The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-01-03
CHAPTER III.


Louise awoke the next morning
filled With q curious sense Of buoyant
expectancy. The sunshine was pouring
into the room, Frightening up Its most
somber corners. 1t lay across the quilt
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,
hastened at once to her bedside.
1T is half-past nine, madam. and
your breakfast Is here. The old i'm
becile from the kitchen has Just
brought 1t up."
Louise looked approvingly 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.
1.-The homemade things are well
enough In their way. madam" Aline
agreed. "but I have never known a
household SO strange and disagreeable.
That u. Jennings, who calls himself
the Dutler-he Is q person unspeak-
able. a savagei"
Loulse's eyes twinkled.
y doa't think they are fond Of wom-
en- in this household. Aline." she re-
marked. "Teu Ee, have you seen
CharlesT
Charles mas 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
4 grass-grown orchard which stretched
upward, at a precipitous angle. toward
Q belt Of freshly plowed field beyond, q
4 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
fakes. Here and there yellow JON
quils were growing among the long
grass. A watt of perfume stole into
the room through the window which
she had opened.
Fiji my bath quickly. Aline," Louise
ordered. II must 60 out. want to see
whether 1t Is really as beautiful as 1t
ooks."
Aline dressed her mistress in ST.
ence. Then, suddenly. little excla-
nation escaped her. She swung round
toward her mistress, and for once there
was animation in her face,
but, madam" she exclaimed. II
hive remembered! The name Strange
Eey. Yesterday morning you read 1t
out while you took your coffee. You
spoke of the good fortune Of some
farmer in the north of England to
whom some relative in Australia had
left q great fOrtune-hundreds and
thousands of pounds. The name was
Strangewey, the same as that. re-
member 1t now"
She pointed once more to the family
tree, Louise sat for q moment with
parted lips.
"You are quite right, Aline. I re-
member 1t all perfectly now. 1 wonder
whether it could possibly be either OF
these two menT
Aline shook her head doubtfully.
ut would be unbelievable, madam"
.she decided. "Could any sane human
creatures live here. with no company
,ut the sheep and the cows, If they
aad money-money to live In the
cities. to buy pleasures, to be happy !
Unbelievable, MADAM" I"
Louise remained standing before the
window. She was watching the oios-
som-laden boughs Of one of the apple
trees bending and swaying in the fresh
morning breeze-watching the restless
shadows which came and went upon
the grass beneath.
THAT is just your point Of view'
Aline," she murmured; "but happiness
well, you would not understand.
They are strange men, these two"
Louise found her way without dim-
Guilty across a cobbled yard, through a
postern gate set in q red-brick wall,
into the orchard At the farther emo
she came to a gate, against which sne
rested for q moment, leaning her arms
upon the topmost bar. Before her was
the little belt Of plowed earth. the
fresh, pungent odor Of which was q
new thing to her; a little way to tne
right, the rolling moorlsnd, starred
With clumps Of gorse: In front. across
the field on the other side OF the gray
slime wall, the rock-strewn hills. Tne
sky-unusually blue It seemed to her'
\ snA dotted all over with little masses
- aAarv white rsaods-AeNma0 aosAs