Evening star., 1909-04-28
CHAPTER xVII-continued.

CHAPTER XVII-continued.
II do not want to go south very early:
so 1 hope you will breakfast with me II
am still there" The genial old sheriff
shook his head:
mo, no. You must breakfast with me.
am in my own bailiwick and YOU must
let me be your host
"All right!' said Athlyne heartily. The
old man. who had been looking at him
kindly all the time, now said:
Tell me, now-and you won't think me
rude or inuqisitive; but you're young
man and I'm an old one, and moreover
sherif-can I do anything for you? The
sergeant told me you were in a state of
desperate anxiety to get away-or at any
rate to let the lady get off; and l couldn't
help noticing myself that you are still
anxious. The policeman said she was
young, and much upset about 1t all. Can
l serve you in any way? If can, it will.
l assure you. be a pleasure to me-" He
was so frank and kind and hearty that
Athlyne's heart warmed to him. More
over he was upset himself, poor fellow;
and though he was man and a strong
one. was more than glad to unburden his
heart to some one who would be SYM
| pathetic listener:
who was with me came for drive from
| AmbleSde and we came on here on the
| spur of the moment. Her father had
gone to London and returns this evening;
and as no one knew that THAT she had
gone out motoring he will be anxious
| about her. Naturally neither she nor !
wish to make him angry. You will un-
derstand when l tell you that she and l
know this-though," here he remembered
| the letter he had posted at Ambleside. 'he
| will doubtless know soon. Unhappily he
had some mistaken idea about me. A
| small matter which no one here would
give second thought to: but he is
| kentuckian and they take some things
very much to heart. This was nothing
Wrong-not in any way: but all the same
his taking further offense at me, as he
| would do If he heard from some one else
that she had been motoring with me with
out his sanction. might initiate against
her happiness-and mine. So YOU can
imagine, Mr.. Sheriff, how grateful | am
TO you for your Kindness The sheriff
paused before replying. He had been
thinking-putting two and two together:
They are engaged-but her father doesn't
know 1t. Then the engagement was made
only today. No wonder they were upset
and anxious No wonder he drove fast.
All, Youth. YOUTH
Il understand, my lord. Well, you did
quite right to get the lady away; though
it was hazardous thing for her to start
S1I dIOuc III Tic
1t hadn't come on then. sir. Had it
been SO l should never have let her go
alone-no matter woat the consequences
might be! But l hope she's out of it and
close to home by this time"
AYE, that's so. Still she was wise to
go. 1t avoids all possibility of scandal.
Poor BARN! I'm hoping she got off south
before the fog came on too thick. It's
drifting up from the firth So that when
once she would have crossed the border
most like 1t would have been clear now.
Anyhow under the circumstances you are
right to stay here. Then there can be
no talk whatever. And her father will
have had time to cool down by the time
We meet.
Were parting here. my lord. Good
bye and let me wish ye both every form
Of human happiness. Perhaps by morn
you will have had some news: and I'm
hoping yen be able to tell me of her
safe arrival"
AT the cross roads the men parted. The
sheriff rode on his way to Ennisfour. and
Athlyne went back to Dairy. He ordered
telegram at the little post Office. His tele-
gram ran:
ITO Walter Scott, Hotel Castle Douglas:
Keep rooms given up by sheriff for
tonight. ATHLYNE."
He had written the telegram through
without a pause. The signature was
added unhesitatingly, though not merely
instinctiyely. He had done with falsity;
henceforth he would use his own name,
and that only. He felt freer than he had
done for many a day.
He ate his dinner quietly: he was aston
ished at himself that he could take mat
ters SO calmly. 1t was really that he now
realized that he had done all he could.
There was nothing left but to wait. In
the earlier part of that waiting he was
disturbed and anxious. Difficulties and
dangers and all possible matters OF con-
Germ obtruded themselves upon his
crhf in an61 cot E,rf
time wore on the natural optimism Of his
character began to govern his thinking.
Reason still worked freely enough, but
she took her orders from the optimistic
side and brought up arrays of comforting
facts and deductions
1t was with renewed heart and with a
hopeful spirit that he set out on his road
to Castle Douglas. He had deliberately
chosen to walk instead of taking car
rfage or riding. He did not want to ar
rive early in the evening, and he calculat-
ed that the sixteen miles would take him
somewhere about four hours to walk. The
exercise would, while 1t killed the time
which he had to get through, give him If
not ease of mind at least some form of
mental distraction. Such, he felt, must be
his present anodyne-his guarantee of
sanity. AS he had no luggage of any
kind he felt perfectly free: the only addi-
ton TO his equipment was a handful of
cigars to last him during the long walk.
He had left Dairy some miles behind
him when he began to notice the thicken-
ing of the mist. After while when this
became only too apparent he began To
hesitate as to whether it would not be
wiser to return. BY this time he realized
that 1t was no mere passing cloud of
vapor which was driving up from the
south. but sea fog led inward through
the narrowing birth; he could smell the
iodine of the sea in his nostrils. But he
decided to go on his way. He remem-
bered fairly well the road which he had
traversed earlier in the day. Though
rough road and somewhat serpentine as
il followed the windings of the Ken and
the Dee. it was SO far easy to follow that
there were no bifurcations and few cross
roads. And so with resolute heart-for
there was something to overcome here
and difficulty meant to him distraction
from pain-he pushed on into the grow
ing obscurity of the fog.
On the high ground above Shirmers he
felt the wind driving more keenly in his
face: but lie did not pause. He trudged
on hopefully, every step he took was
bringing him closer to England-and to
Joy. Now 1t was that he felt the value
of the stout walking cudgel that he had
purchased from a passing drover. For
in the fog he like blind man; sight
needed the friendly aid of touch.
But ii was dreadfully slow work, and at
the end of few hours he was wearied
out with the overwhelming sense of i'm