Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-10-09

heart long enough. It's better out.
You want to find her a guest at Rayn-
ham castle, do you?-Raynham castle,
where never a decent woman crosses
the threshold! If she goes there, she
goes Well?"
An anger that was almost paralyZ-
ing, a sense of the utter impotence of
words, drove John in silence from the
room. He left the house by the back
door, passed quickly through the or
chard, where the tangled moonlight lay
upon the ground in strange, fantastic
shadows; across the narrow strip Of
field, field now Of golden stubble; up
the hill which looked down upon the
farm buildings and the churchyard.
He sat grimly down upon a great
bowlder, filled with a hateful sense of
unwreaked passion, yet with q sheer
thankfulness in his heart that he had
escaped the miasma of evil thoughts
which Stephens words seemed to have
created. The fancy seized him to face
these half-veiled suggestions of his
brother, so far as they concerned
himself and his life during the last
few months.
Stephen was right. This woman who
had dropped from the clouds for those
few brief hours had played strange
havoc with Johns thoughts and his
whole outlook upon life. The coming
of harvest, the care of his people, his
sports, his cricket, the early days upon
the grouse moOrs, had all suddenly
lost their interest for him. Life had
become task. The echo of her half
knocking, half-challenging words was
always in his ears.
He sat with his head resting upon
his hands, looking steadfastly across
the valley below. Almost at his feet
lay the little church with its grave
yard, the long line of stacks and barns,
the laborers' cottages, the bailiffs
house, the whole little colony around
which his life seemed conferred. The
summer moonlight lay upon the ground
almost like snow. He could see the
sheaves of wheat standing up in the
most distant of the cornfields. Beyond
was the dark gorge toward which he
had looked so many nights at this
hour.
Across the viaduct there came a
blaze of streaming light, a serpentlike
trail, family heard whistle-the Scot
fish express on its way southwark
toward London. His eyes followed it
out of sight. He found himself think
ing of the passengers who would wake
the next morning in London. He felt
himself suddenly acutely conscious of
his isolation. Was there not something
almost monastic IL the secluaon which
had become a passion with Stephen
and which had its grip, too, upon him
waste of life, a burying of talents
He rose to his feet. The half-formed
purpose of weeks held him now, def.
mite and secure. He knew that this pill.
grimage of his to the hilltop, his rapt
contemplation of the little panorama
which had become so dear to him, was
in a sense valedictory.
After all, two more months passed
| before the end came, and it came then
without moments warning. 1t was
little past midday when John drove
slowly through the streets OF Market
Ketton in his high dogcart. exchanging
salutations right and left with the
tradespeople, with farmers brought
! into town by the market, with ac
| quaintances of all sorts and condi
tons. More than one young woman
from the shop windows or the pave
ments ventured to smile at him, anC
| the few greetings he received from the
/ wives and daughters of his neighbors
were as gracious as they could possibly
be made. John almost smiled once, in
| the act of raising his hat, as he real
| lied how completely the whole charm
of the world, for him. seemed to lie II
one w0man's eyes.
at the crossways, where he should
have turned to the inn, he paused while
| a mOtorcar passed. 1t contained s
woman. who was talking to her host
! She was not in the least like Lou
Use, and vet instinctively he knew tina
! she was of the same world. The Der
| lection of her white-serge costume, hel
! hat so Smartly worn, the half-insolen
smile, the little gesture with which sh,
raised her hand-somethIng about hel
unlocked the fioodgates.
Market Kett0n had seemed wei
enough few minutes ago. John haC
felt q healthy appetite Tor his midda,
meal, and certain interest concernin!
a deal In barley upon which he wa!
about TO engage. And now anothel
world had him in its grip. He f1ickeC
the mare with his whip, turned away
from the inn. and galloped up to The
station, keeping pace with the trair
whose whistle he had heard. Standin!
outside was a local horse dealer Of hi:
acquaintance.
Take the mare back for me to Peal
Hall, will you, Jenkins, or send one Of
your lads?" he begged. 81 want Il
catch this train"
The man aSsented with pleasure
paid TO do q kindness for Strange
wey. John passed through the ticke
Office TO the platform, where the trail
was waiting, threw open the door o
carriage, and flung himself into
corner seat. The whistle sounded. Tn,
adventure Of his life had begun ST last
CHAPTER vi.