The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-08-31
CHAPTER III.


expectancy. The sunshine was pouring
into the room, Frightening up its mOst
somber corners. 1t lay across the quill
of her bed, and seemed to bring out the
perfume of lavender from the pillow
on which her head reposed.
Aline, hearing her mistress stir
hnstened at once to her bedside.
ut Is hQlf-past nine, madam, and
your breakfast is here. The old Inn
becile from the kitchen has just
brought it up"
Louise looked approvlngly at the
breakfast tray, with the homemade
bread and deep-yellow butter, the
brown eggs and clear honey. The
smell of the coffee was aromatic. She
breathed a little sigh of content.
"How delicious everything looks !"
she exclaimed.
''The homemade things are well
enough in their way, madam" Aline
agreed, "but l have never known a
household so strange and disagreeable.
That NJ. Jennings, who calls. himself
the butler-he is a person unspeak-
able, savage!"
Louises eyes twinkled.
81 don't think they are fond of wOm-
en- in this household, Aline," she re-
marked. "Ten me, have you seen
Charles?"
Charles has gone to the nearest
blacksmith's forge to get something
made for the car, madam" Aline re-
piled. "He asked me to say that he
was afraid he would not be ready to
start before midday"
THAT does not matter" Louise de-
clared, gazing eagerly out of the case
ment window. Immediately below was
a grass-grOwn orchard which stretched
upward, at II precipitouS angle, toward
belt of freshly plowed field beyond, a
n little chain of rocky hills, sheer over
head. The trees were pink and white
with blossom the petals lay about
upon the ground like drifted snow
flakes. Here and there yellow jon
quls were growing among the long
grass. A watt of perfume stole into
the room through the window which
she had opened.
"Fill my bath quickly, Aline," Louise
ordered. 81 must go out. | want to see
whether it is really as beautiful as it
looks"
Aline dressed her mistress in ST
lence. Then, suddenly, a little excla-
nation escaped her. She swung round
toward her mistress, and for once there
was animation in her face.
But, madam" she exclaimed, 81
have remembered! The name Strange
wey. Yesterday morning you read it
out while you took your coffee. You
spoke Of the good fortune of some
farmer in TIE north of England to
whom some ative in Australia had
left grea fortune-hundreds and
thousands pounds. The name was
Strangewey, he same as that. / re-
member / now"
She ted once more to the family
tree. Louise sat for a moment with
parted liz
you are quite right, Aline. l re-
member it all perfectly now. wonder
whether it could possibly be either of
these two men?"
Aline shook her head doubtfully.
1T would be unbelievable, madam"
she decided. "Could any sane human
creatures live here, with no company
but the sheep and the cows, If they
had money-lmoney to live in the
cities, to buy pleasures, to be happy?
Unbelievable, madam !"
Louise remained standing before the
window. She was watching the bios
som-laden boughs of one of the apple
trees bending and swaying in the fresh
breeze-watching the restless
shadows which came and went upon
the grass beneath.
"That is just your point of view,
Aline," she murmuredl; "but happiness
well, you would not understand.
They are strange men, these two"
Louise found her way without diff
Guilty across cobbled yard, through
postern gate set in a red-brick wall,
INTO the orchard. At the farther end
she came to gate, against which she
rested for moment, leaning her arms
upon the topmost bar. Before her was
the little belt of plowed earth, the
fresh, pungent OdOr of which was a
new thing to her; little way to the
right, the rolling moorland, starred
with clumps of gorse; in front, across
the field on the other side of the gray
stone wall, the rock-strewn hills. The
blue 1t seemed to her
and dotted all over with little masses
Of fleecy, white clouds-seemed some $
how lower and nearer; or was she, per- {
haps, higher up? S
She fingered there, absolutely bewil- S
lered by the rapid growth in her brain :
and senses of what surely must be {
Some newly kindled faculty Of appre- 7
,lation. There was beauty in the h
world which she had not felt before.
She turned her head almost lazily at v
he sound of a mans voice. A team Of a
lorses, straining at pIow, were COM 5
ng round the bend Of the field, and by
heir side, talking to the laborer who v
yuided them, was John Strangewey. I
She watched him as he came into
ight nm the steeD rise. He walked In s.