At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern

o

y, fragrant sweetness of her mouth, and her breath was that of the rose itself. Her hands-but how shall I write of the flower-like hand

hand were the orchards, which were now in bloom. A faint, unearthly sweetness came with every passing breeze, and was wafted th

ness was upon her, and the wande

knights of thy retinue, there is none whom I would wed, and it is seemly that I should set out to find my lord and maste

ul, should fancy her charms were on the wane. But he was ever eager to gratify

ew fool, who hath come from afar to make merry in our court. His motley is of an unfamiliar pattern, his quips and jests savour n

do not choose to

to wear the cap and bells, and it is in my mind to consider this quest of thine somewhat more than mildly foolish. Unnumbered brave and fa

ly. "Thou canst not understand the way of a maid. Bid thy fool to pr

The way is long. Mayst not t

estried walls of my chamber stifle me and I would fain lie in the fresh air

u art my only child, the image of thy dead mother, and my old eyes shall be mi

s my sunset journeying shall bring my return a day nearer.

tent at sunset. Two couriers rode at the head, to see that the way was clear, and with a silv

aid, was of an unfamiliar pattern, but was none the less striking, being made wholly of scarlet and gold. The Lady Elaine could not have guessed that it was assume

ich already had clouded his vision. Long he waited, straining his eyes toward the distant cliffs, where, one by one, the company rode upward. The valley was in shadow, but t

e primeval forests through which her path must lie? And where was the knight who should claim her in

o rides at the side of Elaine. Surely my daughter, t

d the bugles pealed forth another sounding farewell to the Lord of the Castle of Content, whom Elaine

making it to nod in merry fashion, but the Lord of Content did not see, his eyes being fixed upon Elaine. She waved her hand to him, but he could not answer, for his shoulders were shaking with grief, no

enith, and touched to flame the cymbals and the bugles and the trappings of the horses and the shields of the knights. Piercin

ently, like one wakened from a d

avernous depths of the vehicle, shrieks of juvenile terror echoed and re-e

avagely. "More old lovers of Dorothy's, I s

In the meteoric moment of the fall, Harlan had seen that the two must have discovered America at about the same time

ted from the stage and added to the human pile which was wriggling and weeping upon the gravelled walk. A cub

act so? Help your little brother a

eping pyramid on the walk. Harlan ran downstairs, feeling that the hour had come t

ick, briefly, with a wink at Ha

k connectedly, one of the twins had darted into the house and bumped its head on t

ue there and had come to get it, pausing only to direct Harlan to pay the stage driver,

of the confusion, Claudius Tiberius had the misfortune to appear, and, immediately perceiving his mistake, whisked under the

s. Carr, when she could make herself h

d the mother of the twins, col

elight. "I desire to know why you have come to my

, trembling with anger. "Will y

"has been dead for some time. This

one of the question did not indicate even fa

treat, closely followed by Dick, whose idea, as audibly expresse

l, "that you have made a mistake for which you are not in any sense to blame. You

n cousin, and I have spent the Summer here ever since Rebecca was married! I guess if Ebeneezer knew you

easel, gentle, sweet-faced, and saintly. There was no resemblance whatever between Aunt Rebecca and the sallow

s house," suggested

have run away. I've always had my own rooms here, and I intend to go and come as I please, as I always have done. You can't m

he disturber of the peace. One of the twins was chasing Abdul Hamid around the coop with a lath, as he explain

is little heart, he shall chase the chickens if he wants to, so there, there. Don't cry, Ebbie. Mam

d Mrs. Holmes that the chicken coop was his property, and that neither now

igh and mighty we are when we're living off our poor dead uncle's bounty! Tel

hastened by howls from the other twin, who was in trou

cry. "Poor little woman," he said, softly; "don't you fret.

, eagerly, as Miss St. Clair

er. "I don't know," he said, slowly, "whether I've got nerve enough to

unately meeting no one on her way to her room. Dick ventured o

his host at his ease. "I've never known 'em to come so peacefull

Harlan. "Haven't we ha

r surroundings, and then you'll have a Fourth of July every day, with Christmas, Thanksgiving, and St. Pat

ith a patronising air, and more from a desire to disagree w

ith a knowing chuckle, "you're i

he speech, and dominated once more by healthy human c

becca's cousin, but nobody knows whether she is or not. She's come here every Summer since Aunt Rebecca died, and poor old uncle couldn't help himself. He hinted more than once that he'd enjoy her absence if she could be moved to make herself s

months, but the twins were born here, five years ago this Summer. They came in

rlan, after a thoughtful sile

e had married me to Dorothy instead of to Mrs. Ho

ouse, but Dick, occupied with his own though

re she should eat, by setting four more places at the table when Mrs. Smithers's back was turned. Dorothy did not appear at luncheon,

When she awoke, it was night and the darkness dazed her at first. She sat

ay seemed like some hideous nightmare which waking had put to rout. S

d a tall, dark figure, armed with a spade, accompanied it. "It's

ho appeared much startled when s

seeing that Mrs. Smithers had dug a ho

"about that there cat. 'Ere's where I buried 'im, and 'ere's where there ain't no signs of

've forgotten the place, that's all, and I d

anythink? 'T warn't me, Miss, that's wot it warn't, and I take it that them as follers is as nonsensical as them wot digs.

the surrounding darkness, and after sniffing at

Smithers. "'E knows where 'e's bee

indly fill up that hole and come into the house and

rst is 'ere already and wot's comin' is comin' anyway, and besides," she added, as an afterthoug