Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-12-24

her, and without one word or gesture
without even turning her head TO follow
their movements, she let the Christmas
guests depart, ticking her husband Will
them. As he went out, Laurence look
ed back at her with a wild, remorsefu
! pity. Had he not done her wrong e
nough that his last words to her should
be that cruel, cruel reproach?
Once out in the court, self-preserva
| ton, mans strongest instinct in mos;
cases, prompted Laurence Royston to
make one desperate effortto escape. The
two men who had been guests loosed
thci grasp to let him pass down the out.
er stairs; and rushing to the archway,
he, favored by the darkness, contriyed to
elu1e their pursuit, and to disappear in
one Of the numerous lanes abutiRQson
triargate. Thence to the open country,
under cover OF the night, he made his
way, and though a hue aud cry was
raised after him, he was supposed to
have effected his escape from the king
dom, as ne was never traced.
Poor Adie remained long in her I'M
conscious state, quiet and unimpressible
as a bronze image. Martha watched
and tended her and the boy with unre-
mitting care and fondncss, striving BY
many little art to awaken her senses.
She liked to sit in the open air, especially
when the sun shone, gazing pititully at
heaven, and pulling to pieces flowers
that people brought her from the tiel DIS;
but she never took any notice either OF
her boy or Martha, or any other person
whom Christian charity impelled to visit
her. She was regarded as one on whom
Gods Christening hand had been laid
with signal heayiness but still rs one
who suffered for another's sin.
When the dark days began to come
round again, in the long stormy October
and clouded November nights, there
might occasionally be seen the figure of
a man Sinking along from shadow to
shadow under the Minister walls, until he
came into Nevis Court. Ifall was still
he would hide in the archway, and listen
for any one coming or going to and fro
in the house: and sometimes he gather
ed courage stealthily to mount the old
wooden stair, and peep in through the
uncurtained wmdowat poor Adie, sitting
Ike dark statue by the fire, Laurv
playing on the hearth, and Martha busy
at the work with which she helped to
maintain them. After few minutes OF
this stealthy watch, he would glide away
as noiselessly as he had come and not
seldom he would lie crouched like 4 mis- .
cradle homeless dog in a corner of the
court until the window was dark, and all
the city was AIDED. disappearance grew
more and more haggard and awful; and
a last his strength was so spent, that any
one meeting him might have thought it
was Laurence Royston's ghost, but not
that unhappy man in the flesh. One
keen, singing night he had trailed his
steps to the archWay, and there he fell
utterly spent with hunger, fatigue. aad
misery. After lying for few minutes
thus, he staggered to his feet, to make
an effort to see Adic once more, and
climbed the stair cIinging to the rail.
Adie only was there; neither the child
nor Martha; so he opened the door and
went In, crying, "Adie, | am diving; let
me die here" and staggering across the
floor, he fell at her feet, clinging feeby
to her knees. At the sound ofhis voice
she started up, looked at him eagerly,
and sinking beside him, she drew his
head upon her breast, saying with a pitt
fiji yearning love, ''Uere, Laurence;
here - Martha came in and regarded
the scene with Amusement. Adie bid
her shut the door.
Say prayer. Adie God will hear
you," gaspcd the dying man ;and before
the words were done he had gone to his
account.
This event, startling and painful as it
was, restored Adie to her right mind.
At first she was questioning continually,
SIS he forgiven: Did God hear my
PRAYER: ?" But at length she was still,
and left her cause in His faithful hands.
She lived long, patient, gentle, full of
good and charitable offices. The poor
knew her those who were sick and in
misery knew her, and blessed her name;
in the old long ago she would have been
canonized as a saint if ever suffering
purified humanity to sanity holiness,
Adie was thus purified. Larry lived to
return her love, and to be man ofmark
in his day and generation but he and
the Flower of Nevis Court, and all the
other personages named in this story,
have been church-yard dust these many,
many years though the tale still goes,
that in the dead OF the Christmas night
wild piercirg cry frightens out of the
silence a host o. mourntul, wailing echoe.
and that the tramp Of the footsteps in the
corridor is to be heard whenever calam-
ity is coming to any ofthose who dwell
in the Haunted House.
.