Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1905-01-21

The bakers boy felt that his luck was
nskcw upon this day of his existence. for
Carrier Grips was vcxcd much ut this
sudden demand for his sister
Yak. what made you send the boy
away Esther asked. when she came
downstairs, with her bonnet and short
duck cloak on. "Of course. | am very
foolish but he would have been some
little company"
There. now, never thought of It.
am doilch. a do bclcre sometimes.
Tramp with you to the Bur myself. !
Will. Sarve me right for don' of it,
Indeed. then. you won't" she answer.
ed firmly. There's hard days work
fer you. Iak. tomorrow. with all the
Christmas parcels. and your touch of
iheumatics so had last week."
"Why. bless the chccld. | be as hearty
as ever"
"Of course you are. Xak of course you
are. and think nought of n sack of po-
tatoes But If you declare to come with
me one step. backward IL the only step
I take"
"Wcll. we'll" said the carrier. glnd on
the whole to escape long walk and keep
conscience clear: "when you say n thing.
Etty. what good IN III Round these here
pnrts none would harm @. And none Of
they furriners be about just now"
Good night. Yak. good night. near"
cried Esther to shorten departure. for
Grips was a man Of a slow turn of
mind. and might go on for an hour or
two; II shall sleep there tonight. Of
| course. and meet you ut the Golden Cross
Tomorrow. When hnd ! bcst be there p
"Well. you know better thnn ! do. 1t
might be- one o'clock. or Il might he two.
or II might be half past three Almost. All
you have to do Il this--to leave word. at
the bnr. with Sally Brown"
II shall do nothing Of the. sort" she
answered: II don't like cars. and don't
like Miss THROWN. I shall look In the
yard for the cart. brother"
you'll do pretty much NJ you like.
That muc,, a may he sure Of" But he.
fore he could finish his exposition Of his
sisters character. she was out Of sight
and he dropped his grumble. and doubt.
I'd his mind about letting her 20.
A. Esther turned the corner from the
Beckley lane into the road. the broad
coach rond to Oxford. she met wind
that knew It's mind coming over the crest
1t Shotover, n stern east wind that wills.
tied sadly over the brown aud barren
fields. and bitterly pipei In the roadway.
To the chill Of this blnst the sere oak.
leaves shivered In the dusk. and ratified;
the gray ash saplings bent their naked
length to get away from It: md the surly
stubs Of the hedge went to and fro 70
ono another. The Shiny dips Of the IN til
| began to rib themselves. like the frOnds
Of fern. aud to shrink into wrinkles and
| sinewy knobs: while the broader puldles
though skirred by the breeze, found the
network Of Ice yelling over them. This,
~ II cristed. began to he capable Of n
consistent Iulvcring. with frail intini.
tude OF spikclcts. crossing. and yet cur
rying into one another.
Esther Grips took little heed Of these
things. or Of any other In the matter Of
Gather, except to say to herself now
and then how bitter cold the wind was.
\ and that she feared II would turn to
snow. and how she longed to be sitting
with cup Of Aunt Exie's" caudle In
the snug room next To the bakehOuse, or
how glad she would he to get only as far
M the first house Of st. Clements, to see
the lamps and the lights In the shops, and
be quit Of this dreary loneliness. For
now 1t must be three market days since
fearful ruinors began to stir In several
neighbOring villages. which made even
Strong men discomfort with solitude 10.
wards nigi,tfall; and AZ for the women
just now poor Esther would rather NOT
think Of what they declared 1t was all
very well to pretend to doubt Il, while
hanging the clothes out. or turning the
mangle: hut as for laughing. out here In
the dark. and mile away from the near.
est house! How that white owl fright.
ened her!
Being q sensible and brave girl. she
forced her mind IA well ax she could into
another chan aud lifted the cover III
the basket In which she had some nice
things for "Aunt Exile" and then she set
of for q bold little run. until she was
out Of breath. AMI trembling at the sound
OF her own light feet. For though all
the Crippses were known 10 he Of a firm
and resOlute fiber, who could expect q
young maid like this to tramp on like q
Roman sentinel!
And. a lucky thing for her II was tina,
she tried nothing Of the sort; but glided
along with her heart In her mouth, and
her short skirt tucked up round her
Lucky also for her that the ground was
In that early stage Of freezing. or Of dry.
ing to fOrestnll frost. In which It dead.
ened sound as much IN the later stage
enlivens II. Otherwise 1t IL doubtful
whether she would have seen the Christ
nias.dressing of the shops In Oxford.
For little further on. she came,
without so much as cow In the rosd or
Il sheep In the field for company, to a
dark, narrow place. where the way hung
over the verge of stony hollow, an
ancient pit which had once been worked
rs part of the Iuarries Of Headington,
This had long been Of had repute us a
haunted and ill-onened place; and even
the carrier himself, strong aud resOlute
az he was. felt no shame in whispering
when he passed by in the moonlight. And
the name of the place was the "Gipsy's
Grave" Therefore. as Esther Grips
approached it, she was half inclined Ia
wait and hide herself In a bush or gar
until cart or wagon should come down
the hill behind her, or an honest dairy
man whistling softly to reassure his
shadow, or even woman no Drawer
than herstelf
But neither any cart came near, moi
any other kind of company, only the vio'
lcnce of the wind. So that the girl made
up her mind to put the hest foot fore
most, and run through her terrors at such
pace that none of them could lay hold
Of her.
Through yards of darkness she skim'
med the ground without looking forw ard
or over her shoulders, or anywhere, when
she could help 1t. And now she was
ready to laugh at herself and her stupid
fears, as sne caught through the trees