Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-02-23

given it to him. | would have lain down and
died. if he had wished to see the flowers grow
over my grave.
My husband and Ellen grew more cstranged
as his affection seemed to return to me- Ills
manner to her was defying hers to him con-
tcmptuous. l heard her call him william,
once, in the garden below the windows, at
which he laughed-his wicked laugh, and
said tell her, and see if she will believe
youn
Il was sitting in the window, working. 1t
was cold damp day in the late autumn,
when those chill fogs of November are just
beginning those fogs with the frost in them
that steal into ones very heart. 1t was
day when visible blight is in the air, when
death is abroad everywhere, and suffering and
crime | was alone in the drawng-room
Ellen was up stairs. and my husband, as |
believed, in the city. But have remember
ed since, that | heard the half-door softly
opened and footstep steal quietly by the
| drawing room up the stairs. The evening
was Just beginning to close in-duli, gray
and ghost-ikc; the dying daylight melting
into the long shadows that stalked like wan
dcring ghosts about the fresh-made grave of
nature. sat working still, at some of those
| small garments about which dreamed such
fond dreams, and wove such large hopes OF
happiness and as | sat, while the evening
|
evil passed over me, dread prescntiment, a
consciousness of ill, that made me tremblc,
as if in ague-angry at myself enough for my
folly But it was reality. 1t was no hyste-
rcal sinking of the spirits that felt; no
mere nervousness or cowardice; it was some
thing | had never known before a know
| ledge, n presence, a power, warning word,
a spirit cry, that had swept by me as the
fearful evil marched on to its conclusion.
heard faint scream up stairs. 1t was
so faint could scarcely distinguish it from
sudden rush of wind through an opening
door, or the chirp of a mouse behind the
wainscot Presently heard the same sound
again; and then a dull mufled noise over
head, as of some one walking heavily, or
dragging a heavy weight across the floor. |
sat retrifed by fear a namecss agony was
upon me that deprived me of all power of ac-
ton. thought Of Harry and | thought of
Ellen, in an inextricable cypher of misery
and agony but could not have defined II
line in my own mind | could not have ex-
planned what it was feared. only knew
that it was sorrow that was to come, and sin.
listened, but all was still again ; once only
thought heard low moan, and once a
muttering voice-which | know now to have
been my husband 3. speaking rassionatcly to
And then his voice swept stormfully thro
the house, crying wildly, Mary, Mary -
Quick, here Your sister Ellen :,
ran up stairs. 1t seems to me now that
almost flew. found Ellen lying on the floor
Of her own ROOM Just inside the door; her
feet towards the door of my husbands study,
which was Immediately opposite her room
She was fainting at least thought so then.
We raised her up between us my husband
trembling more than and unlastened her
gown, and threw water on her face, and
b,o bor b,;r bntS I;l
| told Harry to 90 for Il doctor \ horrid
thought was stealing over me but he linger-
ed. as | ianced unaccountably and cruelty,
though | twice asked him to go. Then, |
thought, that perhaps he was too much over
come; so | went to him, and kissed him, and
said. she will soon he better, Harry cheer
fully, to cheer him. But felt in my heart
that she was no more.
At last, after many urgent cntreatics, and
fiji Ats SGy@2RRts @R bad come up clustering in
them away again Immediately ly-he put on his
hat. and went out, soon returning with Il
strange man; not our own doctor. This man
was rude and coarse, and ordered me aside
as | stood bathing my sisters face, and pull
led her arm and hand roughly, to see how
dead they fell, and stopped down close to hei
lips-I thought he touched them even-al
in a violent and insolcnt way, that shocked
, me and bewildcred me. My husband stooc
| in the shadow, CHASTITY pale, but not inter
icring.
1t was too true, what the strange man hac
said so coarscy. She was dead. Yes tn
creature that an hour ago had been 50 full o
| life. so beautiful, so resolutc, and young, wa
/ now a stiiftning corpse, inanimate and dead
G without life and without hope. on tha
l word had set my brain or fire Dead. here
{ in nv house, under my roof-dead SO myste
-, ly-whyl How IL
; a fearful dream, it was no truth lay there
4 1t was in n nightmare | was not sane AM
thinking how ghastly it all was, | iainte
t softly on the bed. no one knowing, till som
> time after. that had fallen, and was no
o praying. When | recovered was in my owl
e room, alone. Crawling teebly to my sister
e door, | found that she had been washed an
d dressed, and was now laid out on her bed. |
c struck me that all had been done in strang
haste; Harry telling me the servants ha
IS done it while | tainted. | knew afterward
n that he had told them that it was and tina
e | would have no help. The mystery of it al
was soon to be unravelled.
| One thing | was decided onto watch b
n my sister this night. 1t was in vain that M
= husband opposed me in vain that he coaxe
e me by his caresses, or tried to terrify me wit
d angry threats. Something of my sisters ma
it ture seemed to have passed into me and un
If less he had positively prevented me by force
n no other means would have had any effect
lie gave way to me ut last angrly-and th
Z night came on and found me sitting 10y th
II bedside watching my dear sister.
| How beautiful she looked Her face, sti
Is with the gentle mark of sorrow on it that
in had in life, looked so grand She was
IN great, so pure she was like goddess sleel
le ing she was not like a mere woman OF tn
Mt earth. She did not seem to be dead thel
e was life about her yet, for therp was still Il
r, look OF power and of human sympathy th'
she used to have when alive The soul WI
nc there still and love and knowledge,
6, BY degrees a strange feeling Of her Gvir
u presence in the room came over me. AloI
d. in the still midnight, with no sound. no pc
- son near me, it seemed as if | had lesu
- and power to pass into the world beyond Il
tn grave. felt my sister near me; | felt Il
L, passing of her life about me, as when ol
lie sleeps, hut still is conscious that another Ii
is weaving in with ours. 1t seemed as fh
en- breath fell warm on my face as if her sha
= owy arms held me in their clasp; as if h
Id eyes were looking through the darkness
ng me as if held her hands in mine, and h
long hair floated round my forehead Al
MT then to shake off these fancies, and conyin
k myself that she was really dead look
ch again and again at her lying there a mari
corpse, ice-cold, with the lips set and rigi
'ss and the death-band beneath her chin. The
ell she was, stiff in her white shroud, the sno,
lid linen pressing so lightly on her no life wit
in, no warmth about her, and all my fanci
as were vain dreams Then buried my face
is my hands, and wcpt as if my heart W
as breaking, And when | turned away my ey
l from her, the presence came around me agai
So long as watched her it was not there
d; saw the corpse only but when | shut Il
he out from me, then it seemed as if BARR
IS! had been removed, and that my sister float
hy near me again.
no had been praying, sitting thus in the
alternate feelings Of her spiritual preser
nd and her bodily death, when, raising my he
le, and looking towards the further corner of t
room, I un ~ s,o,J;n,, q. ,o,.a NAL.