The Red Cloud chief., 1874-08-15

picture. 1t 70 happened that I had
never seen her her brief hour Of
youthful bloom had been spent before
l returned, al army officers widow,
from my hard life on the Western
frontier. Often, | would stand and
look at the picture by the hour.-it
fascinated me; then %rou,iDg myself
from my revery. | would complete u;
rounds, a.d 40 back to my room.
After Mrs. Morton had been gone
about a month, | had a visit from Mr..
Ay>cough. He was a pale aud inter-
estlng young man, very refined and
educated, evidently much Influenced
by his sorrow. He talked necessarily
about his wife, and was Interested Ia
my admiration Of her portrait. He
took ne 10 to show me some of the
contents of the trunks. To my nor
TOR | found that some very valuable
icwclry aud silver comprised part OF
that mysterious luggage which bad
never been uDpacked.
But, Mr.. Ayscough," | exclaimed,
you are not goibs 10 leave these val
liable things here In thus empty house,
unlocked and strewn about in these
trunks, and no one bu, me to take care
VI them I"
He laughed a sort Of empty lsuyr,
as If he did not care much what be-
came of them, aud gave me no sort OF
satisfaction. FROM that moment, |
do not know why, | began to feel
troubled. l had had the comfort OF
seeing all the family silver carried of
to the bank before Mrs. Morton vent
away, and, if | had ihought of then
at all, | was convinced that all burg
lars were aware Of that fact and would
never trouble lie ~ the least. Now |
had a sort OF Uneasy sensation abou,
Mr.. Ay,cuugii ) room winch | would
gladly have hal remOycd-in fact, it
became the focus Of many uneasy sen
satIuns.
81. .Ay>cough like to come to the
library and look over the new books
which were sent to NE TO critici>e.
One day he took ny a boob on Spirit
uailsm which SOou fascinated him.
was extremely sorry when | saw how
he fastened TO it and began to drink 10
a sort of dangerous comfort from it.
lie talked to me about it, and asked
me if | had any belief in the commun-
ion of spirits.
He found q most robust unbelieycr
in Inc. All my habits Of thought, my
rough experience of life, my anti nerv
u temperament were against the
theory and practice of Spirituali>m.
lie went away after a few Gays, and |
returned 20 my lonely life. Perhaps |
WAS not sorry when | heard one day
the unusual sound of = voice asking
for at the front door, and went down
TO see my nephew Richard, a good
young fellow from the West. who had
come to the city TO make. his fortune.
and who had found me out.
Richard was Of course very anxious
10 see the sights of the great metropO-
lis, so We agreed to make a tour Of
the amu>emeuJs. He took me out of
an evening, perhaps three times Il
week. remember being very much
charmed with n pair Of acrohats, a
man and woman, wuo we're entirely
IndeI endent Of the law of gravitation,
and who sailed through the air ION
the filing trapeze" with all the apiomb
and fearlessness of birds. Richard
used to laugh at NE a. /, night after
night declaredlin favor Of the acrobsts.
The woman was a beautiful creature,
anu had for ne \ str ange and weird
attraction which | could not account
for, but il is unnecessary to try to &C
: count for some things, | began at this
time to believe that | was growing
fanciful, a thing which never had Oc-
Cured before. Once or twice l had
sleep,e>s nights. | thought a great
deal TOO much about the jewelry and
silver in MIR. Ay>cough'srOom and |
began to make my inspections Of the
house with q sort of anxiety.
Que of my great pleasures, particu-
larry of Sunday evening, had been
to have Thomas light all the gas that
| might see the works Of art to advan-
tage aud 1t gave to NE, too, q sense
OF companion,hip which / needed.
On that evening Nancy ami ThomAs
took their only pleasure. They went
out, leaving me entirely alone. The
policeman In the square had become
somewhat of an acquaintance of mine,
and l bad provided myself with u
whistle by which | could call him if
necessary in these periods Of utter
loneliness. Sometimes, rs he walked
under the window, | would step to the
balcony aud speak to him . long As
| heard his tramp, tramp, l Was not
utterly isolated.
One Sunday evening l was walking
up and down, looking particularly IT q
tine Venetian picture, 3 wilderness
of color aud action.-one of those pic
turss Of Leutze, 10 which . N, rad Of
events are pictured rs going % At the
same time when my eyes vas IRE
sistibIy drawn toward 4 mirror, aud |
saw good God! what did l see IA
" g. ~H-arA.