The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-01

| ' ~eekrSs>~~Sss~ and something was wrong or goans wrong with thoss on whom ws depended. But 1t may bs merely my imagination"
 'Tt certainly must be-" Mlss Puells de- clsred, flor thsrp h nothing wrong or going wrong with Nsshbor Tomlin and Fanny.
 At this point the conversation ceased. and the two women sat silent each occu- pied with her own thoughts. .,
 And Bridalbin stood wondering atN the freak of chance or circumstances that had enabled him to hear two persons un- known to him discussing the dependence of his danghtsr. Dependent" was the word that grated on his ear. He never thought of Providence how few of us do!--he never/ dreamed that his presence at that particular place at that particular moment was to be the means of providing sure remedy for the most serious trou- ble. short of bereavement that his daugh- ter would ever be called on to face.
 Bridalbin walked slowly In the direc- ton of the Lumsden Place. which hAv- ing fewer trees around t. could be dimly seen in the starlight Before he emerged from the denser shadows he heard the door open and close. and then Gabriel came down the steps whistiing But, in- stead of going toward town. he turned and went toward the fields. Following the road for . hnndred yards or more he soon came to the bars, which formed a sort of gateway to the rich pastures of Bermuda, and. vaulting lightly over these. he was soon lost to view. though the stars were shining as brightly as they could. He was making his way toward his favorite Bermuda hill.
 Now, Bridaihin knew that the path or roadway. leading from the bars across kA~ ~r,.AA AArA &yAA ~hnH ant t<~ one of the highways that led from town past the door of Mahlon Butts. He paused moment, and then. more sedate than Gabriel. climbed the. bars and fol- lowed the path, across the field. He walked rapidly, for he was anxious to dis cover what course Gabriel had taken. He crossed the fields and saw no one: he reached the highway. and followed it for a quarter of a mile or more. but he could see no sign of Gabriel.
 And for . very geod reason. That young man had followed the field path only short distance. He had turned sharply to the right. making for the Der muda hill. where he fiaing himself at full length on the velvety grass. and gulped down great draughts of the cool, sweet air. He heard the sound of Bridalbin's footsteps as that worthy went rapidly along the path, and he had boys mis- chievous impulse to hall the passer-by. But he was so fond of the hill. and so jealous of his possession of the silence, the night, and the remote stars, that he suppressed the impulse and Bridalbin went on his way firm in the belief that Gabriel had crossed the field to the public highway. and was now going in the direction of Mahlon Buttss home. He beliexeA 1t, and rnn a1 fn AoItnua f n d1yfyrer Aa though the only eNdence heS~had was the hint conveyed in the surmises of Hotchkiss.
 Bridalbin finally abandoned his wild goose chase, and returned to the neigh borhood of Gabriels home, where he waited and watched until his engage ment with Hotchklss compelled him to abandon his post. The business of the Union League was not very pressing that night. or it had been dispatched with unusual ceierity. for when Bridalbin reached the old schoolhouse. the Rev. Jer- emiah. who mad taken upon himself the duties of janitor was in the act of clos ing the doors.
 T been waitin' fer you, Mir. Borin'." said the Rev. Jeremiah, after he had responded to Bridalbin's Sanitation. De Honerbul Mir. Hotchkiss tol' me ter tell you. in case I seed you. dat he gwine on home: an he says p'intedly dat dey's no need fer ter worry bout him. kaze ev'y- things all right. Ez he gun it ter me. so gin 1t ter you.''
 I'm very sorry he didn't wait for me-" said Bridalbin.
 As for Gabriel, he lay out on the Ber- muda hill, contemplating himself and the rest of the world. The stars rode over head, all moving together like some vast fleet of far-off ships. Tn the northwest. while Gabriel was watching, huge star seemed to break away from Its compan- ions and rush hurtling toward the west, leaving a trail of white vapor behind 1t. The illumination was but momentary. The Night was quick to snuff out all lights but it's own.f A bird might scream when Brother Fox seized 1t: mouse might squeak when cousin Screech-Owl swooped down on noiseless wing and seized it; Uncle Wind might rustic the green grass in search of Brother Dust; nevertheless. the order of the hour was silence. and Night was prompt to enforce 1t.
 It is a fine night, Gabriel thought-and the Silence might have answered, Yes, a fine night and a fateful." It was a