Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-06-12
STAR.
MRS. PHIPs's D0ueHFACR.
By AUGUSTA MOORE.

ployed about his house, willingly and
admiringly testified.
MY dear" said he to Mrs. Phips, one
fine, clear, winter morning, (he ALWAYS
called his wife ''my dear" which proves
my opening assertion "my dear, am
sorry to be absent all night from your
sweet company, and from my dear home;
but | believe l shall be obliged to 20
away, on business, this P. NJ, and am
afraid l shall not be able to return till
tomorrow afternoon"
"Where are you going, my dear 2"
asked Mrs. P, with a sweet smile.
Ito Providence, to see about that
Lane affair, of which l told you."
"Oh," said Mrs. Phips, with an air of
satisfaction. She evidently had no OBJ
Jectlons to the projected jaunt.
MIR. Phips accordingly departed. The
weather had been remarkably cold for
several days, and pretty little Mrs.
Phips was very much troubled by a
chapped face. 1t had been quite sore,
and fretted her not little. She was
afraid it diminished her beauty, and rem
dered her an object less pleasing to her
husbands eyes.
AS she sat sewing that afternoon. she
thought over what she had better do to
cure the unpleasant roughness.
81 know what 1 can do" said she
aloud; 81 II put dough covering on nv
face tonight, and by tomorrow it will
be as soft and smooth as ever"
So that evening she made Dolly. the
chambermaid, bring up pint of dough,
and, after making all due preparatiOns
for bed, she rolled and patted out a sort
of mask; and taking care to make a place
to breathe through, also hole for each
eye, she stuck it on to her face, and tying
it fast with napkin, laid herself peace.
fully down to rest.
Now it so happened that Mr.. Phips
met man upon the road to Providence.
who had urgent business with him, and
it became necessary that he should re-
turn to Boston.
lie did so, and gave his entire atten-
ton to his companion until near eleven
o'clock that night, when he turned his
steps towards his home.
He smiled gently to himself, as he trod
the crisp ground of the common over
which his path led him; and one could
easily guess he was thinking of the pleas.
ant surprise his wife would feel upon
seeing him home so soon.
He entered the house with a night.kev
and as it was bright moonlight, he
| thought it useless to light up the gas to
undress by, SO moved about without it.
The rays of the moon fell across the bed
and illumined-what! surely that ghast-
ly visage was not the face of his dea,
w1ee
AS the eyes Of the horror.stricken
men rested upon the horribly strange
thing, lying on the white pillow, where
the Ito his eyes) beautiful face of his
darling Nancy belonged, he uttered an
unearthly sound somewhere between a
groan and an oath and death rattle,
and staggered back against chair on
which Mrs. Phipps had placed pitcher
of water and glass. The chair and
its contents, with MIR. Phips on top Of
the broken glass and china, came to the
floor. Up jumped the fearful vision,
and, in a sepulchral voice demanded
"what is it z" then cried I" thieves rob
bers" and " fire !" almost in breath.
The unfortunate husband, halfdis.
tracted by the tewildering terror, started
for the door. But the brave goblin had
no idea of letting a robber escape So
She rushed after him, and down stairs
the two raced-he, with his hair rising
and stiffening in all directions over his
head, and the blood dripping from hall
dozen gashes in his body she scream.
ing with might and main for :" help p
her muttled tones sounding worse anG
worse at every word. On and on went
the twain, till the large dining-hall wa.
reached. There the terrified servant.
meditated whether they had better rur
to or from the scenes Of action. The ca.
was blszing there, for Biddy, Dolly anc
Jim had no notion Of being murdered il
the dark.
Oh! ye mirthful and grotesque deities
of old, how would you have delighted il
that scene!
At the sight of the bloody garments O
their master, and the shocking goblin
which followed hard after him, Bidd,
and Jim uttered pair of yells that wer,
original beyond all imitation, and dropped
as If shot by hot thunderbolts, in two
heaps upon the floor. Dolly, who haC
carried up that unlucky bit of dough
understood the matter better, and, Wit
a sweep of her powerful arm, she arrest.
ed her masters flight, and brushed the
mask which her mistress wore.
More ashamed of the figure they had
cut before their servants than they would
care to own, the two subsidized individuals
suddenly withdrew into the privacy oil
their chamber, leaving Dolly, whose
agony of mirth broke forth the very mo-
ment the last futter of night. linen had
disappeared through the door, to " shake
out" her fellow-servants, and satisfy them
the best way she could, that the " shapes
Of terror" which had blasted their vision,
were nothing but mortal shapes of flesh
and blood, rather sparely covered with
dry goods. Hoping that Mr.. and Mrs.
Phips enjoyed q good nights rest, and