The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-07-20

C. knocked first at door on the right an
Id then at then the door on the left. OnI
ld the echo Of her own demand broke til
stiffness Of the place, so she pushe
he open the door and let the daylight j
sp on what?
r She gave an involuntary scream, Il
m her eyes became accustomed to tn
I'd darkness and she saw into what a del
of devils she had entered. The odo
a, almost made her faint, and still hold
o. ing back the door with one hand an,
rs shading her eyes with the other, look
m ing as though she had seen emblazOn
r, ed on the walls those terrible words
be ''he who enters here leaves hope he
n hind!''
j, As size stood in this attitude a doc
Of opened aG the further end of the room
and a bent and distorted form ap
y preached Dora, who became petrifie,
> with horror.
Ie ''Is this Dora Lacy?" he asked, hob
3 bling slowly through the chamber 0
ii horrors, himself IS strange and weirC
as anything there.
o at Is" said Dora, coming out o
If the SwOOn Of surprise at the metallic
d ring of his voice.
a 81 meant to receive you better than
Z
i Come into mystudy."
II Dora mechanically followed hi,
lead, pity overcoming all fear or re.
4 pugnance; and though she started as
g some reptile glared upon her out Ot
5 the darkness, curiosity did much
toward sustaing her fOrtitude. The
: room they entered was small but cozy;
a books and papers were scattered about
4 the floor and on the table, while the
a walls were Ornamented with bugs OF
/. every description, at sight of which
Dora could not conceal look Of dis
| gust
"ThOse are my pictures" said Mr.
= Prime noticing the expression of Do
= ra's face, "painted by the Great Ar
! tist. Are they not Deautiful?'
5 Beautiful to look at, perhaps, but
/ horrible to handle" said Dora.
| ''Oh no." said he with 4 voice that
/ l-seemed TO embrace all Gods creatures.
"If you could only see then'under the
microscope -
He took down one of the impaled in
sects as tenderly as though it had
been little child and putting il un-
der the glass, signed 10 Dora to come
nearer.
Dora looked, and was fascinated
She had stepped out of the narrow cir
Gle in which She had walked, and en-
tered a world of whose existence she
had scarcely known.
The shadows gathered closer and
closer around the old house, but Dora
never noticed them, never thought of
the walk she must take in order to
reach her home; the enchanter had
woven his spell about her, and she
was pOwerless to escape.
Bit after bit Of wonderful workman
ship was brought within the range of
her intensified vision; and when a
voice broke the silence it was as tho
she had been suddenly thrown down
a mighty pTeeipice from whose height
she had entered the land of visions.
'It is growing dark, and you have
some distance to gO-alOne," he added
after pause full of sadness. 81 would
| like your services rs amanuensis. Mr..
| Midway spoke of you as being well
! fitted for the work You see what it
| is, beautiful to look at, but horrible
/ to handle,' he said, quoting his own
words. "Will you undertake TO help
me 81
al will, indeed" said Dora, still !
keeping her eye on the microscope.
"rhen ! may expect yOu-when ~ /
Tomorrow morning." and as their |
eyes met they smiled at each others |
enthusiasm.
Dora went back through the lane,
but she had no eyes or ears for the |
many blossoms that touched her with |
4 good night whisper as she passed |
them by.
She had entered a new world; she /
had crossed the threshold of a new ex-
istence; and who could tell into what |
labyrinths Of beauty her feet might |
henceforth lead her.
"Well, if / ever p, exclaimed MrS- !
Fletcher, to whom Dora Immediately
impaired her business engagement.
"WhO would have thought of your
going TO such bugbear as Sylvester
Prime"
"That comes of being neither 4
beauty nor genius, ,"said Dora laugh
ing heartily at Mrs. Fletcher's uncOn-
scious pun.
"And you are going there every
day ?n she inquired.
"Every day." said Dora.
"Well, don't see as there's AHy
great luck in it; but do say you look
almost as delighted as if there were"
"And so there is" said Dora, ''lOts
of luck; and if don't line my pockets
with pence, shall most assuredly ill
my head with wisdom"
''I suppose may tell the parson
about it ?" said good Mrs. Fletcher,
who don't propose taking a step in
this world or the next without the
parsons advice.
Eyes, if he hasn't told you himself"
''DOes he know anything about it?''
asked the astOnished woman.
''Far more than ] do" said Dora,
kissin her, and passing out into the
the darkness that had settled Out-of-
doors; leaving Mrs. Fletcher some
what bewildered, though less coll
cerned about the respectfully of the
undertaking since she was assured
ParsOn Midway had the management
of the whole affair.
With an eagerness and interest that
belonged to her practical nature, Do
IA Lacy entered upon her new duties,
and every day found herself entering
some new field of knowledge.
Sitting in his easy chair, Sylvester 4,
Prime would dictate the material for f,
her pen, which was furnished so free
ly by the microscope; and OCCASION
aily, as some new wonder would cause
an exclamation of surprise from the
scholar, DOra's pen would drop from
her hand, that with her own eyes she
might behold what she was describing !
on paper.
She was as much i'm love with the /;
work as was Mr.. Prime himself, and /;
already i'm imagination saw the neat
ly bound volumes that would give to
the public such amazing evidence of
Gods skill and mans Interpretation
oft.
But in proportion as DOra's courage
and determination increased by the {:
glowing interest she felt in the work, (;
Sylvester Prime was conscious on his :
part of a restlessness and Indifference :
to insect life.
His walks and talks had been for 4,
years with these sOulless creatures, /:
and both had been somewhat cOntrOll- {
ed by the condition of things. Bugs :
and creeping things had been sent TO q,
him from every quarter of the globe, (
until his collection had become quite
an extensive museum, and the study
of their habits and peculiaFities the !
end and aim of his circumscribed .
life.
Mrs. MathewsOn, the housekeeper, :
had expressed very little sympathy
for his pursuits, there being a direct (
antagOnism between bugs and broOms {
and the latter was her speciality.
They never met eXceptat meals, when
Mrs. MathewsOn would retail the gOs-
sip of the village-tell who mad been
to see her and where she had visitel
last, who proposed matrimony and ;
who contemplated going ON sen vQy- !
age.
II Dora was conscious of any change
in the scholar whose wisdom she was
inclined to reverence, it did not affect :
her pen or fill her with that suspi-
ciOus shyness i'm which our modern
maidens are apt to indulge in the
presence of gentlemen. She had
learned TO pity and endure, but she
was hardly ready yet 10 embrace. =
And he, knowing how he must ap-
pear to her-Old and disfigured as he
was-sufiered more aeutely because
hOpelessly.
Sometimes when his hand rested
upon hers he thought he must break
down the barrier and declare himself,
even though she should reject him
with scOFn. The suppressed passion