Middletown transcript., 1920-08-28
CHAPTER VlI.-Continued.


10
Jim HorscrOft was at home all that
summer, but late in the autumn he
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 a great leave-tak-
ing between him and Cousin Edie, and
he was to put up his plate and to
marry her as soon as he had the right
to practice. never knew man love
q woman more fondly 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 fner-loOking
man; but when it came to marriage l
think she WINGED little at the
thought that all her wonderful dreams
should end in nothing more than in
being the wife of a country surgeon.
I 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
er he was gone they were thrown more
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
together. We got we'll into the year
1915, and the great emperor was still
eating h!s 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 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 shot fired in Eu
rope for another fifty years.
There was one incident, however
that stands out very clearly in my
memory think that it must have
happened about the February Of this
year-and I will tell it to you before
I go any further.
You know what the Border peel cas-
ties are like, have no doubt. They
were just square keeps, built every
here and there along the line, 50 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 brazier
at the top. which would be answered
by all the other peel towers, until the
lights would 60 twinkling up to the
Lammermuir hills, and so carry the
news on to the Pentlands and to Ed7E
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 l had been on a very long
walk, away over to leave a message
at the Laidlaw Armstrong;, 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 l stared I
suddenly saw the face of a man twin
kle for a moment in one of the holes
in the wall.
It was so queer that I was deter
mined to come to the bottom of it !;
SO. tired as 1 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. peeped through
and there was BOnaventure de Lapp,
standing inside the keep, and peeping
out through the very hole at which
l had seen 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 ad-
vanced my foot ratified the, rubble that
lay in the gateway. and he turned
round with start and faced me-
"Hullol" said I, what are you doing
herey
II may ask you that" said he.
II came up because saw your
! f6e1 at the w1nd0W." Z"