WHITE HEATHER. 



Could she run hard and intercept them after all, and 

 send her white-dove message away to the south?" 



The effect of the silent messenger on the recipient 

 is thus pictured: "He opened the envelope and took 

 out the bit of White Heather that Meenie had so 

 hastily dispatched; there was no message, not the 

 smallest scrap of writing. But was not this a message 

 and full of import, too for surely Meenie would not 

 have adopted the means of communicating with him 

 at the mere instigation of an idle fancy? And why 

 should she have sent it and at this moment? Had 

 she heard, then ? Had any gossip about him reached In- 

 ver-Mudal ? And how much had she heard ? There was 

 a kind of terror in his heart as he went slowly back 

 to the window and sate down there, still staring absently 

 at this token that had been sent him, and trying hard to 

 make out the meaning of it. What was in Meenie's 

 mind ? What was her intention ? Not merely to give 

 him a sprig of White Heather, and wishes for good 

 luck; there was more than that, as he easily guessed, 

 but how much more? And at first there was little of 

 joy or gladness in his thinking ; there was rather fear, 

 and a wondering as to what Meenie had heard of him, 

 and a sickening sense of shame. The white gentleness 

 of the message did not strike him ; it was rather a re- 

 proach a recalling of other days Meenie's eyes were 

 regarding him with proud indignation this was all 

 she had to say to him now." 



The satisfactory result of the white-dove mes- 

 senger's mission is thus told: "At the meeting she 

 asked him to give up the drink. 'Well, it is easily 

 promised, and easily done noiv; indeed, I've scarcely 

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