey to Liverpool occupied
four hours and a half. During the first
four hours the two men scarcely in
terchanged dozen words The elder
sat so still that three or four times the
younger disturbed him on some slight
pretext, having been seized with a
vivid fear that the prolonged horror
of this night expedition had killed
him. But each time he raised his
head and met Franks solicitous gaze
with stony eyes that babe sympathy
stand off be silent, and sank back into
his old attitude, his head a little on
one side, as if listening intently to
some CHASTITY story told by the rattle
and the roar of the train. At a sta
ton where they had to change trains,
Frank saw that Crosmont and the wo-
man with the limping gait got silently,
and with no sign Of recognition, into
the same carriage They had but a
few minutes to wait, and then on they
went again, pursued, all enduring the
Imaddening bumpety-bump, bumpety-
of slow train, that strives by an
extra amount of jolting and rafting