The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-04-07
The Yelled Portrait

In the year suSequeht W "ho Ste"
Bengal mutiny, I found myself home
on sick leave. Ny health had beer
injured by service in India, and by
our sufferings subsequent on the re
volt while my nervous system hae
been so seriously shaken by grape
shot wound received at Lucknow
that it was completely changed, ant
1 became cognizant Of many things
so utterly new to me, and so bowild
ering, that until l read Baron Reich
cnbach work of magnetism and crys
tulism, l feared that l was becoming
insane.
Nearly year had elapsed since
the mutiny. The massacre at Delhi
Lucknow, Cawnporc: and elsewhere
had been fully avenged by that army
of retribution which marched from
Umbailum, and I found myself in
London, enfecbled, enervated, and, as
the saying is, "weak as o child
The hustle of the great capital stun
ned and bewildered me thus / glad
ly accepted q hearty invitation which
l received from Sidney Warren.
Who, thought I, that was lord Of
such place could dream Of bIoiling
in India-of sweltering in the white
washed barrack at Dumdun, or the
thatched cantonments of Delhi OF
Meerut
My friend came hurrying forth tc
meet nc.
allow goes it, old fellow Wei
come to my new quarters" he ex
claimed.
"Well, Sidney, old man, how arc
your
Then VIC grasped each others hands
as only brother soldiers do.
I found Warren, whom l had not
seen since the commencement Of the
revolt, nearly as much changed. and
shattered in constitution rs myself
He received me, however, with all
tho warmth Of his old comrade, fol
we had thousand topics in common
to con over a while, the regiment,
which neither Of us might ever sec
again-he certainly not, as he had
sold out-would prove an endless
source of conversation.
Sidney Warren was in his fortieth
year, but looked considerable older
His once dark hair and coal-black
mustache were quite grizzled now
The expression Of the face was one
of intense sadness, as if some secret
grief consumed him while there was
a weird and farseeing expression that
led mo To fear he was not fated to be
long in this world. Yet he had gone
through the storm of the Indian wal
without receiving even q scratch p
Why was this ?
Before I had spent two days with
Sidney, he had shown me all tho OBJ
jects of interest around tho Warner
and in it, though there was one oh
ject which he would neither show
nor permit me to look upon, ant
which seemed to make him shivcr o.
shuddcr whenever it caught his eye
and this was picture Of some kim
in the library-a room he very rarely
entered. 1t was the size of life
portrait. but covered closely by
greenhaize hanging. Good tast
compelled me dcsist from talking t,
him on the subject, but 1 resolved t.
crafty my curiosity on the first con
venient occasion; 80 one day whc
he was absent at the stable court
drew back the hanging of this mys
terious picture.
1t proved to ho the full-length po,
trait Of a very beautiful girl-a prou
and stately one, too-bordering o
blooming womanhood. Her feature
were clearly cut and classic; sho ha
an olive colored complexion ths
seemed to tell another land tha
England, yet the type of her raj
beauty was purely English. Her a
tire was o green ridipg-habit, til
5 skirt of which was gathered in be
left hand, while the right graspe
the bridal Of her horse. 1t was M
a portrait of his wife, whom l +
member to have been O fair haire
little woman; so who was the my
terious lady.
"Herein," thought I, "lurks son
mystery which may never be cleart
up TO me-" But in this surmise l W;
wrong, for one night-the night
Sunday, the 10th Of May, the fir
! anniversary of the outbreak of Me
rlt, after we had discussed an exec
lent dinner, Warren became sudden