Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-07-15

events described, Jack Calder. Scottish
farmer, tells how, in his childhood. the
fear Of invasion by Napoleon. at hat
time complete master of Europe, had
gripped the British nation. Following a
false alarm that the French had landed.
Jim Horscroft, the doctors son, youth of
fifteen. quarrels with his father over
Joining the army, and from that incident
q lifelong friendship begins between the
boys.
knew that it was my cousin Edie.
I knew 1t, I say, and yet had she
not touched me I might have passed
her q score of times and never, known
1t. My word, if Jim Horscroft had
asked me then if she were pretty or
no I should have known how to answer
him! She was dark, much darker
than is common among our border
l~assies, and yet with such a faint
flush of pink breaking through her
dainty color, like the deeper flush at
the heart Of a sulphur rose. Her lips
were red and kindly and firm, and
even then, at the first glance, I saw
danced away at the back of her great
dark eyes. She took me her and
there as though I had been her heri-
tage, put out her hand and plucked
we. She was, as 1 have said, in
black, dressed in what seemed to me
I a wondrous fashion, with a black veil
pushed up from her brow.
"Ah, Jack" said she, in a mincing
English fashion that she had learned
at the boarding school. "No, no, we
are rather old for that" This be-
cause I, in my awkward fashion, was
pushing my foolish brown face for
ward to kiss her, as I had done when
/ saw her last.
: "Is this our carriage? How funny
1t hooks. And where am I to sit?"
"On the sacking,' said T..
"And how am / to get there"
"Put your foot on the hub" said I;
'TH help YOU" I sprang up and. tool
her two little gloved hands in my
own AS she came over the side, her
breath blew in my face, sweet and
warm, and all that vagueness and I'M
rest seemed in a moment to have been
shredded away from my soul. 1 felt
as If that instant had taken m out
from myself and made me one of the
race. 1t took but the time of the flick
ing of the horses tail, and yet some
thing had happened, a barrier had
gone down somewhere, and I was lead
ing a wider and a wiser life. I felt
it all in a gush, but, shy and back
; ward as I was, I could do nothing but
f1atten out the sacking for her. Her
eyes were after the coach which was
rafting away to Berwick. and sud
,denly she shook her handkerchief in
the air.
Gle took off his hat" said she; "I
think he must have been an officer. He
was very distinguished looking; per-
haps you noticed him-a gentleman on
the outside, very handsome, with a
brown o%vercoat."
I shook my head, with all my flush
of joy changed to foolish resentment.
"Ah, well, I shall never see him
again. Here are all the green braes,
and the brown, winding road, just the
same as ever. And you, Jack-I don't
see any great change in you, either. I
hope your are better than
they used to be. You won't try to
put any frogs down my back, will
your.
I crept all over when / thought Of
such a thing. "WelH do all we can to
make you happy atiWest Inch," said +,
playing with the whip.
SIN sure it's very kind of you to
take a poor, lonely girl In" said she.
TITS kind of you to come, Cousin
Edie," I stammered. you'll find it
very dull, I fear"
Il suppose it is a little quiet, Jack.
J Not many men about, as I remember
1t. BY the way, that grabbed old doc
tor had a son, had he not?"
.Oh, yes, that's Jim Horscroft, my
zbest friend"
'sIs he at homer?
mo; he'll be home o He's still
at Edinburgh, studying
.Ah, well keep each other company
until he comes, Jack. And I'm very
tired, and I wish I was at West Inch"
/ made old Souter Johnnie cover the
ground as he had never done before or
. since, and in an hour she was seated
at the supper table, where my mother
had laid out not only butter but a
glass dish of gooseberry jam which
sparkled and looked fine in the candle
light. I could see that my parents
were as overcome as I was at the diff
ference in her, though not in the same
way. After supper, when she had
gone to her bed, they could talk Of
nothing but her looks and her breed
ling,
"By the way, though" says my IA
ther, lit does not look as II she We're
heartbroke about my brothers DEATH"
And then, for the first time, / re-
membered that she had never said a
word about the matter sinceT had met
her.