The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-29

throbbing heart to await her awakening.
She slept so long. and in the waning light
looked so pale, that he feared she was again
about to fall into the strange deathly trance
from which he had with 50 much difficulty
recovered her. In his terror of that he cried
out for her to awake, and the sound of his
cry awoke her with start.
He had prepared a speech that was to calm
and re.ssure her when she woke bewildered
to find herself so strangely clothed and lodg-
ed but she no moro needed calming and re-
assuring than an infant too young to know
its mother from any other woman. She look
ed round with wondering gaze that was al
most infsntine, and her eye resting upon Asst
ley, she sat up in the bed and asked him in
his own language for food. 1t was evident
that she had no recollection of illness. and
| nesther anxiety nor curiosity to her present
position.
She ate the food which was brought to her
with rppetite, and would have risen from the
bed apparently unconscious that she wore
garment but a shroud, had bot Ashley per-
suaded her to lie down and sleep again.
He left her sleeping, and went to another
room profoundly puzzled. Here was this
beautiful woman. ignorant, and almost as
helpless as a child, thrown upon him for pro-
lection, as it was clear that she did not re-
member anything which would lead to the
discovery OF her friends. 1t was impossible
that her senses had left her altogether, never
! to return the lovely creature might be
harmless idiot all the rest of her days. Her
speaking English was another puzzle. She
might be an Englishwoman-her beauty was
certainly of the Saxon type-or she might
only have learnt the English language but
if so how came that knowledge to have been
retained when all else seemed gone?
His perplexity was Interrupted by the
trance of the cause of it. She stood at the
door wrapped round in one of the bed cover
ings, looking at him with a sweet. childish,
vacant expression, that was touching in it's
helplessness. ~ must call her something"
he thought as she stood apparently waiting
for him to speak, "her name shall be Ma
ry."
"Are you better, Mary, and will you sit in
this chair ?"
She paid no attention to the inquiry, but
| took the offered chair, and began silently
rocking herself to and fro. It had such a
ghostly effect 90 see her there by the lamp
| light robed Ia the long white drapery, with
her beautiful face still pale, though no long
/ er de.thly, rocking herself in silence, that
! Ashley ieit sensation very like fear thrill
! through him. He must a. something, for he
could not bear this. He took up book, the
! first that came to hand-it was an English
one and offered it 10 her, asking her if she
would like to read.
She took it with a childish smile, and Law
| ing it open upon her knees began to futter
the leaves backward and forward, playing
/ idly with them.
| Good heavensr' said Ashley TO himself,
| .'she is mad, imbecle at any rate | must
/ DO something with her"
But 1t was impossible to think with her
before him, and taking her by the hand, he
! said:
Now, Mary, you must 90 back to bed.
( and tO-moTrow-
She did not wait for the end of the sentence
but rose at once 10 do IS she was hidden,
threw down the book, and letting tail the
coverlet that enveloped her, walked quietly
back to the inner room.
Ashley fastened the door and felt as if ne
were going mad from sheer bewilderment-
She aust have clothes the very first thing,
and how were they to be procured without
taking soma one into his confidence Eve
if he know where to 90 for them. he knew
nothing of what u wOman's clothes should
be- Il was evident, then, that some one must
be told Of the extraordinary adventure, aud
it was equally evident that il must be wo
man Ia whom he confded he required
practical help of kind no man could give
him
The morning dawned before he could ar
rage any settled plan, and finally he decided
the charge of her, therefore she should re-
main in his house. and be would tell all t.
the woman who acted as his housekeeper who
chauced TO be absent at the time, Sut whose
return he was expecting that very day. lie
! would bind her to secrecy by the most solemn
. oath he could devise and if she failed to keer
, it. whv-at any rate he in a terrible
. | scrane, and this seemed the best thing to be
done. The woman returned early in the day
and Ashley at once told all, and Im plored heI
assistance. To his great relief she agreed al
once to do all that lay in her power for the
unhappy girl, aud few arrangements made
Ashley LETT the house for the day, determined
TO shake of the unpleasant impression which
the whole thing had made upon him.
Rc.urniug at night ne found Mary comfor.
tahiv clothed and looking less pale and i'll -
, His housekeeper told him that she had beer
, dressed like a child, having apparently NJ
: idea Of assisting herself at all.
1t would he impossible to describe minute
, " how intelligence dawned, and grew swiftly
+, in the poor girls mind 1t was not a gradu
al growth from infancy, but came in fitfu
snatches The greatest change came first
, when her face Frightened from its sweet, blank
{ vacancy of expression nj Astey's approach
and then she began to wait upon him like
q loving child lie devoted himself to her very
tender!y almost "a q mother devotes herself
TO her child and with INFINITE patience laugh
her to read and to write. She learned alsS
| to sew, and was not uDskillful in such wo
mans craft; but what he taught her wa
4 learned quickest, best.
/ Two years passed and Mary had developed
so rapid iy that she was much like other wo
, / ,,ap krOuIedre and -aouiramants Int h,