Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-04-28
around; ia. object. there seemed to have

! around; the objects there seemed to have
no interest for him. Then he went back
/ to the house-into the room where he
had found her standing; and that had
more of a charm for him; the atmosphere
still seemed to bear the perfume of her
| presence, the muUic of her voice still
seemed to hang in the air. She had left
on the table-she had forgotten, indeed
"a couple of boards inclosing specimens
of some flowers. These he turned over,
regarding with some attention; but still
his mind was absent; he was following in
imagination the girl herself, going away
| along the road there, alonH. to meet the
revelation that was to alter Aer life. And
was he going to stand BY idle? Was he
going to limit himself to the part he had
| been asked to play-that of mere mes
sage bearer? Could he not do something!
Was he to be dominated by the coward
fear of being called an intermeddler?
He snatched up his hat and went
quickly out and through the little front
garden into the road; there he paused.
Of course, he could not follow her; she
must needs see him coming up the wide
strath; and in that case what excuse
could he give? But what if the shooting
party had not yet come down from the
hill? Might he not intercept them some
where? He held along by the hilltop,
until, far below him, he came in sight Of
Lynn Towers, and the bridge, and the
stream, and the loch and onward still
he kept his way, until the strath came
in view, with Allt-nam-ba, and a pale
blue smoke rising from the chimneys into
the still evening air. Probably Yolande
had got home by that time. So he kept
rather back from the edge of the hilltop
so that he should not be dgscried; and in
due time arrived at poiKt overlooking
the junction of the three glens, down one
of which the shooting people were almost
certain to come.
He looked and waited, however, ia
vain; and he was coming to the conclusion
that they must have already passed and
gone on to the lodge, when he fancied
he saw something move behind some
birch bushes on the hillside beyond the
glen. Presently he made out a pony
grazing, and gradually coming more and |
more into view. Then he reflected that
probably the attendant gillie and the |
panniers were hidden from sight behind |
these birches; and that if it were so,
the shooting party had not returned.
and were bound to come back that way.
A very few minutes of further waiting
proved his conjectures to be right; scat
tered group of people, with dogs in to
heel, appearing on the crest of the hill
opposite. Then he had no further doubt.
Down this slope he went at headlong
speed; crossed the rushing burn by
springing from boulder to boulder and
very soon encountered the returning par
ty, who were now watching the panniers
being put on the pony's back.
Now that he had intercepted Mr. Win
terbourne there was no need for hurry.
He could take time to recover his breath;
and also to bethink himself as to how
he should approach this difficult matter.
The conversation was all about the days
sport.
Then they set out for home; Duncan
and the gillies making away for a sort
of ford by which they could get the pony
across the Dunn Water; while the three
others took a nearer way to the lodge by
getting down through guile, where
there was a swing bridge across the
Melville stopped them.
81 am not going on with you to the
lodge" said he. ''Mr. Winterbourne,
have seen your daughter this afternoon.
She is troubled and anxious; and L
thought I'd come along and have word
with YOU. I hope you will forgive me for
thrusting myself in where l may not be
wanted; but-but-it is not always the
right thing to pass by on the other
side | couldn't in this case"
81 am sure we are most thankful to
YOU for what you have done already
Yolande's father said, promptly; and
then he added, with a weary look in his
face. ''and what is to be done now,
don't know. | cannot bring myself to
this that Leslie demands. 1t is too terri
BILE. / look at the girl-well, it does not
bear speaking of.
'Look here, Winterbourne," John
Shortlands said, 81 am going to leave you |
two together. l will wait for you at the |
other side But | would advise you to |
listen we'll to anything that Mr.. Melville
has to say: l have my own guess
With that he proceeded to make his
way across the narrow and swaying
bridge, leaving these two alone.
No ho