The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07

winch had shrunk and faded before the l stronger enchantment of her own.
 Elsie drew him away and he sat down ! for a moment, wlping the cold perspira- 1 tion from his forehead. Then he followed i her down the mountain half in dream. 1 The next morning the whole adventure l seemed weird and hardly credible. Had | 1t taken place exactly as he remembered | it or had he fallen asleep sitting on the ] stone near the serpent's den and dreamed
 a part of it before Elsie awakened him2
 Both as man and a deep student of
 medicine the affair perplexed and fasei-
 mated him.
 One night soon after this occurrence Dick Venner took his wild steed out of
 the stable and galloped along the country roads IT, the moonlight among the sleep ing farms. Tn a field he saw a horse left to graZe. He drove the horse into the
 road and started him into a run. When he had the fleeing horse golloping at a I rattling pace Dick rose in his stirrups, | swung something around his head and a moose settled accurately over the head of
 the beast. An said the gaucho to him self he released the animal and gath cred up his lasso again, "I see l have not
 lost the trick of It. Hanged himself for love! That will make good headline in the papers. Schoolmasters who take ! lonG walks at night are liable to have anything happen to thenl.'
 B-t Dick reckoned without old Dr. Kit tredge, who knew about all that was going on in the town and who kept especially careful watch over the people at the Venner mansion house. That Elsie
 was madly in love with Bernard he was not slow to perceive; and he was also convinced soon that Dick, whose midnight rides and whose prowlings about the in stitute he had discovered, was bent on having the young Brahmn's life. He set
 his man, Abel Stebbns, to watch Der nard when he walked out at night. He also begged Langdon to carry a revolver
 always and to practice shooting.
 Bernard laughed at this at first, but the doctor was earnest about 1t that he consented.
 "There are other pe-lls about you, too" , continued the doctor. "If through plying
 Elsie Venner you ever come to love her
 yoa arc lost. If you deal carelessy with
 her. beware. There are things of which
 I may not tell you. But be on your
 guard"
 About this time the widow Rowens. n
 blooming and respectable person of the
 'two-story' sort, who had mentally se-
 lected Dudley Venner as her consoler. de-
 cided to give tea party At the tea table she placed Dudley on her right with Helen Darley next to him. She had in-
 vited poor Helen because she looked so
 worn and faded that the widow calculated that she would make an admirable foil
 for her own buxom bloom. On her left
 sa. Bernard with Miss Lefty Forester
 granddaughter of Parson Honeywood, and now visiting that worthy clergyman. The others were paired off with equal skill. To the widows surprise and vexation Helen Darley bloomed with an unwonted
 color and vivacity. Bernard. as he looked across at her. thought she looked most beautiful This was because Dudley Ven ner was talking to her. He paid as little attention to his hostess as poiteness would permit. but he and Helen conversed ll-e old friends In spite of the fact that 1: was the first time they had ever met. Mir. Bernard seemed as greatly taken up with Lefty Forester as Dudley was with Helen. Tn Lefty. the city bred girl, Bernard has discovered fellow Brahmin but one of the sort with dividend paying shares and town lots gone up in price. While Bernard was talking with the girl he saw her shiver suddenly and then It, tie points of moisture began to appear on her forehead. Ns if drawn by an occult power she turned her face and stared straight into the eyes of Elsie, who was gazing at her with look of dull hatred.