New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-12-10
DO you see the lady, Nancy7" she asked

8 mo, mamma, l can t see her anywhere.
All at once, as it were. Mrs. Adds became
. aware of a certain curiosity in the manner
> and looks of these people as they regarded
her, far beyond the natural curiosity eX
cited by strangers. 1t was, rs she after
r ward expressed il, an awestruck curiosity;
t they gazed at her as though she were a
rare. wild animal
"Huy mao easo,' she distinctly heard.
T and the speaker had her eyes directed to
her home on Russian Hill. Mrs. Adds had
t caught up cnoigE of California Spanish
to know what it meant. every bad house. "
A small, b,iyht-eyed 'senOra." with two
, children at her side. leaned against her
little gate, looking both curious and excited;
J Mrs Adds stopped and asked, in mixture
Of tongues that might have made any one
laugh to hear her, why they all starred at
house.
The sonora took little time to gather n
the meaning, and then she said she was mis-
taken ABOUT herself, for they all thought
well and kindly OF her, but for the house
here she shook her head and gesticulated
with her hands. and became quite unintelli-
gible. Mrs. Adds begged her to repeat
what she had said which she did in precise
~ the same manner: but hey Ond the words,
bad man and bad house, she could gather
nothing.
1t made A.r feel uncomfortable and as
she went up the hill again she regarded her
neat little abode with puzzled wonder.
Having an errand to do at the nearest store.
which was kept by an Italian, in a tent. on
Pacific street. in those days, she sent Nancy
on to the younger children.
When she returned, carrying her few little
parcels, twilight had set in, and the great
misty columns Of fog that sometimes
sweep i'll from the were making the
landscape very dreary. Still. as she climbed
| th.ah la nv
own door quite plainly, and III it the three
children at play.
Not they only. There was fourth figure
standing with them-a Spanish girl of slen
der form. She had serapa thrown over
her shoulders, and was watching them with
a slightly dropping head.
THAT must te the lady ~ exclaimed Mrs.
Adds to herself with sudden conviction
How young she look quite a girl"
| In her excitement, Mrs. Adds stumbled
over u stone and dropped her paper Of
sugar. STOPPING TO pick it up, her eyes
were Withdrawn from the lady for an in
slant, and when she looked up she could
not see her anywhere. The children were
| playing on in the porch, as before. Ia her
haste to gain the house she lost her breath.
Where's the lady :" she inquired of her
children. In the parlor I"
The little ones looked round, AS if search
ing for the lady SO as To answer the 4ues-
ton.
The lady is not hore, mamma said
Nancy.
But she was with you minute ago.
They seemed surprised. One and all de
clared that the lady had not been there that
evening. Minnie, the second child. said she
had not played as much as the others, and
must have seen her had she come But
Mrs. Adds had the evidence of her own
eyesight. and went to look. A vague feel
ina
dawn upon her
The lady was not III the garden. back or /.
front, as might be seen at glance. Mrs. |
Adds went into the different rooms indoors, |
and she was not there. Where lay the mys- |
terys In what did it consist !!
From that night a conviction of some
thing Notwithstanding TO be avoided !
and teared-sat upon her. Day by day it /
deepcned like "A darkening cloud. |
1t was extremely painful to acknow ledge
to herself that this curious and incxplcable
thlng had greater power over her III de
pressing her heart and paralyzing her spirits
than the severe sorrow that had passed over
her life, leaving her alone i'll the world with
MS troubles.
A vague fear OF some i'll TO come haunted
her, and yet she lad not the courage TO con-
tess the weakness and beg Mr.. Evans to find
them another home. Whenever the chill
dren named the lady" she shuddered. ard
yet could not reason clearly on the subject
or decide senSlbly what foundations she had
for misgiving. She became daily more op-
pressed by brooding over this very uncer-
talnty and the shadowy dread that haunted
her
One thing she observed: that the children
never spoke of seeing the lady but in the
peared to them iii appear to them she did.
and it was not al! delu>ion on the. part il
was always there. The singular circum-
stance was that they had no tear; and
whether they really believed they saw the
lady, one of real flesh and blood, Mrs. Adds
did not know. She would not talk to them
about it.
Thus the time went on and October came
in. One day she had been down in St
Annis' Valley, and was tOiling back up
ward afterher long journey over the sand
hills. CHANGING to the house she saw one of
their good friends, Mr.. Brown. in the porch
with the children. He had Willy in his
arms, and the two girls were jumping aud s
talking by his side.
There's mamma" they cried. Mammals
come back
In that moment the strange and painful
doubts were lost sight OF by Mrs. Adds; she
laughed and nodded in her turn. and quick
tncd her weary steps.
Suddenly her heart stood still as though
it were TUNED TO stone Passing lightly out !
at the door behind the group already there. |
came the figure of the Spanish girl, and L
stood among them 50 close that their gar I
ments seemed to touch but no one noticed L
her or appeared TO mark her presence. She
leaned forward anxiously. and shaded her
face with her hand as she watched. looking
down toward and beyond the hill
For an instant Mrs. Adlis seemed to lose
sight and sense; and when she looked gain | t
IA" figure had gone. Il
WAS any one here with you minute L
,go !" she asked of Mr. Brown
There's no one here but me, Mrs Adds: y
ne and the children. How i'll Won look h
four long walk has tatsued you" "
She said no more. 1t was on the tin of II
Yer tongue to tell him all but she did not
'erhaps dread OF being secretly laughed 8
It prevented it. How she dreaded the stay
II. in that house ON Russian Hill, only \
lerself knew. 4
The rainy season commenced early; there u
vas Il deal OF lt-quite a hood-Su thai the
hidren played indoors. Mrs. Adds never :
rard them talk OF the lady now, and felt d
onN inced she was not appearing to them
)nly twice had Mrs. Adds behrd her; vet
he seemed to remember her face as clearly,
very feature of il, as though she had :.
nOwn it for years. And. before attempting II
. relate what followed. Il hope must be -
xpressed-as Mrs. Adds expressed it
hat she would not DC charged with in =,
anity
1t was on the nineteenth of October; al |
iost midnight, and about Il fortnight after | r,
BE walk to st. Annis Valley. Mrs. Adds, | 4
cry busy over some sewing, and feeling E,
adv NesOlate WAS at work in her bp.}r,,or, | -