Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-04-01

At last Leila was confined to her
room, and most of the time to her bed.
No one was allowed to see her but
her father, Adrian, and the two physic
ians.
The family physician, DR.. Adams,
continued to visit her though he felt
that the case was a hopeless one.
In agony of mind, almost equal to
death, Adrian watched the progress of
the strange, unknown disease.
1t baff1ed all their skill, and she be :
came SO changed that her intimate
friends would scarcely have recognized
the once fresh, rosy, beautiful girl.
1t was plain to the distressed lover
that he must give her up; the dark
angel Death had singled her out, and
she could never wear bridal crown on
earth.
She was atterly unable to sleep
without the aid of a powerful opiate.
This DR.. De Vaux prepared and adj
ministered. Under its influence she
would sleep soundly all night, to wake
nnrefresled in the morning, more wear
led and weaker than before.
One night her father, who had never
left her bedside all day, prepared to
administer the usual medicine before
leaving her for the night.
He did not see De Vaux, when, on
making his usual daily visits few
hours before, adroitly manage to ex-
charge the little white paper contain
ing the opiate powder and leave anoth-
er In its place, more deadly and fatal
in its effect.
Too weak to refuse, Leila swallowed
the potion, and almost instantly sank
into deep sleep.
Leaving her to the care of the nurse,
a middle-aged woman who always
slept in the room, Col. Sumner retired
to his room. Extremely fatigued, he
fell asleep almost before his head
touched the pillow.
He was awakened before daylight
by the hurrying of feet and unusual
noise. Springing from his bed he
threw on his dressing~gown and rushed
out into the hail. At the foot of the
stairs he met Mrs. Blair. the nurse, who
with livid face and motionless lips,
pointed towards the door of Leila's
LII AL InsuanJ lne alarmed father was
oy the bedside. There lay his child,
Just as he had left her the night before,
her lips and eyes half open the long
,ilken hair hung down over the snowy
pillow, the face colorless as the linen
Itself. He raised the slight form, he
shook and tried to rouse her, all his
efforts were useless she was dead.
Col. Sumner, distracted with grief,
refused to see any one.
To Adrian the blow was equally
great. Weak and sick in body and
mind he wandered about like lost
spirit.
About three days, or the third night
after Leila's burial, the bereaved lover.
worn out with grief and loss of sleep,
threw himself, all dressed, on his bed
and fell asleep. He dreamed he was
passing down the street and that he
saw Leila follow De Vaux into his
office. He tried to 60 after her, but
the door was closed and fastened
through which she had passed. But
while he stood looking at the door the
window of the laboratory above his
head was raised and the girls white
face appeared. With wild beseech-
ing expression of both face and motion
she reached her thin, white hands to-
ward him and seemed to wave or
beckon him toward her. As she did
80, De Vaux, with q face black and
fierce with passion, grasped her by
the shoulder and drew her back. At
the same instant he awoke and sprang
from the bed. In a moment his mind
was clear, he knew he had been asleep
and dreaming. He sat down in a
large armchair by the open window
and bought of his dream; it was only
dream after all, but its effect was un-
pleasant.
He thought of his lost bride, of his
great grief, till overcome by emotion,
he wept only as a strong man in the
depths of his first great sorrows can
weep.
At last he grew calmer, and unable
to endure the silence OF his chamber, he
rose, put on his hat and walked out in
to the silent street. As he stepped from
the door, the city clock struck two.
Involuntarily. he took the road
towards their Office, and in few mo-
ments stood between the door.
Looking up he was surprised to see
light burning dimly in the windows
of the laboratory.
He stood gazing at the window and
thinking of his dream when the
shadow of form passed between the
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