The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-02
CHAPTER I.

=, CHAPTER I.
It was already after in the evening,
but here, in these high ATTITUDES Of
Caithness, since the time of year was
within a fortnight of midsummer, the
lion, and shone full, with the cool
brightness Of the northern light, into
the window on the seat of which Lady
Maud Stratton was sitting. Lady
Maud was waiting without impatience,
for Impotence was foreign to her habit
of mind, but, with little touch of anx-
iety, since affection and all the cares
that. appertain to it were the constant
guests Of her heart, for her brothers.
return. The room was Of great ex-
tent, and looked larger than it really
was because Of its half dismantled con
dition, and the big rejecting surface
of it's bare parqueted floor added to its
apparent dimensions. In one corner of
it was the little ia ble, laid for two,
/. where they would dine when he came
in; in another was Writingdesk lit
tered with correspondence, while close
by the fireplace was allow easy chair
which, denoted where she herself had
: been making her : nest before
She had strolled across to the
catch the last half hour of Sunlight,
and also to catch sight of her brother
as he came up the road towards the
lodge. : Tho the season was mid-June,
a sparkle of fire, born of a delectable
mixture of peat and coal, burned on the
the eye, and destined after sunset to
make a not unpleasant: warmth for
nights even now set in with a certain
chilliness,: and this evening especially,
low sun, there was. that crystalline
clearness IN the air. which usually led
on to frost when it's direct rays were
withdrawn. For the house stood high
and exposed to those gray purple
ing protection. from followed and
sheltered valley Or screen of trees, and
{ the zrigors of cold and frost were felt /
there without abatement. s...
90 The table laid for dinner in one cor
~ner, a desk Uttered with correspond
\ ence, and a woman's nook near the fire.
place, all in the same big room, gave
the impression of teneampment and of
temporary and unexpected habitation,
and this was borne out also by the hol-
!, land sheetings which, had not been re-
that hung from the middle Of the cell
ing and still enveloped the larger
articles of furniture. All pointed to
a sudden and not. abiding stay, as if
the occupants of the house were con-
tent with the necessities Of life and dis
pensed with it's habitual adornments
Such indeed was the case, for Lord
fThurso and his sister had arrived here
suddenly two evenings ago, preceded
J by a telegram only to the caretaker to
( make room for two no more than habit
able, she merely to keep him company
and deliver him from the tedium and
detection of solitary evenings after
what must be anxious and depressing
days. For in the village of Stratton, a
mile below the lodge, there had broken
out scourge Of typhoid, sudden and
virulent, and since the village like every
thing else within this wide horizon
seemed: to him, clearly and without
question, to be his business to leave
town and come up here to see what was
possible to stop this pestilence and do
what could be done to bring relief to
the homes already stricken with it.
Lady Thurso, however, tho her name
and active support were ever at the
service Of charitable schemes, had not
in the least seen her way to accompany
ING him If Thurso thought he had
better go, why by all means he must
do so, but there was clearly no useful
end to be served by her going with him.
For herself, she did not see what OBJ
iect was to be gained by his going,
since he had already telegraphed orders
to his agent, a careful and sensible man,
to do all that the doctors wished done,
but she was aware that she and Thurso
often looked at this sort of question
with different eyes, and had no more
attempted to dissuade him from going
than he had attempted to persuade her
to come with him. But, it had seemed
perfectly clear to Maud that Thurso
could not go all BY himself, and without
mentally his wife IS refusal to 90 with
him, she had merely taken her place.
Indeed she had scarcely offered her
companionship she had just joined him