Show LADY OF LONE LAKE summer evening I was One beautiful rowing with a friend on one of those romantic lakes in the west of Ireland and the The day had been a hot one midsummer san liNked like a ball of the hori fire as it slowly sank behind beautiful scene The Jon It was a lake lay like a diet of silver To the right were high banks frhged with cliffs almost dsrk trees and perpendicular most hidden by clinging vines To the left stretched level maadowa dotted with grazing cattle Above us was the mellow sky while from the east arose the full moon to replace the fierce rays of the daygod with her mild radiance In the distance we could see the dark outlines of an old baronial castle almost hidden by intervening trees This my companion com-panion informed me was Larrimoor HallWe lay aide our oars and for a time floated silently over the glassy surface of tile lake enraptured by the beautiful beauti-ful scene I was a young artist living in London at that time and now taking I my summer vacation It was my first visit to the Emerald Isle aud i had I been vrandenng with delight among the romantic mounta glens and lakes filling my soul with beauty and my portfolio with sketches ily companion compan-ion was the young Lord of Glendale whose acquaintance I hid made while traveling on the continent Happening to meet him in my wanderings he had insisted on my accompanying him to his country seal assuring me that the scenery around it surpassed anything 1 had yet seen The scenery was indeed charming but a yet I have been more charmed with my hosts fair sister Nora who as their parents are dead and the heir y t unmarried was acting as the lady o Glemiale As we bated the glow faded and tae bolt moonlight bathed the lUKe and rock and meadows with silver The lake was quite isolated I being on the bjrJer between the estates of Glendale and Larimoor and was seldon visited by anyone but the members of these two families Tonight we were its sole visitors Imagine my surprise after floating for some time in silence to see a mall boat rowed by a figure in white glide swiftly over the surface Vfe are not alone said i pointing to it Ali said my companion that is only a spectre Did you never hear the atorj of the Lady of Lone Lake No bald I but methinks she rows remarkably well for a spirit lets give chase 1 seized the oars and rowed rapidly after the receding boat As soon as the is rower followed perceived that she was the she turned her boat towards high banks and in an instant d I cad appeared mvsterbusly among the ivy oats roeb smut said Out of Tell brerttI I dropped fie which l1e the story of via speak My Wl1o bait sat silent companion q ase during DIY rapId sIUUelsadly a he began TheprsentldofLarrtmoor Larrimoor lives in the hall yonder who stern IS a very ba d man and hiss power ne lules wife his power a beautiful with an Iron eerythmg hand lil n these woman bas been dead manyresrs He 6 cam PJ sesiion married her to camm ePF of her W uion large m e WOOing her estate he0r harsh manners as mach overcame his liould permit as his nature tally hK relaxed But after the prize Was ie Into his wy sternness 11 natural eluded he and she died in Jive 1 a mosl se OM child mi fibla a few Years had like a > re hgtici ie ults mother only Her I her and Until father i101iz d she old never was twenty year crusej her TQeQ his aa j by word or deed ter of his i afffCton 10US nature got the bet I tnaru a baron lIe desired her to but nearly as old as himself PJSes d I of igkspirited girl vast estates The i inxs rebelled 18te1 and in The father tince spite of her remon nreDllratioui W jdiog The wer made for the Iud the lather daughter said no thought more I thought The have his Way Tae wedding he Wa going to glle5t night Were canle groom Was aesembed Th bride oar toe Waiting The hour bride w tal11e 110t C mpluioin1 I I e ssbe had Compldining ii after Sse retired to her Inn room E at t > m L a i i ni nted r time Promising if M to dear I I urn liar Atjtmei illfiV would not I tp AtlaHherf father le iherseutfor i Was not in v icr sent for r 4 tal search her room Them I Jrnod bitls4e brouudQ l II bit he could fibs I i u r 1rtday was found a sea 1 hi belonging to tbe I as the this tbi As tadEd Was that only to irate Ul Ler lake As t her escape a fate People c u 1 she had o repubive tie rol alter thatUeRUCd that herself the A j t him f n SfS0Hs frequent 4 nay h il gtnea togaentthosewaters but It alway overtake it vanish as + cks Vaniibls sou 4t heiress and 8 cl bey think it among j Lucia those The LarrilI100r the Le Young lord e dnEl seemed he had greatly moved fast related and I could not help but feel that he hid taken more than a parsing interest in the unfortunate girl After a moment mo-ment ot silence during which he began to pull forthe homeward shore i said Had the lady no other admirers 1 Oh esmanyU he replied but few dared to approach and these her father repulse After a minute he continued It is useless for me to try to conceal my feelings from you for 1 feel that you have already divined them I also loved the beautiful lady though she knew not of my affection My parents were the only people in the cmintry with whom Lord Larrimoor was on friendly terms and during his adys last sickuess my mother at ended her constantly Attar her death she took great interest in the child who was about the age of my sist r and usid to bring Lucia home with her to stay a week at a time Then we three would have grand times romping about the hall tnd playing m the park Sometime Some-time we were allowed to accompany Lucia home and stay to tea but I never enjoyed these visits The old hall seemed so dark and gloomy and its master so stern and taciturn As we grew older we were together even more Cantering over the hills on horseback or taking rambles in the woods But most of all we liked to row about on this very lake My father taught me to row as soon as I was large enough to handle an oar and I instructed the girls Luma became be-came very skillful and could outrow both of us Afterwards my mother died and my sister and I were sent away to school As long as my father lived we spent our vacations at home But he survived my mother only two years After his death we made our home with an aunt in Dublin and Glendale Hall was closed After 1 finished my course we spent three years in travel After an absence five years I returned to Glendale to find my playmate play-mate whose memory I had cherished during all the yearsof our separation a beautiful and accomplished young lady She and my sister resumed their former friendship but she seemed shy of me and before I had an opportunily toopen my heart to her she sought refuge from her fathers cruelty in a watery grave During this recital we had left the boat arid were now picking our way along the uneven path which led 10 the house It was quite late when we reached the hall and we soon separated for the night Hay down but not to sleep The occurrences oc-currences of the evening filled my mind and banished sleep from mj eyelids 1 longed to fathom the mystery I had no faith in the supernatural and I no more believed the boat we had seen was rowed by a spirit than I believed myself my-self to be a ghost I could not help but think that it was the unfortunate girl whom my friend was mourning as dead j and that she was in hiding somewhere among her native rocks though how she managed to evade pursuit and vanish so suddenly was more than I could make out My convictions were strengthened by the fact that the body had never been recovered though the old lord had offered large rewards and every peasant in the country had been on the lookout Before I went to sleep I had formed a plan and determined tp investigate the matter the next night with my friends help if he were willing if not alone When I disclosed my project to Lord Glendale he shook his head dubiously and tried to dissuade me assuring me that he had tried many times to capture tae mysterious rover but always in vain butseeing that I was determined to go he was too gallant to refuse to accompany ac-company me About sunset we took our way to the lake and embarked in separate boats I felt that little could be accomplished by pursuit It was this mysterious vanishing we must prevent pre-vent if possible So I determined to take my place near where the boat disappeared dis-appeared Lord Glendale who was a rapid rower was to wait on the opposite oppo-site side and at the right moment gave chase while I would stan 1 guard over he mysterious rock The evening was lot as bright as the preceding one had been for tne sky was overcast by filmy ontls which partially obscured the moon I pushed my skiff a much into the shadow as possible and waited in silence In a few minutes I heard the sound of splashing waters It seemed to come from behin1 the rocks Presently Pre-sently a boat rowed by the most beau iful creature I had ever seen parted the vines which had hung down ever the rocks near by and shot away across the Jake and down the stream I stationed myself at the exact spot whence the boat had emerged and waited anxiously for my friend to act At last it came slowly back Lord Glendale was on the alert and immediately gave chase and p irsued and pursuer shot towards me with incredible rapidity I tried to keep down my rising excitement I felt that now or never was the time and I I crouched low fearing that she might see me and dart off in some other direction dir-ection She was evidently wearied with her long row for my friend was close upon her She did not see me until her skill touched mine Quick as a flash she turned but we were both close upon her ana by some unlucky movement her frail bark was overturned and with a wild cry for help she sank out of sight Glendale was in the water in an instant in-stant He caught her the first time she rose and we soon bad her in tne boat She was no ghost but a dripping half drowned frightened girl She reproached re-proached us for molesting her and begged piteously to be released Glen anle wrapped the dripping form in my coat assuring her that we were friends and would be most happy to serve her She seemed to recognize him and 1 felt sure from their conversation that she was indeed Lucia the lost heiress of Larrimoor As the other boats bad floated away Glendale explained to her thai it would be necessary for us to convey con-vey her to her place of abjde and that we must go quickly for both of them were dripping wet To this she seemed reluctant to consent but being reassured reas-sured of our goodwill sue showed us an opening in the rocks entirely concealed con-cealed by overhanging vines Through this we passed into a shallow channel It was a very singular place This channel enclosed between two high and rocky banks was about turee rods long and perhaps hal as wide in the middle mid-dle narrowing at each end its inner wall b3came continuous with the short of the lake Our lair guide direc ed us to the upuer end where we found ana a-na ual landing which led us up to q do riu the rO < KS In answer to her call this door vvss opened by au aged woman Sne i seamed very much frignt ened on seeing ns but after a few words from Lucia she bade us enter and busied herseiffnlakfnga fireand otherwise other-wise ministering to our comfort Toe apartment was low but roomy find divided by screens into parlor sleeping rooms and kitGhen While Glendale dried hisdrdached garments afd s e drank thelcheerirg cup of tea prepared for us by the old woman Lucia tjld her story which was briefly this I I Despairing of escape from the hated I aliancein any other way she had ap peulua to her old nurse for aid This woman then nearly eighty years old was living with her son in a cottage on a neighboring estate having quarrelled with Lord Larrimoor some years before She and her husband now dead had been servants to Lucias grandfather The old woman readily espoused Lucias cause and the day before the wedding she entered the hall unnoticed and found her way to Lucias room She disguised Lucia as a beggar and in the bustle of preparation they managed to escape 1 he cave had been discovered and ac cupied by some Englisn fugitives during the troublous times of Cromwell It was afterward occupied and enlarged by a wizard hermit But he had been dead for half a century and the cave deserted Its entrance had been overgrown over-grown by vines and those who had Known of its existence except the old nurse were dead or gone away Even he had not thought of it lor years until ner anxiety quickened her failing memory Hither she had conveyed her charge and hither they had lived in seclusion for five years A lonely life indeed for a beautiful young woman but she chose it rather than sell herself for gold She besought us not to reveal her hiding place Wo reassured her of our f itd hip and ask d permission to visit htrasaii This was readily granted and wo were invited toreturn again next eveiaiv and bring Nora with us Great was Noras surprise when we related Jl1r a I ventures to her At first she coulci hardly believe us but seeing we were really in earnest she gladly accepttu the joyful news and expressed herself anxious to visit her old friend in her strange abode After that we frequently visited the cave but always with great secrecy Indeed it was seldom that the gatherng shadows of evening did not find Lord Glendale thither and his radiant countenance gave us assurance that his visits were not in vain As for Nora and I we loved better to walk in the fragrant garden or wander among the grand old trees that surrounded the hall I bad already extended my vacation to unprecedented length and was beginning be-ginning to thinK seriously of returning to my work when Glendale one even ing informed me that on the morrow he would wed the fair wou Lucia It was a qniet wedding in the rocky cave which hud sheltered the bride for so many years An old priest performed the ceremony of which Nora the nurse and I wer the only witnesses A few days later I took my departure with a light heart for Nora was my promised wife The Lord and Lady of Glendale passed their honeymoon quietly at Glendale Hall The hard old Lord had long looked upon his daughter as dead and was so overcome to receive her again that he forgave her entirely and became from that time forth a changed man All this happened years ago Nora and I are married now and our hom is in London but every Bummer we spend our vacation with the Lord and Lady of Glendale at their beautiful country seatMary Keim in The Our rent |