Year: 1872

1t struck me when Dick did finally
come that he was in a remarkable hurry
to start, and hastened us away without
leaving me time to say those more las
words which house keepers are so apt
to bestow on their cabinet ministers
when they SCI out on journey. Dick
4 also Tdemurred at our driving round by
the mill, and stopping to speak to the
Captain, with whom | wished to leave 6
commission about some domestic matter
It was not far out of the way, to be sure
but we had been delayed already, and the
afternoon was getting on; and, as the er
rand was one of no very great Importance,
I gave up the idea, and Dick turned the
horses head towards the GalOOsa road,
and drove swiftly out of the village.


AS we turned into the openings, through
which our path lay for some distance, we
passed one of the teamsters from the mill
going up to the village with load of
boards. This said teamster, commonly
known as Dutch Jake, was an exceeding
ly slow man, and was never known, under
any circumstances, to adopt any plan of
action on the spur of the moment. AS
we passed, he nodded by way of saluta-
ton; but, after the swift colts had left the
team far behind, we saw that he had stop
ped his horses and was looking after us,
apparently pondering in his mind some
matter with which we were connected.


We heard afterward that Jake had had
"a great mind" to give us warning of the
danger that lurked that day in the Sep
tember woods; but, before his mind had
become quite ''great" enough for express
sion, we had passed out of sight.


II wonder what be wanted of us?" said
DIANA


ooh, he only stopped to let his horses
rest" said Dick; and yet glancing back,
though turn in the road had now hid
den Dutch Jake from sight; and then sud
denly Master Dick became very animated
on the subject of the beauties of those
openings through which we were passing


The road lay through a rolling country,
among what, in Michigan, for lack of
something better, are called hills. 1t was
the last of September, and there had been
just frost enough to turn the leaves.


We had been riding in silence for some
minutes when Diana suddenly exclaimed,
"Why, there is the ugly dog!"


There he was, sure enough. He must
have followed us at long distance, and,
now that he had come so far from home,
he seemed to think it safe to make his
appearance; and running by the eide of
the buggy, looked up to us, wagging his
half tail, and barking his satisfaction
till the woods rang.


81 never in my life saw anything so
ugly as that dog" said Dick.


"He's a good creature, if he is ugly"
said Diana, who was always ready to
stand on the defensive for any person or
thing, herself excepted.


And his ugliness is so extreme that it
bnoOOooc almost q bnaUtV' ~ said


'He's not much to look at, but he's a
good one to bark" said Dick. And, in
deed, the ugly dogs voice was powerful
organ. His bark was quite unlike that Of
any dog | ever heard, and seemed sort
of cross between the sOnOrous ring Of the
fox-hound and the half-rOar of the mas
tiff


A mile or two brought us to the en-
trance of swamp, through which ran
log-road, which, if we followed it, would
cut off full three miles.


''Hadn't we better take the swamp
road?" said Dick-''it's so much shorter;
and then you'll have more time for your
visit, and we can get home before dark"


"'What's the hurry about getting home
before darl?" asked Diana. cit will be
beautiful moonlight"


ooh, nothing" said Dick, carelessly;
"only you know, Di, they say strangers
that stay out at night sometimes get fever
and ague, and l thought Mrs. Graham
would like to get home as soon as she
could"


I was rather surprised at this instance
of prudence and consideration in Master
Dick. but consented to take the short
cut, as I knew that this particular cor
durOy" had lately been mended.


We proceeded slowly, though surely,
and with no more pitches and bumps than
was reasonable to expect. Itwas Diana's
first experience of a log-road, and she
laughed and chatted in high glee; but
it began to strike me that Dick was even
more silent than would seem to be justi-
fed by the attention the horses demanded,
and I noticed that he occasionally glanced
round with look of apprehension, and
once, at some sudden rustic in the bushes,
he started and actually turned pale.


Dick Monroe was not a boy to be scared
merely at finding himself in a strange
place. and a vague nervousness and
foreboding of I knew not what began to
creep over my own mind. Yet what pos
sible cause of dread could lurk in the
tamarack-swamp? In the depths OF Win
ter there might have been some faint pos
sibilities of wolves, but none had been
seen in in the country for years, and,
though it was just barely on the cards
that we might see black bear leisurely
crossing the road, yet knew that at this
season of the year all the brute would
ask would be to be let alone. But, in
spite of myself, there grew upon me a
sense of danger of which was ashamed
to speak, so utterly baseless and absurd
did it seem in that peaceful place aud
rodor q c11nornnr cxv


We had reached the middle of the
swamp, where, on an island of firm land,
stood deserted log-hOuse and barn.


A sad story was attached to this place.
! A few years before a young man had
como from the East with his bride and
had taken up this lonely bit of land.
Though he and his wife were not more
than eighteen, and though very poor,
even for new settlers, they had gone on
! and prospered for the first year. Then
the poor girl died with her first baby; and
her husband, in spite of the efforts of
kindly neighbors to detain him, had wan
dered off, no one knew whittier, leaving
his homestead to 60 to ruin. A mournful
interest thus belonged to the "Meadowes
Place y and the superstitious avoided the
island in the swamp after nightfall.


had been with Alice Meadowes when
she died, and had taken home the poor little
baby, who however, lived but a few days,
and was buried in her mothers grave; AS
1 looked at the desolate log-house,. there
came to me vivid remembrance OF John
Meadowes as he had stood in the door ana
watched me as | went away with MS
| child.


But had small time for thought, for
the next instant the ugly dog, who had
run on before us out of sight, came
tearing back along the road and bark
! lug and Yelling apparently ouite out of