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VOL. V. -r. H.&WR SEALS.} gBJKSASg ATLANTA GA., OCTOBER Uth, 1879. Terms in advance :{$P,?«£”Sfi,? y "62 No. 222
••WE"—A PKOSE I’OEJl.
JIY X. W. RUTHERFORD.
A sweet dree.my light lay over all the land.
A peaceful smile rested oil the face of Earth,
And the day was as lair as when Eve first gazed
enamored of herself iu the crystal lake.
And the A m '.ghty, resting fro*:. His six da. s of la
bor. pronounced all things “very nod. - ’
The leaves, gold and crimson-tinted, swayed before
the kisses of the slumbrous breeze.
And the sunbeams—wandering like restless angels
from their home on high—
Stole in among the r dancing forms and painted,
strange pictures on the canvas below.
All the hills were rich with Autumn j.-wels.
The fields were pale fom recent harvest, but still :
very fair, wi*h a faint, drowsy fragrance wan- i
dering about.
Like a face which Time has saddened, but wh en
yet is beautiful for the lines that memories -
trace u. on it.
The valley la. very still, as If entranced, only a few
shad nvs lingering here and there like faint
visions that mark a happy slumber,
Andover ail ar died a sky of azure most intense,
with a few white clouds drilling wearily.
We stood beside the garden-gate—she and I—each
gazing the way the other did not ook.
She with haughty eye raised to the sunlit hills. ,
X with icy bands fast closing round my heart, si- i
lently scanning the fartiier fields and still
more distant river.
I turned toward tier my shadowed face.
She held w.thin her hand a rose, the iast an
early frost had left upon the blighted branch.
She tore each petal from the s ender stem and cast
ing the fragments to the earth.
Trod upon the crimson thing that b'.ed sweet fra
grance at tiie cruel touch.
She held within her grasp :..y throbbing heart, its ■
first, its last, its only bloom lay qniv'ring in j
her hand. • ,
Each hope that clustered likewise leaves round the (
stem, she to* e with scorn ing_smi>p
And . ast.ag an &e ruined fragments'to ue earth,
spurned the mangled heap with proud dis
dain.
We stood at the garden gate-slie and I—
j turned once more to gaze upon the dear old place
and mourn the day I bowed bene 4th its lated
spell.
The vines about the door mocked me with
tender clinging grace,
,ml within its golden cage cheerily sung in its
eiistening ring and caroled its happiest lay
The '
nothing congenial between you ami your cousin,
their His father, a needy adveiuurer, though holding
1 military rank, inveigled my poor sister into a dis
astrous marriage. Your character is not sufficient-
| Iv formed. I wish you to see more of the world.
| You must leave Abbey Cbevne and travel with
’■ he sunlight rested on the old polished porch and a I V our tutor, Major Harding. Up- n him I can rely
suowv kitten lay dozing on the woolen mat. | implicitly: your uncle I mistrust. You have nat-
F * * j urai gifts, mature them. I have well provided foi
We parted by the garden gateway—she and I with | y OUr cousin; but I desire, before I lay down mv
nassioniess words and cold larewell. j head in peace, to see you so brave and confident
Each turning to a path the other did not take—each that I shall have no fear of any other usurping the
• rutnre the other did not share j earldom.
look in** ' I *r will n..t lecture vou further, Go forth to your
And to me, the broken vows, the bruised rose, my
’ IUC * , , ’ , nt .... | customary pleasures. The day alter tomorrow vou
aang’.ed heart, all became a part ot that. ] mus t. for a brief period, turn your hack upon Ale
tnmn picture, bey Cheyne, and mingle with the world.
And through all time I shall shudder when I hea I He wrung Lionel’s hand affectionately, anil the
•he murmur among the falling leaves, bov obeyed his silent signal to quit the library,
uven I see the pale fields,and the faint visions! Almost upon the threshold he encountered two of
Client. l ; whom his rather had spoken.
floating about in the va.leys. I Captain the Hon. Theopbilus Oliphant, and his
When I fee! that dreamy light, and see the lieav ens ^ ^ gjnal(1
so intensely blue. ! The greeting between the cousins was courteous
; —not warn
To Captain
head
KKAVE DI KE, 1 HE MASTIFF.
Whether designedly or not, the hammer of the
lock had caught under Olipbant’s foot.
Prone and bleeding, the future Lord of Abbey
Cheyne lay on the green sward.
CHAPTER II.
WORSE THAN ASSASSIN'S DAI-JER.
There was no sincerer mourner, as they carrieil
young Lionel home, than I Hike the Mist iff.
The brave hound whined piteously is he trotted
by the side of the litter ; but his big round eyes
were fixed angrily upon Captain Oilplant.
It was a dastardly deed, but happilr unsueeess-
ful.
ed
car
V
chamber, and now more than ever was l change of
air and scene deemed necessary.
Ho the young heir of Abbey C'heym departed,
and his bright face and cheery voice vere missed
by every one.
And now we shift the scene.
He bail been through sunny Italy : le had pil-
j ‘As true as steel,’ responded Lionel. ‘It would
i go hard with any one who tried to injure me while
my Brave Duke was by.’
| ‘Indeed.” said Captain Oliphant; and, as he laid
| his hand on Lionel's shoulder, to intimate to him
; that the hotel was reached, again the low, warning
growl broke from the faithful mastiff's throat,
j A quiet smile wreathed, Lionel’s lips at this re
peated evidence of Duke's dislike to Captain Oli-
! pliant ; but he did not affect to remark the circum-
i stance, and entered the hotel to give Thomson
j directions for packing up the luggage, and trans-
i ferring it to the hotel Oliphant had recommended.
The old valet shook his head as Lionel mentioned
Either about when lie’s in sight,
aiil Thomson, with the freedom
of a privileged domestic. Under favor, anil beg
ging your pardon for takin' the litiertv. the less we
see of him the better we shall be off, anil that’s
savin’ a goo<l deal in such a country as this, where
I havn’t met a single decent, civil, English-speak
ing man since we came into it.’
'Come, come, Thomson,’ saul Lionel, w ho could
DUKE. THE MASTIFF.
-OR—
The Master of Cliftondell.
him . .
i ant air about him that displayed itselt in every
| gesture. . ,
. Reginald, on the contrary, would have impressed
i one at first sight Of slighter build than his cousin,
ci he lacked all his anient impulsiveness of nature; he
The breakfast hour had passed at, Abbey Cheyne see.ne.1 dull, apathetic, almost to stupidity
' ’ Glaatoudell had Iteen m his Yet he was a fearless rider and a skillful sports
m _ , grimaged to fair Greece, and sighed o.-*r its runis : not help smiling, however ;.'you must not speak in
ain Oliphant, Lionel merely inclined his | | tK , chivalrous Hpain Canned hisutention. | Captam Oliphant. He is my uncle,
.. i I At Madrid, he was unpleasantlv relind ‘ -
The Lord of Glastondell had fittingly described home he had left so far behind him ./ :
in as an ailventurer. There was a careless, e l- n than Captain the Hon. Theoph!is
1,1,” It.nl <1 will lived itself 111 evert c* 3 . . J :a i— ii _ L
CHARTER I.
abbey cheyne.
remember.
‘The more’s the pity,’ grumbled Thomson, in a
low tone. ‘And you are going to the same hotel
with him. A reg’lar temptin’ right into the jaws
o’ the wolf.’
Mv <lear bov !' exclaimed Captainffiphant, his | Although he disliked and detested his uncle, he
black eyes glittering with feigned p-asure ; ‘this j was b - v far to ° innocent to attribute to him any
is, indeed, an unexpected and a pleaait meeting.’
At Madrid, he was unpleasantly reli tided of the
no lessja
Oliphant,
| whom he encountered accidentally, a he thought,
i in the Htrada Nueva.
The Hon. Theophilus knew well tit he lied in
this : for, so far from it being an uneiieeted meet
ing every mile of the road Lionel hadraveled had
been tracked by the wily captain ;.nd many a
curse hail he bestowed upon the youthil traveller,
whose na'ural restlessness made him t from place
but a sinister
to place so quickly.
Lionel’s return to Captain Oliphai's greeting
was cold, for he was unused to dissolution, and
I could, not now conceal his dislike anilistrust of
j his uncle.
‘You must come and dire with n my dear
; nephew,’ said Captain Oliphant. ‘I ^ take no
i refusal. New to travelling as you a’ vou must
^•cii«f nr! sl'seatAor nearlv an hour, when a soft ; man; and next to bis horse and gun, appeared to
‘ , -it his door disturlied fiis reverie, and his quiet- liave a fervid regard for Lionel whose companion
J ,,L r-wi -('nine in Thomas’was succeeded by the he had been from their boyhood.
/ j- of his son’s valet a thin, wirv looking, elder- It had been agreed that they should form a shoot-
Tv nLifw th p ercing grey eyes, and thin, deters in g party that morning, and by this time the guns
miiicd liiw P ** were ail ready, and game-beaters and dogs prepared
‘Vn„j- lnrdshio desired me to acquaint you when j to start.
Masier lionel was ready to go out ’ On the road Lionel made his uncle and cousin at-
The eari' mused fora moment. ! quainted with his father’s resolve that he should
‘I wish to see him before he leaves.’ travel. , n-
Toiiiiison bowed and left the room, and the earl Reginald listened indifferently,
feH into the* samedreamy reverie as before. look shot from Captain Oliphant’s eyes.
Alnios. as gent ly us when openeil by the valet, the Xlit* shooting pai ty
door was pushed on its hinges, and the future Lord s ,, () rtiiig friends. Lioi
of Abbey Cheyne stootl within the sacred precinct |,is guns. His '
^-fdeshed^to see vou, Lionel-’‘the voice was , wasabundanrs?oVt!‘ aiid the day'was tar ! Tirenched in garlie7 and a bed where m will not
because I wish to talk with you upon advaIl( . e d before hunger compelled a period of rest | be more than halt eaten by those pesUf this coun-
' try—fleas.
This invitation, spoken so lightly a kindly us
it was, could not be refused, and Liot was com
pelled, though much against his inclioion. to ac
company Captain Oliphant to the ho where he
had taken up his quarters.
‘And where are you stopping S’ askohe captain
of his nephew.
Lionel mentioned the name of the hii.
‘I thought as much,’ said Captain Olmnt. ‘But,
for the sake of your own comfort, i dear boy,
you must change your quarters. We '1 call there
on our way, anil you shall order yojservant to
pack up. By-the-way, whom have vfl.s valet ?—
not that charming piece of antiquityou had at
Glastondell ?’
‘If you mean by that, mv old s«int, John
Thomson, it is be,’ returned Lionel; ‘#s as true
ami faithful as ’
‘As your mastiff, Duke,’ broke in captain,
with a laugh.
•We might make a less fitting conrison, sir,’
said Lionel : ‘and there are many **iei whom it
would be an honor to compare theble brute.
Ah ! here he comes to meet me.’
Even as Lionel spoke, brave Duke unded up,
with King, panther-like leaps, and firtibbing his
sinister motive or design.
Not so Thomson and Duke. Both of them, led
perhaps by their love for the young heir, could not
be wheedled or coaxed into believing Captain Oli-
pliant to be anything but a dangerous schemer,
and accordingly, the old valet grumbled, and the
mastiff growled defiance to all the traitor’s wiles.
Even Major Harding.—the tutor to whom the old
Earl of Glastondell had entrusted the safety of his
only son—was completely deluded by the artful ad
venturer.
The wily adventurer listened to all the major’s
long-winded stories with unflagging attention—
asked his opinion upon points of military etiquette
and strategy, and deferred to him, until the old
soldier was ready to declare that a more honest,
Oliphant never
tremulous
matters of import. Be seated. ., anil refreshment. . -
Lionel drew his chair near his fathers, and silent- Captain Oliphant and Reginald sat apart from
lv waited for him to continue. ' the rest. The former had eaten his meal in moody
* ‘You are but a boy vet. Lionel.’ said the Ear* of s iD-ni’e: now ne turned suddenly upon his son.
Glastondell. ‘but you have discernment beyond ‘Glastondell does not trust me,’ he said bitter.y.
vour years. Listen'. Hitherto, since your dear I ‘Reginald, you have heard the tradition,
mother's death’—his voice trembled again—‘you, ‘An old woman’s tale,’was his son’s reply,
have been reared and educated under my watch-I ‘Silence! I tell you the way is clear. He may
ful care I have been anxious, Lionel, that the travel, but he must not return.'
the succeeding Lord of Abbey Cheyne should worth- j care little if he do or not’
ilv inherit the honors of his ancestors. | ‘Fool, have you no ambition!’
‘You are aware that the earldom has hitherto de- i ‘Yes, to bring down the dear or an eagle on the
scended in a direct line from sire to son, and always, w j n g.’ , „
I ionel upon as slender a thread as at present have ; -Aim for a grander mark—the Earldom of Glas-
the hones of Glastondell restcil—one only male tondell. It is worth your zeal \ our cousin re-
chdd’ [moved, you are direct heir. Think of it. Title,
I ionel bowed his head. , honor, lands, wealth, a name.
‘Hence the Insetting anxiety that, has troubled ! a faint Hush stole to the cheeks of his apathetic
,-h successsive owner of these domains. I^will not j son< i, ut he replieil coldly:
refer^To tlTe dread’legends whispered here for gen- I " <ah very weil if he gets out of the way, but he
erations past,’ he saul, ’but > ou have doubtless heard : hasn - t gone yet. ’
thet the house of Glantondell is doomed when two j Captain Oliphant rose to his feet. .
claimants to its title exists. Until now that has ‘Idiot! the chance is ours: see how ear.ily it is
ne 't;r.tiUiow't’ 1 1 One of the keen-sighted hounds had at that mo-
itj * Hr me Your cousin, Reginald Oliphant, my . men t shown sport.
_ oi.lv child, is almost of your own age, A covev of splendid birds rose on swift wing. t < r , « .
poor slate y Glastondell.’ j T | le shooting party hastily grasped their weapons. ! board black muzzle affectionate!} ag«t his mass
a ■ snr*-! v father —— ’' ! Lionel^umedly cfiutched at nis,but an exclama- ter’s hand fixed his eyes iqxm Cap.l Ohphant
‘Ru senteil Of your cousin 1 have had no fears. | tion of disappointment escaped his lips. and uttered a_l«»w, menacing growl.
Be.eate -_ > aracter—he is neither ambitious I It was unloaded Captain Oliphant laugh wi again, bthere was
liDeT nor strong' but I am old, Lionel, one year | oliphant was watching him keenly. something of uneasiness in the tone.
K thin that to ur race, fatal seventh decade. I I *. Q l uk . k he crie d, “there is time.” ‘It is a strange thing he sai.l, grat, ‘but an
Inli not live beyon.l it ’ ! All this was done, as it were, in a moment undenmfle truth, that the things, we jure most,
S r ionel rose excitedly. I Captain Oliphant’s lay amongst a pile ot loaded
•Not live another year! M by, father, you are j an ,| unloaded weapons.
vuiinle vet ’ | The muzzle was towards Lionel.
h was interrupted by the earl. I He seized it quickly, and drew it forth.
•silt still attend to what I say. There can lie There was a Hash and a startled cry of pain.
often turn fr< m us in mere caprice. '. instance,
your dog there, Duke, has never likefti. while I
have always trieil to conciliate him. < have re-
the tutor, which
will, and the
passive compliance of Lionel, it was an easy matter
for Captain Oliphant ti> take upon himself tile di
rection of the future course of the young traveller.
‘What more glorious sight is there in Nature,’
said Captain Oliphant, who had resolved that their
course should he directed to the North part of
H lain, where the Pyrenees separated that country
from France, ‘what more glorious and majestic
sight than those grand mountains,lifting their hoary
summits, covered with eternal snows, high towards
Heaven!’
‘Yah!’ muttered John Thomson who was in at
tendance. ‘If you knew as much about honesty as
you do about fine language, you’d do better, for all
i you’re a capting, and my young master’s uncle.’
j ‘Did you speak?’ said Captain Oliphant, sharply,
I turning upon the old attendant,
i ‘No, sir,’ sail! Thomson, starting; ‘no, sir; I ilidn’t.’
Then he added, in a lower tone, ‘But I should very
much like to.’
The discussion ended, of course, as Captain Oli
phant hail intended.
The route into France by the Pyrenees was de
cided upon, and as there was, as Captain Oliphant
said, nothing to see in Madrid but the lieggars and
fleas, and the bullfights, it was resolved to continue
the journey at once.
'it- is a bold stroke,’ thought Captain Oliphant, as
he retired that night: ‘but I play for a great stake.
Once let me get the boy amongst the fastnesses of
the Pyrenees, and it shall go hard indeed if some
yawning crevasse does not receive the body of the
heir of Glastondell, and my son, Reginald, reign in
his place.’
CHAPTER III.
THE FATE OF BRAVE DUKE.
Again we shift the scene, and stand under the
ally the most unbounded admiration ;him. He i eternal snows and glittering glaciers of the Pyre-
is a faithful brute, Lionel.’ j nees, instead of the purple vineyards and golden
cornfields of the sunny south of Spain.
Two figures stand upon the edge of a fathomless
gap, whose depths a blue mist shades from mortal
eyes. They are gazing westwards, where the glo
rious orb of day is slowly linking to his rest.
‘It is indeed a glorious sight,’ murmured Lionel,
to Captain (lliphant, for th -y, as on.- readers have
already guessed, were tin* solitary spectators of the
wondrous beauty ot the scene.
‘It is," returned Captain Oliphant, with a sinister
| smile; ‘if is seldom that the deaf h of a day isadom-
I ed with such loveliness. If one’s last hour had come
' Lionel, and the choice were his to make, would it
j not t>e in such a scene, and at such a time as this.
; that he would breathe his last?
Lionel turned hie face again toward the setting
; sun. At that moment his uncle, wi h a sudden
movement, strode forward, and. with his heavy
j staff struck him on the side of the head,
i Lionel threw up his arms, and, staggering, fell
1 over the verge of the fearful crevasse, his last
: look fixed upon the features of him who hail done
the murderous deed.
Captain Oliphant staggered ba -k from the edge
! of the precipice, and covered his lace with his
. hands, as if to shut out the awful vision of the deed
iie had committed.
•It is done,' he muttered hoarsely, ’and all the
wealth of the world wouldn't undo it. But 1 must
j not turn craven in the hour of triumph. G1 iston-
1 dell is mine now, through Reginald, for the old
dotard will not long survive this shock. Let me
best think how to frame my tale for the hearing of
Harding and that old doit, the valet. Let me
think.’
Ashe neared the village, a dark form bounded
by him at a furious pace, at the same time that a
| low, menacing growl broke upon his ears.
| It is Duke, the mas'iff. muttered Captain Oli
phant. ‘Can it. be that he scents the danger.- That's
\ iio matter: dogs cannot speak, and his master’s
tongue is tied forever.’
*********
Let us now follow brave Duke, who, with the un
erring instinct of his race, tracked his master's foot-
, steps towards the mountains.
The faithful animal had, by Captain Oliphant’s
persuasion, been chained up. to prevent him from
; following his master to the mo mtains.
Maj. r Harding was t oo old to attempt the ascent
-* f-irr* •••• RaAhVe-n .
•’ toriiy refuser, permission to attend his young mas-
1 ter: and so Captain Oliphant had no witness, except
the All seeing eye of Heaven, to the foul deed he
| had perpetra ed.
The dog bounded with unfaltering speed and un
erring accuracy along the steep mountain paths,
never halting, never swerving, until he reached the
j spot where the fatal blow had been struck.
| There he paused, for the track he followed came
to ail »nd; and, after looking about for some dis
tance, he set his forepaw on the verge of the
precipice, and uttered a mournful howl.
: The melancholy sound echoed along the sides of
; the ravine, but there was no other response, and
Brave Duke, raising his head, howled again and
again. The mournful echo alone replied.
The i avine down which Lionel had been precipi
tated, formed one side of a tremendous gap in the
mountain range, which, ages ago. had been rent
asunder by some gigantic convulsion of nature. At
the bottom of this gulf lay a plateau of snow, which
Captain Oliphant deemed untrodden bv the foot of
man; but in this he was wrong, for that way lav
the secret entrance to the hiding place of the many
bands of brigands that infested, and still infest, the
mountain ranges of the Pyrenees.
Only these lawless ruffians, and occasionally some
peasant in league with the gang, ever bent his steps
that wav, and Lionel might have remained there
until insensibility had merged iu death, but for the
sagacity of his noble dog.
Brave Duke, after running backwards and for*
; wards on the verge of the precipice, and calcula
ting, probably, the consequence of a leap, suddenly
i threw up hi* head, with a joyous barb, lioimded
along the ridge in a northerly direction, and down
j a winding path.
The faithful animal had no sooner reached the
j snow, than it bounded forward to the side of its
! master, whom its keen scent instantly detected,
and uttered a joyous bark of recognition, scraping
! away the snow with his forefeet until it reached
! Lionel's face, almost as pallid as the frozen mass
: around it.
The noble mastiff uttered a plaintive whine as
I his beloved master gave no lesponse to the caresses
; lavished upon him.
But Brave Duke was faithful to the last. He re
mained standing over the prostrate and snow-cov
ered master, ever and anon uttering a loud, short
bark, and between these apneals fur help renewing
the application of his soft, warm tongm- to Lionel’s
face.
Suddenly his plaintive bark changed into one
more expressive of gladness, and then listening for
a time, with his tine head bent nearlv to the -now-
covered ground, he darted away at‘the top of his
sreeil.
In a few moments he had reached the side of a
m n roughly dressed in the garb of a muleteer,
! and armed with a stout staff, shod aim spiked with
| iron.
As the huge mastiff bounded up, the man uttered
an exclamat.on of terror, and struck at him with
the staff.
Duke seized it between his teeth, and pulling
with his giant strength, dragged the man some
■ yards in the direction of where Lionel lav insensi-
j ble.
“Christo Banto !” muttered the man, as he tug-
I ged uuavailingly at his end of the staff. -R is the
devil; no log could pull like that.'
And, letting go the staff with such suddenness
that he fell backwards in the snow the muleteer
repe-itu 1 an “ave,” and made the sign of the cross
between himself and 'hike,
But the mastiff was 1 - no means satisfied with
the possession of the staff. He returned to the
prostrate muleteer, and first gently licking his face
and hands, and then gently tugging a t his sleeve
as it conscious that violence would only alarm him
further, endeavored to show him that his assist nice
wa- needed.
The muleteer, at last comprehending that no
harm was intended by the dog. suffer d himself to
be led within sigot of the pale face of Lionel, when
he at once comprehended the meaning of the dog s
agitation, ana, stooping, lifted the youth n his
sinewy arms, and with some curiositv, examined
first his face, and then the clothes of the insensi le
Li'-nel.
Brave Duke stood by wagging his long tail, his
red tongue lolling out of his mouth, his dark eyes
flashing with pleasure.
“Ho,” muttered the Spaniard. “Carrambu!
This is indeed a lucky find. This must be the rich
young senor who arrived at the villi-ge a day or
two ago. H *w did he get here. I wonder ? But it
matters little, so that we have got him.”
The muleteer lifted the still insensible body of
Lionel in his arms and moved forward over the
Concluded on 5th page.
