The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-01-07

felt indeed were the greetings which fol
lowed, and cordial the welcome Mrs. Ath
erton gave her old friend as she ccngratula
ted herself on having dear Ellen under heI
own roo:, more especially as she owed thi.
good fortune to Mr. Asherton's cxertions in
rescuing her. .,..,. ...- -
cit is the rnerest chance, too, that he il
at home at present." she said, che ought tc
have been in Scotland, but the state of the
roads in this bleak country has kept him
prisoner here for weeks"
"And others as WE'LL" Ellen Middleton
added, "but both children and grown peo
pie are only tho thankful to have so good or
excuse for staying longer at Belield p
And then, laughing, she asked Aunt Mary
how she meant TO dispose of Miss Sterling
for the night, for the house was as full al.
ready as it could hold.
"Oh," said her aunt, eve shall manage
very well. Be'feld is very elastic"
She. smiled as she spoke; but it struck
Miss Sterling that the question was, never
theless, 2 puzzling one, SO she took tie first
opportunity Of entreating her to take no
trouble on her account; a chair by the fire
was really all the accommod alton she cared
for, as she wished to be in readiness to pyr.
sue her journey as soon as the coach could
proceed.
"We shall be able to- do better for you
than that, Ellen. Mrs. Atherton answered
,cheerfully. 81 cannot, it is true, promise
you a 'state-room,' for every bed in the
house is full, and know you will not al.
low any one to be moved for your convent.
ence: but | have one chamber still at your
service, which, except in one respect. is
comfortable enough"
"Haunted, of course!" said Miss Sterling
gai1y.
"Oh, no, no, it is not that! I had it fitted
up for my brother William when he used tn
be here more frequently than of late, and il
is often occupied by gentlemen when the
house is full; but, as it Is detached from the
house, have, Of course, never asked any
lady to sleep there till now,'
"Oh! if that be all, am quite willing 70
become lis first lady tenant" said Miss Ster-
ling, heartily. So the matter was settled
and orders were given to prepare the Pavil
Ion for the unexpected guest
The evening passed pleasantly; music
dancing and ghost stories made the hours
fly fast. 1t was long past ten-the usual
hour Of retiring at Belfeld-when Miss
Sterling, under the hostess guidance, took
possession of her outdoor chamber. 1t
really was pleasant, cheerful little apart
ment. The crimson hangings of the bed
and window looked warm and comfortable
IN the flushing fire light; and hen the can
dies ON the mantle piece were lighted and
the two easy chairs drawn close to the
hearth, the long parted friends found it i'm
possible to resist the temptation Of sitting
down to have, what in old days they used to
call "two handed chat" There was
much to tell Of what had befallen both, of
chequercd scenes Of joy and sorrow, deeply
interesting to those two whose youth had
been passed together; there were mutual
reco Elections Of school days to re talked
over; mutual friends and future plans to be
discussed; and midnigh. rung out from the
stable clock before MIS-. Athertoh said good
night She had already crossed the thresh
old to go, when she turned back to say,
II forgot to tell you, Ellen, that the inside
bar of this door is not very secure, and that
the key only turns outside. Are you in
cined to trust to the bar alone, or will you,
as William used to do, have the door locked
outside, and let the servant bring the key in
the morning. William used to say that he
found it rather an advantage to do so, as the
unlocking of the door was sure to wake
him."
Miss Sterling laugllingly allowed, tha
though, generally, she could not quite think
it an advantage to be locked into her room
still she had no objection to it on this partic-
ular occasion, as she wished to rise in rea-
sonnbe time.
'Very we'll; then you had better not fas-
ten the bar at all, and will send my mai
with the key, at eight precisely. Goot
night"
i "Good night"
| They parted; the door was locked outside
the key taken out; and Miss Sterling, stand
ing by the window watched her friend eros
the narrow black path, which had bee
swept clear of snow TO make dry pessag
from the house to the pavilion. A rudd
!, light strearred from the hall door as it open
+ ed to admit its mistress, and gave a cheer
full friendly aspect to the scene; but, whe
. the door closed and shut. out that war;
l comfortable light, the darkened porch, tn
i pale moonlight shimmering on the shroud
ed trees, and tke. stars ttwinkling in tn
Y frosty sky, had such an aspect of solitud
J, as to cast over her kind of chill tho
. made her half repent having consented I
s quit the house at all, and let herself b
d locked up in this lonely place. ~.
!. Yet what had she to fear! Nc har
could happen to her from within the cham
r Der; the door was safely locked outsid
o and strong iron stancheohs gIutdsd II
), window: there could be no possible DANCE