Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-08-04
SeleGt Story.
HOW HE WAS CHANGED.

Arson Gray was still, stern man OF
thirty, shut within himself and by him-
! self in his great stone manson On the
hill, and people knew no more about him
than they knew of the dead. In fact he was
as good as dead to Burling game. and shere
seemed to be little chance Of resurrection
His early years had been spent abroad,
where, or how, nobody knew, and most
had ceased to care, for that matter the
last had been spent in Burlingame.
A brilliant light at noon. shining from
the great east windows far out over the
busy homes in the valley, and occasional
gallop5 through the town, by day, were
the only tokens of his presence. Howev-
er, change was coming, and that with
out warning. Arson Gray fell sick,
and dangerously SO. The village doctor
was summoned, who in turn telcgraphed
for another from the city in hot base, and
together, they said in whisper, that
their patient, rich and lordly as he might
be, would probably die. There was no
woman in the house to act as nurse, and
the head servant, obeying doubtless, his
masters orders, refused to allow one there
as yet
How it came about was a mystery, but
one morning, when the master had lain a
week, half senseless and the physicians
were shaking their wise heads over him,
an unusual cloud of dust was observed
whrling over the hill, and emerging there
from, as it reached the gravel road leading
to the house, was carriage, splashcd and
weather, stained headed by two strainiug,
painting horses, who came up to the en-.
trance as if driven by the evil one. A
lady, tall and fair as sunlight, pushed open
the carriage door impaticntly and sprang
out. With q hasty glance around, she
| hurried up the steps, entered the hall
the drawing-room, and stood before the
two astonished gentlemen who we're seated
there.
is Arson Gray aliveF'
One of the gentlemen raised his finger
Yes but he grows worse.
Before they had OWNED her intention
she had passed them and was IN the sick
room, bending over the sick man.
1t will make him worse il she oxcite'
him now the elder one SAID. IF some
good nurse bad come it might have
been some use Ut this dainty thing
ban!'
She came out in a moment, her face
white but determined.
viii you have the goodness to send fol
minister. and remain till he comes ?
she asked, as she began to remove hel
things.
There was something in her manner
which forbade questioning, and they obey
ed her like so many dumb men, as they
said afterwards.
The minister came, William Skinner
the head servant, was called, and after the
three held a private conference which
seemed to be satisfactory, they came out
and, to the amazement Of all, the lady
God beside Arson Gray, and the mar
riage vows we're read and taken.
The wise. doctors were mistaken in thei
estimation of this fair unknown. Sht
was something beside a fair lady, as he
actions proved. A new order of thing
was instituted in the sick mans room
and his wife installed herself as his nurse
"a change which told for the better. 10
month he was riding through the village
with his bride by his side, all eyes. Q
course, agog. to catch a view of her hand
some face. 1t now had become noises
abroad how she had come, and of cours
the strange wedding which followed. and
as was but natural, the whole town. wer
wild to know the why's and the wherefore
of the case.
AT any rate, that man looks like dit
ferent creature one woman said, as b
passed her cottage door. Did you Sc
how he smiled at my little girl? Tha
was never heard of from him; and let r,
tell you, you never see a man as he was
without tucre being a woman in the wa
somewhere
All agreed that she was just an angel
! and when they came into the church til