The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-07-18


4 GU have strange look-a scared look.
may call it. How have you come by t?'
J am OF nervous temperament, sir al
sWered pulling at the ends Of my gloves.
II Nothing else Nothing hereditary q
Yes SIR said Las steadily as I could ; 'ther
is hereditary misfortune among u.s.
Rather or mother?'
/ Mother
an :! said the man, raising his moustacht
ana looking at me with eyes all flame; IS
much the nearer and more dangerous
1 am not dangerous | said, little to
humbly' perhaps; but that man was complete
" suodmng me. L am nervous but l have n
worse tendency.
He laughed.
Perhaps not, he said with a sheer that mad
my blood curdle; no one ever has. Don't yo,
know that all maniacs are philosophers, whel
| they are not kings and queens Shall ] tax
| you on trust, then, according to your own es
Innate OF YOURSELF or discharge you at once, &C
cording to mine p
i think l may be trusted, sir answered
looking everywhere but into his face.
What do you think, Mrs Brande he sal,
turning to the pale woman unravelllng her stri,
OF muslin, and who had not as l thought, look
ed at me once yet.
She is ugly said she, i'll dull monotonou
voice l don't like ugly people,
Mr. Brande laughed again.
Never mind that, Mrs. Brande; goodness.don'
go by looks, does it Miss-Miss what? Are
you name or a number?'
Miss Erfurt.'
oh yes! l forgot Erfurt-I remember
now, and queer name it is, too. Does ii Miss
Jane Erfurt'
Not always sir said moving restlessly.
w ell Mrs Brande, what do you say 2
She is ugly, and George will not like her,
said The lady, in the same halfalive manner.
who the deuce cares 2 shouted Mr.. Brande
flaming with passion ON the instant. Let him
like or not, who cares Tor the stupid fool, or for
what ne thinks That, for his liking = snapped
his fingers insolently.
The lady's face grew { shade paler; but, be-
yond fartiye, terrified glance at her husband
she took no notice of his words He then turn
ed abruptly to me, and told INC that I was to
hold myself engaged TO perform the duties OF
companion to Mrs. Brand, and that was to
enter on those duties early next week.
But without the ladys consent?' said l too
weak 10 resist and too nervous 10 accept.
She put away her muslin and rose.
Mr. Brand is master here, she said, do what
he tells you; it saves troubled
The week after went to Penthouse, as the
companion of Mrs. Brand
The flEst days dinner was a strange affair
Alter we had seated ourselves, to what was a
very scanty supply, there lounged youth OF
about seventeen: a heavy, full-blooded, lump
lsh being, with face devoid of intelligence, but
more animal than imbecile; not specially good
tempered, but not vicious, a mere idle, eating
and drinking clown, scarcely raised above the
level ola hog or horse,and without even their
Instructive emotions What an unwholesome
unnatural circle we made! | longed for Il little
healthy life among us, and turning with d te FL
ing OF envy and relief to the commonplace SER
vant-main; who, If not intellectual, was at the
least more in accord with pure ordinary life
than we
There was ill-blood between Mr. Brand and
Master George, as the boy was called; and
soon understood why. His mothers only son
by former marriage, and heir of the neglected
lands lying round Penthouse he stood in the
way OF his step-father, whose influence over his
VIE w'gs supreme, and who, but tor the boy,
would have absolute POSSESSION Of everything.
He had married for money, and had been baulk-
ed of half his prize. | used often to wonder that
the two were not afraid to trust themselves in
the hands of one passionate and unscrupu-
l0us but though Mrs. Brand was undiscuised-
ly afraid of her husband, and the boy was not
too stupid to understand that ne was hated and
why.neither seemed to look forward to evil days
] do not think that they had mind enough to
look to the future i'll hope Or dread. Mother and
son loved each other with the mute instructive
love OF dun animals-a love IN which both
would be hopeless to save if bad times CAME
They were not much together, and they seldom
spoke when they met but they sat close to
each other, always in the came place and on
the samegchairs, and Mrs. Brande unraYened her
eternal slips of muslin, while her son gathered
up the threads and put them into a canvass
bag.
l had been there fortnight and | never saw
either of them employed III anything else and
| never heard dozen words passed between
them, 1t was a silent house at all times and
more than this, it was house full Of hate
Save this dumb animal kind of lore between
the two, mot ray of even kindly telling existed
among any Of us. The servant was the mari,
for every ones i'll temper, while I stood out as
a kind Of pariah among them all, not even dig
nihed by active dislike. | was shunHed, and
could not understand why was there at all
The lady never spoke to me, not even TO saw
good morning; she gave me no duties, but she
forbade me no employment l was free to do
what liked, provided did not make my ex-
istence too manifest to her, and did not sneak
to her husband or Master George. Ifby chance
anything like q conversation began-for Mr..
Brand had his talkative moods in q violent
angry kind of way--she used to order ne out of
the room, in just the same tone as she used to
speak to the dog. II demonstrated, as l did
once, her only answer was, You can 90 if you
like; did not hire you
One thing especially troubled me. 1t troub-
led me because, like all molbidly imaginative
people, anything Of mystery terrified me- more
than an open danger, and this, of which I am
going to speak, was a mystery. The boy took
no notice of me at the first. He never spoke
to me when he came into the room he passed
nae in The fields as if he did not see ME indeed.
he had always that manner to me-he did not
see mel did not exist for him was well
content that this should be but, after had
been there a short time, Mr.. Brand began to
make distinct mischief between us. From bru-
fish Indifference, Master George passed rapidly
to british aggression. When he met me in the
lands and fields he made mouths at me, and
once he flung stones and mud as I passed him ;
at the table he would kick me silently, and
whenever l caught his eye he made hideous
grimaces, muttering in his broad provincial ac-
cent, Mad dog mad dog We hang mad dogs
hereaway! His insolence and brutality increas-
ed daily, and Mr.. Brand encouraged him. This
was the mystery. Why should he wish this lad
to hate me p
There was plot underneath it all which
tormented myself to discover. Day and night
the thought haunted me, till felt growing Graz
ed with dread and terror. could not conceal
my adherence Of the youth was too nervous
for that-nor hide the fear with which that
wicked man inspired me, was as helpless as
the poor pale woman there, and as thoroughly
the victim of a stronger fate.
One night Master George had been more thar
usually intoerable to me. He had struck me
openly before father and mother, had insuted
my misfortunes, and spoken with brutal disre
spect of my family. twas wild winters night
and the bowling wind shook the windows anG
dashed the trailing ivy leaves sharply against
the panes; fearful night, making all vision o.
freedom and escape impossible a night which
necesstated one to be content with ones OWL
tireside, and forbade the idea of wandering
farther. Yet it was something worse than deatf
to me to be shut up in that mean room, with it
squaid furniture and scanty fire, with sucf
companions,and TO feel that could not escape
from them that they might Ill trea: me ,perse
cute me as they would, and I was bound to bea
all without protection or means Of escape. Th
stormy night had excited me, and l felt les
than ever able to bear all the ingolence AM