The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-01

l LIt Nilu her pTouu, dTTOBaHl Soluiei l brother who worshipped her more even
 than the distinction for which he lusted.
 The two wandered far through the
 wooded aisles of the stately, sombre do-
 main. They had gone a mile or more 1 from the castle. when suddenly they came upon a herd of the ferocous wild cattle
 which the Scottish nobes still preserved. | The greatest bull of the herd tossed his
 head almost at once and before the Lord ! Keeper could collect his presence of mind
 the brute was on the charge, believing
 and sweeping his mighty horns from side
 to side as he galloped.
 l Escape there was none. Lucy sank to her knees, robbed of her strength by
 terror. The Lord Keeper, equally terri 1 fled, stood helpless. The animal was all
 most on him, and all seemed at an end
 when shot roared from thicket
 With a mighty below the bull stumbled . forward and fell within 10 feet of the
 trembling man. The Lord Keeper gazed
 stupefied at the beast, which had been 1 struck so truly between the skull and the 1 spine that the bullet, which could not have impeded his career in time had 1t
 
 proved instantly fatal.
 l A man with a short gun in his hand stepped out and lifted the girl. She saw
 a handsome, dark face partially concealed
 by black feather that dropped from the 1 mans bonnet. He raised her in strong
 arms and placed her gently under a tree.
 The Lord Keeper stepped forward to offer
 his thanks, but the stranger said in
 naughty, stern voice: q am the master of
 Ravenswood, and disappeared in the
 woods
 During the succeeding days the timd
 mind of the Lord Keeper fed on the old | fear, aggravated by the new terror of | thus having met the Master of Ravens 1 wood armed in his own precincts. While | he was in this mood visitor arrived who | concealed under cloak of friendship his
 real mission as an emissary to win Sir
 William over to the opposition by play
 ing on his fears He told the Lord Keeper
 that the cause of Ravenswood was al-
 ready being taken up by his friends par 1 ticularly his close kinsman, the most
 noble Marquis of A, who was nightly l feared by the ruling party in Scotland
 and whose politics promised to end in 1 bringing his faction into power,
 Thoroughly alarmed now, the Lord Keeper hastily prepared memorandums
 written with all his lawyers craft, in
 which, instead of presenting the funeral
 scenes as offenses to be punished, he
 rather became the advocate for young 1 Ravenswood and his friends. These he
 dispatched to the Privy council with still more urgent private letters in which he 1 counseled mercy and forbearance. Then 1 packing copies carefully in his pouch, he l ordered his retinue out for hunt, which 1 he so directed that finally he and Lucy l found themselves in sight of the old | tower.
 AS if to help his plan the Master of Ravenswood came galloping up; and at 1 the same instant a mighty flash of light l ming tore over the sky and glared on the rolling sea. In the circumstances there
 was no way to avoid offering the hosp-
 tality of the ruined fastness to the pair,
 and the three rode rapidly to its gate, | much to the dismay of the single servitor,
 who formed the young lords sole retinue. 1 ''ls he clean daft?' muttered that an- i cient man, Caleb Balderstone as he hob-
 bled down. ITO bring lords and Ieddies l and host of folk behint them and nae- l thing to eat! But deil hae me if the 1 family shall lose credit" 1 Rowing to the ground, he craved his masters pardon for having permitted all | the servants of the castle to go forth to l see the hunt. Then he inquired gravelv l of the visitors if they would have tolxav
 or old sack or any other reflection, and | ct fNn6 Cr,ltr
 the Lord Keeper and said: sir and madam, this old man forms my whole
 retlnue. My means of refreshing you are l even more scanty than my retinue: but 1 such as they may be you may command l them.'
 The Lord Keepers chief servant had l now entered, and the rest of the great |
 train was not far behind. Seeing this 1 Caleb hurried the guests into the hail, and then ran out again and barred in @ | great gates, flinging them shut with a | crash almost In the faces of the hunts men. He thrust his head through a small window over the entrance and informed l the angry people that his master and l the guests were at their dinner and that the gates of Wolf's Graz never were opened at meal times. Then he l disappeared, leaving them to shout and curse, which they did with right good | will till the chief servant who had perceived how matters stood, went to l the window and told them to go to the village tavern and feast at their mas | ter's charges. l It was now laundering furously-a | circumstance which made Caleb say | Heaven be praised!" Running to the kitchen he waited for thunderclap of 1 extreme force and with sweep of his arm hurled from shelf almost all the | stock of crockery that the place | boasted. Then he rush ed upstairs and appeared before his master with a piteous cOuntenance. ''Such misfortune to befa' the house. and to live to see it." cried he, wiring | ing his hands. "The thunder's come | down the kitchen, and the things are a' | lying here ava, there awa'-capons in 1 white broth, roast kid, roasted leveret, veal forentine, blackcock, plum damas, | a tart, an forbye the fruit. And we | hae naething left In the house fit to present for dinner But I will gang to | Wolfs Hope and bring back dinner" | Ravenwood who had not contradicted ] Caleb for fear of making the scene still more ridiculous, held out his purse, but i the old senescha1 said indignantly: "Pursei 1 Purse, indeed! l trust we are no to pay ! for ain." and flung out of the room.