The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-01
CHATTER I. The Edge of the Quarry.

The Edge of the quarry.
 Towards the close of Novetnoei day a young man emerged renl
 plantation on the summit or the woId Hills. paused for monh light his pipe, and then walked aown tie hiIl with his eyes fixed on the val lev lying a thousand feet beneath him,
 n. was tall, broaa-shouloereu xoune man, and his mere bulk ana height suggested great pnysicai strength. But John Shii, estate agent to Sir Robert Hankerlane, was even stronger than most men Of his size. clean. wholesome life, lived in the open air. a daily round of hard exerelse: mind that found no attraction In the vices that so often sap the mental ana bodily vigor of a man. mad fashioned uunerb specimen of manhood from the stout material which nature had so generously supplied His face, tapnea with constant exposure to sun anu wind, was not remarkable Tor us beau ty, but it was an honest, manly laoe. and a close student of human nature might have discovered more m u tnan was apparent to the good folks ot Lay crstone. They only saw genial, gooo hearted young fellow. who took ire easily; but there were depths In Johh shiI's nature that had not yet been stirred by the circumstances or ms simple life.
 AS he walked down the hill, the sun. q mere dull red globe. sank towaros the western horizon, and the mist or q November evening covered all the val law beneath him with a carpet Of grey for. The light still fingered on the inner slopes of the Stonewold Hills, but darkness was creeping up from the plain. . h, before him. as far as the eye could reach. lay the 25,0oe acres or the ran kerlane estate. For miles in every ol- rection, every Inch af ground; every stone belonged to Sir Robert Tanker lane. Twelve entire villages, twelve adyowsons, more than seventy farms' feudal lordship over nearly four>st hou- sand human beings, were all inN the bands of one man A we'll known wkt- ar. who once spent summer III farm house on the estate. Is reportf1 to have said that the very air belohgfo fo Sir Robert, that the wind seem&d "A svhianer his name in the trees, and that the little brooks. as they baboied over thu stones, murmured Ianker- lane. Tankerlane. Tankerlane
 John Shfl, as lieu3enant or his lord ava master. was responsible Tor the mana cement of the whole of this vast territory. But, as he walked doWn the s1opes and saw the darkness blot out the clustered villages. and broad fields, ana wide stretches of woodland, his thoughts were not in any way con cerned with the cares of his office. They were centred in one small farm house which lay close to the foot of the hill.
 This house was the home of Laura vane. a mere slip of a girl, neglt- gible item in the population of the Tankerlane estate. But to John Shil she represented all the glory of heaven and earth, for she had promised to be his wife, and he loved her with all the strength of his heart. As yet love was the only passion that had entered into his life. As yet 1t was all-absorbing-- q lord saramonnt that rode triumph ant over 1is whole nature.
 Half wal down the hill the path ran sbrousn Another large plantation. As ]. sse young man passed through the lit
 gate, and entered the shadow of
 lie trees, the grey twilight deepened into almost total darkness. The white.