The St. Cloud journal., 1873-06-12

: ss.3aH i .D :. *~..
.sag.iy aaE4a"!ij|. IL. 1.~
consciousness ,'lp Of q something present
in n: 'hs b. house, which "a, apart from ita
bricks and mortar and from its. human
lnmates-some strength, vehement and
tlndly, which, as if for q xhim, had
turned her face to face with the poor
old woman, she we'd her gray hairs, the
honest love for her boy under her bi e.
otry, the grave not lar from her. It
might have been Charley's self taking
||paaFt riitAh. .iA. !. bis neither. neither.
1T certsinly was not r.! said Miss
Demar, with shrug. "Such charity
is not 10 me-"
She began after that to ask ques-
tions carelessly about the house and
its history, wondering herself at the
bold the matter had taken upon her.
Mary Deuar had been betrotted for
years to a man whom she loved with
her whole heart. 1t was but q few
days ago that she had discovered q fact
10 his early life which made him uofit
to be her husband. It was not natural
that idle vagaries about an old house
shoald interest her now. Yet she
oonld not shake them off; there was,
TOO, az unaooountable feeling that
this mystery concerned her personal.
ly. 80
"What do you know Of this house p
she asked Of Charley ono evening, 4.
they were Watching the sunset from
the garden.
"Nothing. When the searches
were made to establish q clear title,
oddly enough it was impossible 10 find
ont when it was built or by whom.
People had a.vague dislike to living ia
it: it lay idle for years in this crowded
aeighborhood. Old seth-Kenyon't
protege, .yoa knov-''.s
Miss Dsmar's countenauos changed
suddenly. eyes, l know Seth."
f"He has some ancient ghost story
about it: Tho vaguest nonsense! tt
my notion it's the most cheerful place
1,was:eVer in. The garden, for in.
stance -
Now the garden was straight, long
strip Of ground, enclosed by b,gh
solid fence, which shaded the trim
parterres Of their neighbors-a strange
solitary place, which seemed to have
brought its alien air into the city. The
damp grass yielding to their feet va.
brown with the field clover wild hon.
eysuckles and grapes such as tangle the
dges in unused lanes, grew along the
borders rows OF hollyhooks stood like
sentlnels, turning their watchful faces
toward the house; the common June
roses, which all summer long sweeten
and redden forgotten graves ip country
ohurchyards, sent their perfume up t
it: Even the flowers had \ friendl,
message for Kuapp's house. Th'
lighted windows shone eoldly from
Egarret to basement on one end of the
dusky garden; beyond the other end a
little way, the Sohuylkill rolled, laden
with craft, down to the bay; the tall
masts of the clustered ships struck 6nt
black lines up into the yellow sky
The air was damp but quiet, even the
floating white ball of dandelion seed
scarcely moved in it over their heads
81 wish I could hear that ghost sto:
ry," said Miss Demar.
every we'll. Wo'll go down te
Seth" glancing at little brick house
beyond the garden. "By the by
Kenyon will be surprised to find Us 50
near the old man."
| Miss Demar stopped. "You don't
mean Is Mr.. Kenyon coming
here?"
"Now don't be vexed, Mary. 'Por
my soul, I never said come. I onl,
wrote on business yesterday, and men.
tioued that you were hear. Why not
Ono always thinks of you two as &C
nearly husband and wife that these
petty formalities seem out of place t,
my notion. It's half year to the we'd
ding aud the poor devils there, work
ing night and day to be ready for it,
Why shouldn't he have glimpse o.
you to keep bis heart up?"
| "It was a kind though Of you
Charley" said Miss Demar, after I
pause.
| Her ooolness irritated Knapp. H.
Railways had doubted whether she va
quite competent to appreciate Z mar
like Kenyon. Charley was very font
Of Mary, but she was only a. younge
brother to him. He had knucklet
With her At marbles and talked owe
! bis business to her ever since the,
we're grown. Coming too close, he hat
grown blind to tho beauty 10 her thin
singular face, and to the indescribabl
sway which she held over other men.
| "Here she is, with her admirable
sense, downright as a sledge-hammer,'
be thought, as they walked over th.
1grass, "and Kenyon full of subtle, del
icate fsueies. He'll be dashed t