The Connecticut labor press., 1920-08-28
CHAPTER vIl.-continued.


 summer, but late in the autumn he l went back to Edinburgh again for the winter session, and as he intended to work very hard, and get his degree | next spring if he could, he said that he would bide up there for the Christ | mas. So there was great leave-tak- | ing between him and Cousin Edie, and l he was to put up his plate and to l marry her as soon as he had the right | to practice. I never knew man love l a woman more fontlly than he did her, and she liked him well enough in a | way, for indeed in the whole of Scot land she would not find a finer-looking man 1; but when it came to marriage l | think she winced little at the thought that all her wonderful dreams should end in nothing more than in being the wife of country surgeon. was never very sure at that time whether Edie cared for De Lapp or not. When Jim was at home they took little notice of each other. Aft CT he was gone they were thrown more | together, which was natural enough, as he had taken up so much of her time before.
 We'll. the summer and the autumn and the best part of the winter passed away, and we were still all very happy together We got well into the year 1915, and the great emperor was still eating his heart out at Elba, and all the ambassadors were wrangling to- gether at Vienna as to what they should do with the lions skin, now that they had so fairly hunted him down. We never thought that wha all these high and mighty people were doing could have any bearing upon us, and as to war-why, everybody was agreed that the great shadow was lift ed from us forever, and that, unless the allies quarreled among themselves there would not be shot fired in Eu- rope for another fifty years. There was one incident, however that stands out very clearly in my memory-I think that 1t must have happened about the February of this year-and will tell it to you before go any further.
 You know what the Border peel cas- ties are like, I have no doubt. They were just square keeps, built every here and there along the line, so that the folk might have some place of protection against raiders and moss troopers. When Percy and his mel were over the Marches, then the peo- pie would drive some of their cattle into the yard of the tower, shut up the big gate, and light fire in the brazfer at the top, which would be answered by all the other peel towers. until the lights would go twinkling up to the Lammermuir hills, and so carry the news on to the Pentlands and to Edin- burgh. But now, of course, all these old keeps were warped and crum- bling, and made fine nesting places for the wild birds.
 One day I had been on a very long walk, away over to leave a message at the Laidlaw Arrnstrongs, who live two miles on this side of Ayton. About five o'clock, just before the sunset, I found myself on the brae path, with the gable end of West Inch peeping up in front of me, and the old peel tower lying on my left. And as I stared I suddenly saw the face of a man twin kle for moment in one of the holes in the wall.
 It was so queer that was deter mined to come to the bottom of it; so, tired as I was, I turned my shoul- der on home. and walked swiftly to- ward the tower. The grass stretches right up to the very base of the wall, and my feet made little noise until I reached the crumbling arch where the old gate used to be. I peeped through and there was Bonaventure de Lapp, standing inside the keep, and peeping out through the very hole at which I had seen his face. He was turned half away from me, and 1t was clear that he had not seen me at all, for he was staring with all his eyes over in she direction of West Inch. As I ad- vanced my foot rattled the rubble that ay in the gateway, and he turned
 ound with a start and faced me.
 "Hullo !" said I, "what are you doing here?'
 q may ask you that" said he.
 T came up because saw your ace at the window"
 And I because, as you may well