The Argosy — page 113: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

98 The Mystery of Allan Grale. But Mary Anne Grale, sitting-in silence, as they drove along the sunny lanes, firmly believed that she might have solved a secret, could she have got one look at that flimsy scrap of paper. Her reverie was interrupted by her mother suddenly grasping her arm. ‘Look, Mary Anne! Look at that group of people! Something must be the matter: they are hastening to Dr. Palmer’s. Let us stop the horses.” She was rising to seize the check-string, but Mary Anne arrested her hand. “Please do nothing of the sort, mamma,” she said. “It is pro- bably an accident to some workman at papa’s machinery. Every- thing necessary will be done without us. How you do excite your- self! It is very bad taste.” CPAP Py a YX SOMETHING FOUND. EARLIER in that same afternoon, two Dering village boys, Daniel and John Rafe, had gone cutting sticks in the woodland lying round the Black Pool. Now the waters of the Pool were surrounded by a rising grassy bank. On the top of their slight elevation grew a belt of bramble, running all round the Pool, and making a sort of natural fencing, enclosing it and the green bank. Behind these brambles lay a sort of rough grassy path, and the whole was made into a kind of amphitheatre by grand old trees. The boys’ stick-cutting had been chiefly carried on amid the bram- bles, among which they tore and trampled freely, throwing the wands they broke clear out of the bushes upon the grassy path, where they would gather them up and finish them at their leisure. It was when they had concluded their work of destruction, and came out upon the clearing to collect their spoils, that they found a stick which cer- tainly they had not broken off on that afternoon or on any other. Each pounced upon it to secure it for himself, and each drew back without touching it. For they recognised the stick as belonging to Allan Grale. It had been presented to him only two years before, by the village cricket- club, which he had promoted and patronized. It was a hazel shep- herd’s crook, and Allan’s name and the occasion was duly set forth on a silver ring, with which it was mounted, but which was now sadly dimmed and defaced by damp. The brothers felt rather dazed. ‘‘ Mr. Allan must have left it here before he went away,” whispered John. ‘It’s odd that nobody has found it afore now !” ‘“ Nobody never comes round this way,” said Daniel; ‘it don’t lead to nowhere.” CORMIECIOO KS. (EC)