Spells Or No Spells

BY MAKÏC. PRESTON. "Na gude ilkii cam' o' .sic tricks, hiy bahn," .-aiil oll Xanoy, solemnly. "The ill one himsel' ha' al! Lo do wi' thcm. JJi; unre yer aiu bonnicfaco an' yer ain blue een wil) bring ye a bra-w !ad Boon enow. Bide wi' auld Nancy an' let giddy anos goo daft aboot the spells."" "But ther is no harm, and I wil) not bt af raid," Baid tlia "bairn," a flaxen-haired loss, witli oyes as llue as spe dwells and Ups as s weet as roses at day-dawn. Judith MacDougal taught me the rhyme, and it ispretty. Let me say it for you, auntie." And sho began in a sweet, elearvoice which had caught its music from the wild winds as i: rose in childish freedom wliilc i lic girl sprang lightly fi'Din eran to era;;, or wandered aniong tlie heat hor of the Scottish liills: Come over tlie ïnountahia, Come over the sea; I wait tor niy lover, I beckon to thcel A moaning cry from theandsbelov broki; on her spoll. With wliile face and dilating eyes the started back, and that moment the thread was drawn from her hands, although she bad held it in v convulsivo grasp. Bui she did not fly; perhapa some of that dan n tiesa t ide that had warmed the veins of the Mac: vors was in hers. At any rate, after the first redóil Bhe leaned over the clitï once more, every sense on the alert. "If it be a spirit tt canua banu me," she told herself, "but it didna sound like that. It had a human sound." Dp from the sanda bélow it came at;aJn - a moaning cry for aid. Throwing herself Bat on the rocks, tlie girl bentfovwiwdaiid luokcd down. Many feet below, on the whiteness of the eand, she couldsceadark mass, and oneo more, fainter thia time, she heard that ca41,for aid. "Somebody has fallen from the rocks. It maun be poor blind Dan," she wbispered. "I'll "'en run down She sprang to her feet, blithe as a youngáeer gatheredthe plaid around her, and ran liglitly along a path pewlous to feet less sure than hers, wnich ran along the edgo of the elifls and led directly to the white barrenness below. The faei, fchat it was a November night, and she had come out to try a epell of which her aunt did not approvo, was forgotten as she sped down the path, light and sure-footgd as a chamois on its native hills. At last she-reaehed the baso of the clifïs, and then some of the dauntless courage forsook her and she shivered in the night air. För agreal , black steed lay prostrate before her, struggling and kickin out the sand, but evidently unable to rise. Near him, but beyond reaoli of the fr anti? hoofs, as though, having drawn himself o l'av fromdanger, lifeand fear and all things eise had fallen from hiru lay a man, with white face uptuwied to the smiling i:alm of the sky. But the old woman stoppeu her sternly. "Na mair o' sic folly," she said. "It be na godly. Gin ye niaun say it, say it where Judith MacDougal telt yeto, an' see what will come to ye. (.iirls maun all be fules till BOfiie lad comes, an' then tlicy maun put on weddtnarinRa, an' findtheirsel's greater fules yet. Gangawa'.chiel, an' öinna fash ine wi' yer foily." So pretty Janet, w.ith the ballof yarn in her hand, went out to the moonlight silonce, wrapped in n heavy plaid. "Hold the end of the yarn an.l iling the ball over a clilï," Judith had told her. "As you rewind the yarn say thb spell aloud, again and again. It will bring your lover to yon, if he be on eaith. When I tried last year Donald atole up behind me and kissed me on the cheek, and he and I are to wed at Christmas." io Janet hurricd along the path that led to the clíífe,as bonnie fl lassïe as üfcotland held that night, as brave and fearli But when she had cast her ball into the ilarkness and feit thethread tighten in hor lingera she cast a swift glauco onx1!1 hev shoulddc before beginning the rliynie: Como over tlie muiintaiiis, i lome 0V6r the soa; I wnit ior my lover Janet snbdued tl wj shriuking that came over her, hurried tó ilio side of the fallen figure knelt, and scanned the features ulosely. "It ia the lairds's son, Douglas Cameron!" she pried, with a start, "and en befriond him- he is fldad!" At her voice a pair of heavy cyes opened elowly and Cxed themselyes pon lir fftce. They wen! dim with pain and faintness, but .slie could not know that in the moonlight. "N;iy, las!" he answered,laboredly. "I ani crushed a bit, and my leg is broken, but it takes much to kill a Cameron." i: h t ha last word he fainted dead Janet waa no dainty maliden' beautifi:! and uselesw; slu; had been taught enrly to forget selfoften, and do for all wlio were ill or in need as much as in her lay; so, neyer thinkingofshriekihg or fáfntins herself, she drew off her Í)laid, folded it, and placed it under lis head. As she did so she saw her ball of yarn clutehed tightly in one of his rlgid hands; and her pretty face flnsh Bnt she could de nothing for him there, so she flew up the steep iath lite a ewallow, and on thróugh the night, to i he col i age of old blind dan, wlid had "twa Ijraw lads." It was not long ere she was leading the sturdy fellows to where she had lefl thelaird'sson. Tliey found him conscio'us and aljle to teil them how, in riding homo, he had losl himseltina dream, and not heeded that his was n the very edge of tho clifï until astumbleof the ammal's had sent steed and rider over the rocks, down to the Bands b8low. "My Bonnie Haven will na harmmo mar.1." lic said, in conclusión. "He is in pain. ('an one of you shoot?" '"Nay!" they told him. "Lift ■mí a little, then. I canna lift myself. ' 'They íid so, and he drew a 1 volver from his bosom. Janet, with a sliudder, turncd away, as, with tlie 7,-oapon liítofl nuá his face as white as death, lie took aim at the reí head of the Injured steod. A report went echoing from clifl to cllfl and Un: bonnie black animal lay dead. Douglas Cameron bad faintedagain, also. They liftod bim as tbougli be was n child and bore himup thepath. Janet ran befo re to prepare her aunt. "1 kanned na sudo would coomo'síc i'olly," Nancy said, simply. And tben she began to prepare a pl.ice for tbe injured man, her laird's aoi." They laid him on the couch and Uien Nancy sent tbe lads in different direct ions. One hurried across the crags for Dr. Deane, the other took' loug strides toward tho residence of tho laird. "An'tell him thelad be badly bruised, but ha' life in himyet," Nancy called after her messenger. Theyoung man had vííty much lite still inhim, a9 was proven by the week of delirium, daring which be was as one raving macl; but when the conscrousness returned and lie lay weak, bandaged, with wonnds on him which leaye Uieir scare upon bini all bis life, he did not seem unhappy in the cottage, but would lie long hours, following Janet's movementa with his eyes, or, bidding her read, would close them and listín. At last, when the sleet was fallii ; outside, and rngged Scotland looked more th.m usually unlovely, the old laird drovc down to see his son, as ho had done daily since the accident. "Ye're weel enow to gang hame, my lad," he said, on leaving. "I'll send for. ye to-morrow." After his father had gone the.young man lay long watching Janet's face as it bent over her sewing. At last he apuK.u: "Ye heard it, lass," he said, softly; I ani weel enow to gang hame." "Yes," she answered. "Will yo miss me, lassie?" No reply, but Jahet's cheeks are burniiii,'. Oh, how Sadly she will miss the laird's sou when lie goes back to his people! "Lassie - Janetl" He put out his bands and look her omi - not very white, not véry fitir, hut tender liande and helpful. 'J will leave ye wi' u lichter Heart if ye but say il . Y e will tliink of me aometimes?" 'X,couldn't forget" she said, softly. "Then, when I comeföryesomeday, will ye gans wi' me, Janet?" She lifted her serious blue eyes lo his face then. and they wère glowing, but steadfast. "Yes, I will gang wi' yewhenyecome for me," eaid she. And he bent forward and kissed her on the forehead. Then Naocy came in and the ypung man told her. "When the heathèr Mooms I will steal Janet f rom ye," hu saiu. "1 eouldna live wi'out the lassie now' Btr i win cnerisn her ín casefuily. Tl ie woman looked at him very grimly. "It's na ill-luck for her," she said at length, "to wed wi' the laird's son, for my Janet will ha' neithcr silLer nor land." "I will ha' baith." "Ave; an' ye love the lassie. I will miss her sairly, the gudc (5od kens; but I will na say ye nay, for the lassie loves ye. It all cam' through thst duft fule o' a Judith Maeüougal, an' the spell she wrought on hallowe'en. Ah, wee!, ['m UncOO glad the lassie's got a lover wi' flesh and bluid, for I feared she would bring the de' it himsel' hame wi' lier that night. But the gude Lord bless ye baith, and keep ye true to ane anither, an' happy for aye! I be na too auld to pray for ye; but I thocht 1 could keep my chief mony a daj' yet. Ah, weel, love steals into young hearts, spelJs or na spells!"