The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-02-13
THE LADY In BLACK.
BY MRS. s. C. HALL

udilce upon Tue grass. ana The deepest forest glade
are spotted and cheqnered only by the tender sha-
dows of leafy trees; when the rugged castle, thai
looked so mysterious and so stern in the looming
night, seems suited for ladV;s bower: when the
rushing waterfall sparkles in diamond showers and
the hum of bee and song of bird tune the thoughts
to hopes OF HE and happiness. People may laugh
at ghosts then, if they like, but as for me- never
could merely smile at the records of those shadowy
vislters have large faith in things supernatural
and cannot disbelieve solely on the ground that
lack such evidences as are supplied by the
tor they, In TRUTH sustain by pa pable proofs so few
OF The many marvels by which we are surrounded,
that would rather reject them altogether as wit
nesses than abide the issue entirely as they suggest
My greatgrandmother was a native of the can
ton OF Berne; and at the advanced age of ninety
her memory of the long ago. was as active as il
could have been at iteen She looked as if she had
just stepped out of piece of tapestry belonging to
a past age, but with warm sympathies for the pre-.
sent Her English, when she became excited was
very curous-a mingling of French, certainly not
Partisan, with here and there scraps of German
done into English, leraly-so that her observa-
tons were at times remarkable for their strength.
"The mountains she would say, g in her coun-
try, went high high up, until they could look into
the heavens, and hear God in the Storm She
never thoroughly comprehended the real beauty OF
England: but spoke with contempt of the hatnesN
of our island-caIng our mountains inequali-
ties," nothing more - holding our agriculture
cheap, saying that Inc ldId Tiled ltSelt, leaving
man nothing to do. She would sing the most
amusing pdtois songs, and tell stories from morning
till night more especially spirtstOries but the old
lady would not tell tab of that character second
time to an unbeliever; such things, she would say.
s. are not for make-aUgh." One in particular, |
remember always excited great interest in her
young listeners, from its minglng with the real and
the romantic; but it never be told as she told
it there was much Of the picturesque about the
old lady-so much TO admire in the curious carving
of her ebony cane, in the beauty of her point lace
the size and weight of her long ugly earrings the
fashion of her solid silk gown, the singuiarity of
her buckled shoes-her dark brown wrinkled face
every wrinkle an eypression-her broad thoughtful
brow, beneath which glittered her bright blue
eyes-bright, even when her eyelashes We're white
with gears. All these peculiarties gave impressive
effect TO her words.
happy hours with Amelie de Rohean, in her uncles
castle He was fine man-arge size, stern and
dark, and full OF noIse-a strong man, no fear-he
had great heart, and big head.
The castle was situated in the midst of the
most supendous Alpine scenery. and vet it was not
solitary. There were other dwellings in sight
some very near, but separated by ravine, through
which, at all seasons, rapid river kept its foaming
course. You do not know what torrents are in this
country; your torrents are as babies-ours are
giants. The one | speak of divided the valley;
here and there rock, round which it sported. or
defiles these rocks were of great value acting as
piers for the support of bridges, the only means of
communication with our opposite neghbors
" Monsieur, as we always called the count, was,
as have told you, dark, stern, violent man. All
men are wilful, my dear young ladies' she would
say, but Monsieur the most wilful: all men
are selfish, but he was the most selfish: all men are
tyrants-" Here the old lady was invariably in
terrupted by her relatives, with ooh, good Gran
N.Y. and, Oh ie, dear Granny - and she would
bride up little and fan herself; then continue
Yes my dears, each creature according to its ma
ture-all men are tyrants and | confess that do
think Swiss, whose mountain Inheritance is near
ly coeval with the creation of the mountains has
right to be tyrannical; I.did not intend to blame
HIM for that | did not, because had grown used
10 it, Amelie and always stood up when he en-
tered the room, and never sat down until We're
desired. He never bestowed loving word or a
kind look upon either of us. We never spoke ex-
cept when we were spoken to-
g But when you and Amee were alone, dear
Granny?"
''Oh, why, then we did chatter, l suppose
though then it was in moderation; for Monsieur's
influence chilled US even when he was not present;
and often she would say, 1t is so hard trying to love
him, for he will not let men There is no such
beauty in the world now as Amelie's. can see her
she used to stand before the richly carved glass
in the grave oak-paneled dressing room her luxu-
RANT hair combed up from her full round brow
head ; her brocaded silk (Which she had inherited
from her grandmother shaded round the bosom BY
the modest ruffle; her black velvet gorget and
bracelets, showing off to perfection the peary trans
parency of her skin. She was the loveliest of all
creatures. and as good as she was lovely: it seems
bu, as yesterday that we We're together-but as
yesterday And yet lived to see her an old wo-
man so they called her, but she never seemed old
to me! My own dear Ameie.' Ninety years had
not dried up the sources of poor Grannys tears nor
chilled her heart; and she never spoke of Ameie
without emotion. Monsieur was very proud of
his niece, because she was part Of HIMSELF she
added TO his consequence, she contributed to his
enioyments; she had grown necessary; she was
the one sunbeam of his house,
No, the one sunbeam surely, Granny ~ one of
us would exclaim; "you were sunbeam them
" ! was nothing where Ameie was-nothing but
her shadow The bravest and best in the country
would have rejoiced to be TO her what washer
chosen friend and some would have pered their
lives for one of the sweet smiles which played
around her uncle, but never touched his heart.
Monsieur never would suffer people to be happy ex-
cept in his Wav. He had never married and he
declared Amee never should. She had, he said,
as much enjoyment as he had: she had castle
with draw-bridge !: she had forest for hunting;
dogs and horses servants and seris levels, gOd
and gorgeous dresses guitar and a harpsich ord
a parrot-and friend And such an uncle. he
believed there was not such another uncle in broad
Europe! For many long day Amelie laughed at
this catalogue of advaniages-,bat is, she laughed
when her uncle left the room; she never laughed
before him. In time, the laugh came not but in
lis place came signs and tears Monsieur had a
great deal to answer for. Amelie was not pre-
vented from seeing the gentry when they came TO
visit in formal way and she met many hawking
and hunting but she never was permitted to in
wife any to the castle. to accept any invi-
taton. Monsieur fanced that by shutting her lips,
he closed her heart; and boosted snch was the
advantage of his good training, that Amelies mind
was fortified against all weaknesses for she had
the least dread of wandering about the xuined
chapel of the castle, where he himself dared not
go after dusk. This place was dedicated to the
family ghost-the spirit, which for many years had
it entirely at its own disposal. 1t was much al
ached to its quarters, seldom leaving them, except
for the purpose Of interfering when anything de-
cidedly wrong was going forward in the castle.
La Femme Noir had been seen gliding along the
unprotected parapet of the bridge, and standing on
pinnacle, before the late masters death and
nj afb hos III Of