Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-08-18
VII

their waters from the thousand mystic
named or nameless rills, stands the lodge
of Allt-nam-ba. The plain little double
gabled building occupies a promontory
formed by the confluence of two brawl-
Ing streams, and faces a long, wide.
beautiful valley, which terminates in the
winding waters of a loch. 1t Is the only
sign of habitation in the strangely silent
district; and it is the last. The rough
hill road leading to it terminates there.
AT the door of this solitary little lodge,
on n morning toward the end of July, Yo-
iande Winterbourne was standing engag-
ed in buttoning on her driving gloves.
but occasionally g~lancing out at the be-
wildering, changeful, flashing and gleam-
Ing day around her. For, indeed, since
she had come to live at Allt-nam-ba, she
had acquired the conviction that the
place seemed very close up to the sky;
and that this broad valley, walled in by
those great and silent hills, formed a
sort of caldron, In which the elements
were IN the habit OF mixing up weather
for transference to the wide world be-
yond. At this very moment a continual
phantasmagoria of cloud effects was pass
Ing before her eyes. Far mountain tops
grew blacker and blacker in shadow:
then the gray mist of the rain stole slow
iy across and hid hem from view; then
they ~reappeared again, and a sudden
shaft of sunlight would strike on the
yellow-green slopes, and on the boulders
of wet and glittering granite.
However, she was not much %dismayed.
When the dog cart was brought round,
Ebn Ctannal into IL I;phtlr tnnly tho ,o;r,
as if to the manner born, though she
had never handled a whip until Mrs.
Graham had put her in training Mt In
verstroy. Then there was a strict charge
70 Jane to see that brisk fires were kept
burning in all the rooms. And then the
youthful and fair-haired Sandy having
got up behind-she released the brake;
and presently they were making their
way, slowly and cautiously down the
stony path, and over the loud-sounding
wooden bridge that here spans the roar
ing red-brown waters of the Allt-cam
ban.
But when once they were over the
bridge and into the road they quickly
mended their pace. There was an IN
usual eagerness and brightness in her
look. Sandy the groom knew that the
stout and serviceable cob In the shafts
was a sure-footed beast; but the road
was of the toughest; and he could not
understand how the young English lady,
who was generally very cautious, should
drive so fast. Was it to get away from
the black thunder masses of cloud that
lay over the mountains behind them ?
Here, at least, there seemed no danger
of any storm. The sunlight was brilliant
on the wide, green pastures and on the
flashing waters of the stream. Yolande's
face soon showed the influence of the
warm sunlight and of the fresh, keen air;
and her eyes were glad, though they
seemed busy with other things.
When they reached the end of the val
ley inc got on to the road that wound
along the wooded shores of the loch,
there was much easier going. 1t was a
pretty loch, this stretch of wind-stirred
blue water. for the hills surrounding
1t were somewhat less sterile than those
of Allt-nam-ba: here and there the banks
were fringed with hazel; and at the lower
end of it were the dark-green plantations
surrounding Lynn Towers. They had
driven for about a mile and a half or
so by the shores of the lake, when Yo-
lande fancied she heard some clanking
noise proceeding from the other side; and
thereupon she instantly asked Sandy
what that could be. The young High
land lad strained his eyes in the direction
of the distant hillside; and at last he
said:
"Oh, yes, l see them now. They will
be the men taking up more fencing to the
forest. duncan was speaking about that,
madam. If Miss Winterbourne would be
looking about half way up the hill
they are by the side of the gray corrie
now. l am thinking that will be the
Master at the top"
."Do you mean the Master of LYNN
she said, quickly. "Well. your eyes are
sharper than mine. Sandy. | can see
that black speck on the skyline; but that
is ALL"
"He is waving a handkerchief now"
said Sandy, with much GOODNESS.
ooh, that is impossible. How could
he make us out at this distance?'
"The master will know there is no
other carriage than this one coming
from Allt-nam-ba."
every well, then" said she, taking out
her handkerchief and giving it a little
shake or two in the sunlight. 81 will
take the chance; but you know, Sandy,
it is more likely to be one of the keepers
waving his hand to you"
When they had crossed the wooden
bridge over the river and assembled a bit
of the hill, they found themselves oppo-
site Lynn Towers-a large, modern build
ing, which, with its numerous conserva-
tories, stood on a level piece of ground
on the other side of the ravine. AS they
drove on and down into that smiling and
shining country, the day grew more and
more brilliant. Wild flowers grew more
luxuriantly. Here and there a farm
house appeared-with fields of grain en-
croaching on the moorland. And at last,
after some miles of this gradual descent,
yoIopda arrived Mt n little sprinklinQ