Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-17


absence, sat on a perch-Miss Pans
old gift to little Fairy. AS DR.. Dicl
stalked by the bird cooked it's heat
knowingly to one side, and called, in 6
hoarse, derisive way: where's Polly
good sir-where's Polly?"
Vandine could not repress a start
The image of a certain Polly, pa
tient, long suffering, much-enduri le
Polly, flashed across his mind, looked
at him with big, pathetic eyes.
He shrugged his shoulders and went
on, pursued into the shadow OF the
Woods, and far beyond sight of the
cottage, by the shrill scream of the
bird: Polly! Polly wants you! Polly
wants you!"
He came at last, to a spot where the
path dropped down into a dell, blue
with violets. He threw himself on the
fragrant grass and listened. The mu-
sic sounded faint and far-a mere
echo of delight. A jovial blackbird in
scarlet shoulder straps sang loudly In
a tree-top overhead. A little snake
flashed like shaft of green light
through the grass. DR.. Dick lay for a
long time, staring blankly up at the
sky, and Misunderstanding Of the
dazzling face of a girl, in a ripple of
yellow hair-a girl like born prin-
cess, with blush roses droop on her
bosom, and a flood Of tears in her vio-
llet eyes. His hour had come! She
had carried his heart by sudden storm.
DR.. Vandine, the insignificant Black
port doctor, was fiercely, furiously In
love, for the first time in his life, and
with the heiress of million or more
the granddaughter Of that most
naughty aristocrat, Godfrey Greylock.
And worse yet" unused DR.. Dick,
with his jealous, woe-begone face still
turned skyward, shes reserved for
another fellow. Deuce take that Eng
Ilishman. Why cannot he stay at home
and choose a wife from the bloated
aristocracy of his own right little,
tight little island! 1 hope the steamer
in which he sets sail will sink him
fathoms deep in the briny! BY Jove!
some men are born to good luck, sure
enough! But who was she crying for
at the garden party this afternoon?-
the poor darling Not a baronet, I'll
be bound-a man whom she never
saw. She has a mother in Europe-do
girls Of her age cry for absent moth
ers? Oh, heaven! How lovely she is!
Circe herself could never hold can
die to her! What an air she has! One
would know, without being told, that
there was blue blood in her perfect
veins Even II no baronet stood in the
way, am I the sort Of fellow to win
so much as the passing notice Of a
girl like that? No, no-a thousand
times no."
| Lost in the half-sweet, half-bitter
dreams Of a lover whose cause seems
hopeless, he lay there among the vio-
lets, while the day faded, and the twi-
light gathered. Presently he awoke to
find the dell growing dark. He sprang
to his feet and went on down the ST.
lent, dusky path, till he came to the
borders of the Woods. Over a wall,
matted in woodbine, he leaped into the
open high road.
It was late and patients might be
waiting at Cats Tavern. Blackport
was a painfully healthy place, but oc-
casionally there was a call for DR..
Dicks professional services. A cres-
cent moon hung in the west, the after
glow fingered on the low clouds, two
or three marsh birds were flying
through the purple light. Whether
the garden party had dispersed or not,
Vandine did not know-there was no
sign, no sound Of 1t anywhere on the
road. He descended the hill and drew
near the deserted salt pits.
This piece of ground remained un-
changed No summer visitors ever ap-
preached it, no hand Of Improvement,
but the old sheds were now leveled
with the dust and unknown hands had
heaped a great pile Of rocks and rub
bish like a cairn on the very spot Of
Robert Greylocks suicide.
Blackport people were inclined to
give the pits a wide berth. OF late,
reports had got abroad that the ground
was haunted. Strange figures had been
seen there by night-strange sounds
of lamentation had been heard there
facts which rushed with unpleasant
force upon DR.. Dicks mind; as by an
abrupt turn in the path, he suddenly
| H.. 90 otr,a Nd in1
sitting upon its rude top, a shape
which seemed to be neither ghost nor
human.
1t was big, black, motionless. At a
little distance it looked like some huge
bird, watching for prey. Though Van
dine advanced ncisily, it neither
stirred nor gave any sign of life. The
head dropped, the arms trailed listless-
ly, the body crouched forward in an
attitude, half of fear, half of pain.
Vandine, careless, fearless fellow
though he was, experienced an un-
pleasant thrill. He stopped a few
PAGES from the cairn.
"Halloa!" he cried.
The figure did not move or reply.
"Halloa, there, I say!" he called
again, louder than before.
With a horse, strange cry, the shape
leaped down from the rubbish, and
with a feeling Of intense relief Van
dine recognized it at once.
BEG pardon, Miss Poole!" he said
Il hope I've not frightened you. Up
on my soul, l didn't know you at dis
tance-thought it was the spirit, bo-
gle, spook, or whatever the thing is,
which haunts the spot, according to
the popular belief at Blackport."
!, Mercy Poole was dressed in black
from head to foot, and in the failing
light she looked almost gigantic. She
wore a mans low-crowned hat on her
ropes of hair. which time had plenti-
fully sprinkled with gray. Her face
was scanned and wrinkled, but more
with mental conflicts than with age