Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-13
BY w. A. LEE AND HUGH WILSON:

"Sh oho" ~ w INV ohO "oubo W
put me off with this!' and she
i held up the sketch.
Don't tease our poor little girl"
said. d.Mr. Clayton" taking the pic
ture from Bella; "she has set her
mind on seeing your work, so turn
it out with good grace"
'!II don't understand you-I
can't tell what you mean. There
is the portrait" stammered, poin-
ting to the sketch he held.
''Nonsense, my dear boy; you
know better than that. This is a
sheet of white paper. There is no
portrait here"
"No portrait there!'' I cxclaim-
ed.
"Certainly not, as you must be
very we'll aware-look at it,"
Mr.. Murphin and and Mrs. Clay
ton both confirmed what he said.
20 nonsense" II cried-'this is
too much. Are you all blind ? or
are you all determined to have a
joke with me? There, I say, is the
portrait. Good Heavens! wont
you see it?"
For the moment I did not know
if they we're jesting with me, or if
1 had lost my wits. Before ME
was the portrait of the lady I had
met in the wood, as striking and
lifelike as color could make it.
Mr.. Murphin came to my side,
and, pointing to the picture, said:
"You seem to me as if you were
speaking the truth-will you tell
me what you see Oh the paper be-
fore you?"
"a woman's face" I replied, ssin
the prime of its beauty, shining
out from masses Of golden curls
that grow like sunshine; the lips
just drawn into 6. smile that dim
Piles her fair che elk, and strange
blue eyes, liquid and deem as the
abyss of q quiet lake. The face of
a lady l met here i'll the copse."
"My God !" cried the old man.
sscan he have fallen into the tolls
Of Marion Lee p
-. "Of whcm ?" I asked in amaze
ment.
'She is call The Lady of the
Woods But you must tell us how
you met her, and how you escaped,
for her breath Is fever-her kiss is
death"
told them there, Bella and all,
of the meetings In the wood, of
the strange fascination and allure
ment that had drawn me here, and
of the painting of the portrait.
"My lad" said Mr.. Murphin,
''no wonder we cannot see your
picture. It is no living woman
you have tried to paint. Marion
Lee has been dead these twenty
years and more, but her blighting
influence has survived till now.
There's not villager will pass by
this bitt Of the copse alone for all
the money you could offer. They
say she has blighted ma.y lad in
Aldford, and whoever has felt her
kiss has died before the year was
out. TIL tell you her story.
"Marion Lee was only a cotter's
child, but she was q born lady.
her parents gave her as good an
education as their means could af
ford, but she seemed as if she knew
all about books without ever boine
taught. No one would have taken
her for O villagers daughter. She
was weH.grown ard delicate in form
'as the best. lady Of the land, anG
had golden hair, as you say. ani
piercing blue eyes, that set all tn.
Aldford lads crazy after her. Blu
it was no good. A lady 1fario1
meant to be. From the time sh,
was sixteen she had made up he
mind ito raise her condition b,
marriage with some wealthy man
for she knew the value Of her beau
, ty, andsresolved to have her pric
!; forit. As it turned out, she had
Stephen WilIield was the mos
/ fwellto-do of all the lads of til
= village ae the time. > He had bee
3 clerk at Mr.. Dunn's bank dow
= here, and Marion used to, ,airt abou
= With him.a good BIT, because, va
$ gee, she was greedy Qf admiration
and gu she could get q lover to be
: mind ,.she ihonght she would anus
ftherself with, What .Aldford coul
I supply. . shs, nasd TO pstronize. .i,ir
stIG 4 2 ~