Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-07-29

Il ue WAS Soue they were lHIo"u iHoic
together, which was natural enough,
as he had taken up so much Of her
time before.
Well, the summer and the autumn
and the best part Of the winter passed
away, and we were still all very happy
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. nov
that they had so fairly hunted him
down. We lever thought that what
all these high and mighty people were
doing could have any bearing upon us.
and as to WARMLY, 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 a'shot fired in Eu-
rope for another fifty years.
There was n incident, however,
that stands out very clearly in my
memory think that it must have
happened about the February Of this
year-and l will tell it to you before
I go any further.
You know What the Border peel cas-
ties are like, l 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 n his mel
were over the Marches, then the pep
pie would drive some of their cattle
into the yard of the tower, shut up the
big gate, and light a fire in the brazier
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 OF to the Pentlands and to Edin-
burgh. But now, of course, all these
old keeps were warped and run
bling, and made fine nesting places for
the wild birds.
One day l had been on a very long
walk, away owe to leave a message
, at the Laidlaw Armstrong;, who live
two miles on this side of Ayton: About
1 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 1 stared I
suddenly saw the face Of a man twin
kle for a moment in one of the holes
in the wall.
It vas so queer that I was deter
/ - -. ~ D. 4L&.H I1A4~~. MI - - 81.
SO, tired as I was, I turned my shout
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
and there was B%onaventure de Lapp,
standing inside the keep, and peeping
out through the very hole, at which
I had seer his face. He was turned
half away from me, and it was clear
that he had not seen me at all. for he
was staring with all his eyes over in
the direction of West Inch. AS | adj
vanced my foot ratified the rubble that
lay in the gateway, and he turned
round with a start and faced me.
"Hullo!" said.I l. what are you doing
here?'
II may ask yon that" said he.
Il came up because 1tsaw your
face at the window"
"And / because, as you may well
have observed, l have very much in
terest for all that has to do with the
military. and of course castles are
among them. You will excuse me for
one moment. my dear Jack" and he
stepped out suddenly through the hole
in the wall. so as TO be nn' If my si~.l
But ! was yer, 90. ~,
to excuse him 5
my ground s,ef.'.
that he was
outside, and waving his hand franti-
cally, as in a signal.
What are you doing" / cried, and
then, running out to his side, I looked
across the moors to see whom he was
reckoning to.
you go too far, sir" said he an
grily; II didn't thought you would
have gone so far. A gentleman has
the freedom to act as he, choose. with
out your being the spy upon him. If
we are to be friends, you must not
interfere in my affairs
II don't like these secret doings,"
said ], 'and my father would not like
them, either"
"Your father can speak for himself,
and there is no secret" said he CURLY.
ut is you, with your imaginings, that
make a secret. ia, ia, TIA! / have
no patience with such f~oolishness."
And, without so much as a nod, he
turned his back upon me and started
walking swiftly to West Inch.
Well, II followed him, and In the
worst OF tempers. for 4 had a feeling
that there was some mischief in the
wind. and yet / could not FOR the
life of me think what 1t all meant.