Year: 1866

came anxious. A message of inquiry was
at last dispatched, but the only information


received was that the bride had left the


mause at 2 o'clock, Immediately after the


mause party. A herd-boy was again dis
patched to obtain more accurate tldlngs,


and the governess whispered in his ear to
ask in particular about the Whereabouts OF
Donald, the shepherd.


But the boy could tell nothing, except


that Hugh and the bride had started on


horseback three hours before and as for


Donald, he was unwell in bed for ne had


seen him there rolled up in blankets, with


his face to the wall. The excitement be-
came intense. Duncan Stewart snuffied pre-
digiously Malcolm, Mary's uncle, uttered
sundry expressions by no means becoming
Peggy, full of alarming suTmises, wrung her
hands, and threw herself on the bed In the
middle closet The ladies became perplex
ed the sheriff consulted the company as to
what should be done, The doctor suggest
ed the suicide of the bride. The minister
suspected more than he liked to express.
But two men mounted the best horses, and
taking gun with them-why, no one could
conjecture started off in great haste to the
manse.


The timid bird had flown, no one knew
whittier. The secret had been kept from
every human being. But if she was to
leave the parish it could only be by GER
tain glen, across certain river, and along
one path, which led to the regions beyond.
They conjectured that she was en- route for
her mothers home, in order to find there
temporary asylum To this glen, and along
this path, the riders hurried with the gun.
The marriage party in the meantime took a
refreshment, and made NJ Pherson, the bag
piper, play reels and stratbspeys. Duncan
pretended to laugh at the odd joke-for
joke he said it was. Peggy alone refused to
be comforted. Hour after hour passed, but
no news of the bride The ladies' began to
should spend the night until at last all who
could not be accommodated within the elias
tic wall by any amount of squeezing, dis
persed, after house and barn were filed, to
seek quarter at the manse or among the
sheighboring farms.


The two troopers who had rode in pursuit
of Mary came at last after hard ride of
twenty miles, to small inn, which was the
frontier house of the parish, and whose white
walls marked, as on a peninsula, the ending
of one long uninhabited glen, and the com
mencement of another. As they reached
this solitary wayside place, they determined
to put up for the night. The morning had
been wet, and clouds full of rain had gath
eTCu dIJGT SUNSET On INC ILLS. Ou entering
the kitchen of the change house, they saw
some clothes drying on chair opposite the
fire, with a ''braw cap and ribbons suspend
ed near them, and dripping with moisture.
On making inquiry they were informed that
these belonged to young woman who had
arrived there shortly before, behind Hugh
son of big John McAlister of the manse, who
had returned with the horse by another road
over the hill. The woman was on her way
to Lochabor, but her name was not known.
Poor Mary was caught ! Her pursuers need
not have verified their cOBjectures by enter
ing her room and upbraiding her in most un-
feeling terms, telling her, before locking the
door in order to secure her, that she must
accompany them back In the morning and be
married to Duncan Stewart, as sure as there
was justice in the land. Mary spoke not
word, but g2zed on them as in dream.


At early dawn she was mounted behind
one of these moss troopers, and conductedin in
safety to the manse, as she had requested to
see the family before she went through the
ceremony of marriage When Mary was
ushered into the presence of the minister
she fell on her knees before him and burst
forth into hysterical weeping The minister
soothed her and bid her tell him what all this
was about. Did she not like Stewart ? Was
she unwilling to marry him ? Unwilling
to marry him ~ cried Mary, rising up, with
such flashing eyes and dramatic manner as
the minister had never seen before in her or
thought it possible for one retiring and shy to
exhibit II tell you, sir, | would sooner be
chained to rock at low water, and rest there
until the tide came and ehoked my breath,
than marry that man y and Mary, as if her
whole nature was suddenly changed, spoke
out with the vehemence of long restrained
1t
herent dignity. Then MARY, dear" said
the minister, patting her head, you shall
never be married against your WILL by me or
any one else to mortal man"


Bless you, dear sir, said Mary, kissing
his hand.


Duncan heard the news. ''What on earth
then" he asked, ''is to be done with the
dinner % for the cooking has been stopped
To his Lochabor friends he whispered certain
sayings borrowed from sea and land-as for
example that there were as good fish in the
sea as ever came out of it-that she who
Wilma when she marry live to rue another
day, and so on. He spoke and acted ike one
who pitied as a friend the woman whom he
thought once so wise as to have been willing
to marry Blairdhue Yet Blairdhue' s ques-
ton was a serious one, and was still unan-
Swered


What was to become Of the dinner2''
Mary's uncle suggested the answer. He
took Duncan aside, and talked confdentially
and earnestly to him. His communications
were received with smile, grunt, and
nod of the head each outward sign of the in
ward current of feeling being frequently re-
peated in the same order. The interview
was ended by request from Duncan to see
Peggy. Peggy gave him her hand, and
squeezed him with a fervor made up of hys-
terics and hope. She wept however, real
tears, pouring forth her sympathies for the
bridegroom in ejaeulatory gasps, ike jerks
for breath, when mentioning a man of res
pect-a-bil-i-ty. Before night a match
was made up between Duncan and Peggy
she declaring it was done to save the credit
of the family, though it was but Yesterday
that She had learned to esteem Mr.. Stewart;