The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-04-04

GOrdOM, speeding down a smell ROAD,
which led into the country.
II thought you said Mt Mrs. Gather
woods that she. ought to live in .
ball gown for that very reason" Alice
reminded him.
"You certainly were stunning that
night. Absolutely perfect" Gordon
asserted, entirely unabashed, while
guiding his machine in and out
among the increasing holes and hol-
lows of the road.
They were running past scattered
houses, florists farms. pastures and
cattle. and merging into the country
along solitary winding road.
Alice drew her straight brows into
a slight frown and bit her lips.
"a case of lost identity. You mean
Fan, of course? Please look out for
that cow!"
"Why, Miss Broughton?" Gordon
asked skillfully avoiding the cow,
which was ambling along from one
side of the road to the other in an
affrighted and dangerous manner.
"Wouldn't it be rather strange II
you did not think Fan the prettiest
girl i'm the world?" Alice asked
rather scornfully.
II don't see why. Miss Fan is the
best little thing going. But she her
self acknowledges she is no beauty"
Gordon was beginning to find that
the inequalities of the road, cut up
by wagons after the recent rains, re-
quired him to fix his attention more
on his driving, and much less on his
beautiful companion.
slow hateful men are. Are they
ever true to anyone, themselves in
cluded?' Alice thought with feel
ing of bitter Indignation, while ad-
miring the straight cut bold profile
of the man by her side, and his next
dexterous management of the auto,
as they spun along the edge of the
wood and a grass-grown ditch, whose
proportions of depth and width were
uncertain qualities, owing to a thick
growth of water weeds, clogging it,.
A country wagon came rumbling and
creaking along, and the team pulling
it SHE'D violently at sight of the
horseless vehicle. OF course Alice
gave vent to little scream, Gordon
thought it musical.
The winter afternoon was paling
rapidly and Alice declared they must
turn round and go back.
''Must have more room and dry
er road. At the next cross road
Gordon said regretfully. showing
Alice the gorgeous glow of the west
ern sky, the setting sun behind a
dark rim of trees, and the tall chin
neys of house set back in n clump
of trees, n short distance off.
THAT used to be the old de Courcy
place. The house is crumbling to
decay. IL used TO be beautiful. If
you say So. Wen get out and I'll pick
some roses for you: It's haunted
now. you know"
Alice gave a cry of delighted AS
sent. Running up to where n wide
gate had once stood, Gordon stopped
and they got out.
Just one little glimpse" Alice de-
clared as they pushed through tan
gled bushes and vines. and followed
once broad path up to the imposing
and beautiful ruins.
Tall colonial pillars ran up to the
roof and the marble flooring of the
porch was stained and cracked. The
hall door, partly open. sagged on its
broken hinges, and the red glow
from the west falling through the
skylight of the roof showed the
noble proportions of great winding
stairway and graceful galleries run
ming around the upper stories.
In n fire place, whose marble man
tie lowered far up the wall in medic
val fashion, there were burnt logs and
traces of ashes, and standing in the
melancholy. deserted and still magni-
ficent old house, Alice felt SILVER of
delight and apprehension.
'What has become of them all?
Are they dead and gone? Are there
no heirs to inherit this splendid old
place, and live in it?" Alice asked,
struck by the paneling of the hall
and it's splendid ornamentation.
'Some of them are in France. The
people who lived here-well. they
must have been queer lot. Bernard
de Courcy. the last of 'em, killed his
young wife and then blew out his
brains very properly. No one knew
anything about it for several days,
nor was the cause discovered. At
least it never got into the papers,
which was doing better than we can
manage these modern times. To-
day, the when, how and wherefore is
found out before the thing happens;
murder or what not, neighbors know
much more about our doings and in
tentions than we do ourselves"
(which means?" Alice queried.
Nothing special. OF course ! don't
believe the report of your engage
ment to that cad Barkdale. People
have to talk, you know" Gordon said,
looking squarely at Alice.
Alice, who stopped short. laughed
and returned the look, blushing furi-
ously.
"Of course not" she answered, after
a pause.
'As you say, what would become of
us If our neighbors did not gossip
about us? Such manage our affairs
for u.s."