The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1872-01-05
THE MYSTERY OF pErcnlxeLEy,
a CHRISTMAS sroaY

Go 20 Dctchinglry Tor the Christmas
away ffommy happy home away In III,
distant North 90 not suppose lookeC
pleased at this proposal Of my fathers
which be announced Go me &C the breasdas
table one November morning, but notwith
standing my prejudices, as Aunt Dorothy
the presiding genius uf Detchingley wa
my mothers beloved sister, il was only
j few flayS nlfcr that had said goodbye {,
4 the aea= old home circle, and was travelin.
rapidly northwarSlS, through the falling
leaves and the fading flowers Of the dyia.
year.
Aunt Dorothy came cut into the grea
hall 20 meet me as | alighted from th,
carriage, and my heart turned towards hel
with loyal love.
I" You hare another aunt, YOU know
I Eaie, DEAR she said. "Come, now, anC
see herr
! Aunt Myra Wcstwood sat all alone by
the great log fire in the drawingroom.
saw at once that Aunt Myra was not /
pretty woman, nor aught that is beautiful
or lovely but coldly, deiantly handsome
aud the quick eve of youth told me thai
there was mystery about her, and thai
We should not be gOod friends until il wa;
1nraveled.
1 do not suppose shall ever forget my
first evening at Detehingley-the sInal
dinner party OF three ladies the qnaiDt
dark, wAinscoted dining the quSmtei
and darker E.mily portraits hanging round
us on the walls, like muteS at funeral
the metallic voice Of Aunt Myra falling
echoleSS on my ear, and the sweet, trema
l0us one Of Aunt Dorothy, like notes o
the dear home music. | was very GLAD
when we rose to 20 into the drawing-room
As we were crossing the hall. just by tht
foot Of the stairs, | noticed bo,h ladie.
glance quickly and saast aaeasily up them
| followed their glance, but the only thiug
taat attracted my attention was portrait
---the full.length portrait ot q lady IN !
carved oaken frames yearDing, wistfu
face, shadowed by rich, soft, hair, and
lighted by eyes that bad story in them
/" Isn't il a lainily portrait r. ! asked
a or only an ideal subject "
III appealed GO Aunt Myra- ~ldeal you
will lind it, Edith. in every sense she
replied, but there wSs something in hel
tone, something in the way in which she
covered her eyes with her hands as II shC
would shut out the picture from theil
gaze, that for an instant startled me, but
only replied.
at Is a very wonderful, beautiful paint
! ing. / should love Unele Charles TO Se'
it,
The tangled netting at this moment fel
flom Aunt Doruthy's nervous fingers, anc
she sprang before me towards her sister
for the cold, white hand had fallen pulse
less TO that ladys side. Aunt Myra hac
fainted.
Aunt Dorothy turned suddenly ON ms
suddenly, almost sharply, it seemed &c
me; and said Is You must be tired, Edith
with your long journey-ceme to bed now
child.b
/ slept very little that night, and many
many times wished myself home again.
Three or four days passed away very
monoronously. | devoted myself 20 Aunt
Dorothy, but | shrank intuitively from
Aunt Myra. felt that she repelled me
only endured my presence because | gave
pleasure to her sister Dorothy. NV mother
had made me little acquainted with her
family history. knew she was what is
scended from such an ancient line as the
names recorded on the old church walls
told me she had, was quite unknown &c
me.
| left Detchingley church that Sunday
afternoon under the impression that | bad
4 been soiourning for a brief while in n vasi
charnel house vi tue family of Westwood
for Amdst innmbeFless, liz appeared TO me
were the tablets, scrolls. and "storied
urns' wheTeon were traced the names o
my mothers ancestors
/ As walked slowly along, white mar
BILE cross, rising from among the greer
mounds, attracted my attention | rcad
upon it:
"ro THE MEMORY OF
KATHARINE WESTW00D,
Who departed this life, Dec. oath, IS,
AGED 20 YEARS"
\ A Westwood lying out in tAe oper
graveyard! Was there no room in The
church for this young girl to sleep beneath
the dust-enyered banners andrtIsty armor
Nv mind was dwelling on the discovery
/ I had Just made. IL was only natural that
II should tarn to my companion and say:
"Who was Katharine WestwoOd y
Short and prompt was the answer re
ceiyed: ......s
& Your uncle Cbarie.'s VIE"
/ I literally stood still with establishment
"How very strange Observed"
Y never knew Uncle Charles had been mar.
ried mt all. - t
THAT is a proof, Etith,r replied Anni
Myra, " that your mother did not thipk
you sufficiently judicious to be entrusted
1 with the knowledge. IL shows great wis
dom on her part 'she'has judged Of you al
4 do" iI8
sAnnt Dorothy, !" said to hcr, as she wa
bsbout 70 leave my room that evening, "why
have not heard before that Uncle Charles
was married ~
"There are some natures, Edie, " replies
Aunt Dorothy, slowly, that never ca
endure TO- hear their great sorrows talked
tahdutss Feur Uncle Charles has such /
nature. Edith. He loved hsRi'e so devo
tedIy, and eherishes her memory so even al
this time, that his family nefer speak o
her 10 save him the pangs which mention
Of her would call forth.
\ Twas quite by myself one bright, wiptry
\ morning, and was making my way home
through the church-yurd. when q respecta.
ble-looking old woman, standing by the
grave with the marble cross, caught my
attention. it was q kind, good face
nlotherly and soft, and it seemed TO me
that she looked lovingly down on th,
green turf, and was caressing with ono
hand the polished surface Of the White
marble. fHst
al knew her, my dear young lady =
she exclaimed !; 4 nearly all her life knew
her. She was just poor young thing
Ilelt without any parents when quite :
baby; and she was sent to the Hall to bS
taken care OF. Mr.. Westwood-thef father
OF the ladies there now, miEs--was heI
guardian; and when she was about seven
teen, Mr.. Charles who was cousin OF th,
family, and who, they alI hoped, would
marry Miss Myra Westwood, came dowr
70 stay at the Hall, and fell in love with
nv Katharine, and married her, and tool
her off to where bis regiment was for two
\ years. And then he was sent. away tC
some foreign place, where there was fight
inc going on, 50 he could not take his wiz
/ with him and she came down to live Al
the Hall again with the ladies. But sh,
was i'll and weakly like, poor dear frettinC
after him, suppose. So they took her OF
10 France, somewhere but she soon died
ard then they brought her back here II
her coffin but she wasn't buried at once
miss.
Iwanted to ask more-to learn all thal