Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-07-08
. TERRIBLE ALTERNATIVE.
BY LADY DUFFUS HARDY.

II" on seem to be very much struck by
that picture" said my old friend the
Colonel flor, as | don't. mean to betray
family secrets, shall speak of him as the
Colonel only, at whose cosy nook in
Buckinghamshire had quartered mysel
tor a few days. The picture he alluded to
certainly had attracted an unusual amount
of my attention, considering that, as a rule,
am strangely deficient in artistic taste.
We'll, yes" | answered, my eye re-
turning to rest on that particular object
which had attracted it many times before;
regarding it as IA picture | should say it
is by no means the best of your collection,
but, regarding it as a portrait, there is
something about it that fetches' me. 1t
is not that the face is either handsome or
intellectual, but there is Il strange, weird
something about it which the artist seems
TO have caught fresh from the living face
and transferred to the canvas, and which
all his after art had failed to paint OUT
The picture which gave rise to these OBJ
servations was that of man certainly not
past middle age, dressed in the fashion of
the earlier period Of the reign of George
III The face and figure, as regarded
mere form and feature, were common.
place enough there was nothing sufii
GENTLY remarkable in the portrait to attract
more than passing observation; indeed,
on looking at it, you felt it ought to repre-.
sent kindly, genial gentleman; but some
ow il didn't. There seemed to be some.
thing behind it, working out through the
painted eyes as though it or they had
seen what they should not and were
haunted by some awful mystery that
would not be hidden even in the grave.
Turning my back upon it | shifted the
conversation, and my friend seemed by
no means displeascd to dismiss the sub
iect. We had long, gosspy chat on
many matters interesting to old friends
who meet but seldom and with long
lapses of time between. 1t was late be.
fore we could make up our minds to sep
arate. At last, as | left the room, candle
stick in hand, could not help, against
my will, casting furtive glance at the
portrait and hastily shut the door behind
me. was dead tired for had come off
long journey; but when got to bed it
was long time before | could compose
myself to sleep, and when | did | was
troubled in my dreams. The portrait had
followed me upstairs, slipped into the
room after me, and tried to get into the
bed beside me; but, falling in that, went
ana leaned against the wall and came out
q the frame and climbed up to the top of
my bed, hid in the curtain folds, and null
tp!ied itself Ivy thousands, till the whole
atmosphere above and around me was
nlled with the one weird, strange face.
In the morning my friend hoped | had
sept well. | told him the sort of purga.
tory had endured, adding
am sure there is some grim secret
connected with that picture; you may as
o. toll -l,,+ Il :,
secret promise to keep it sacred.''
Well,' he answered, after moments
reflection, there is a painful story con-
nected with it, The portrait is that Of my
grandiather-Dr Matthias, let us call him.
lie was one of the physicians in ordinary
george Ill, which position he occupied
long before he had reached midde-age.
ne was courteous genial, kindly man,
lall OF those social qualities which make "A
man favorite Of society. So much |
have heard. When | knew him things
We're different. In the year no. full of
A--h spirits and pleasant anticipations, he
went on the Continent for a months holi.
Jay he came back at the end of il an al.
'tFrd man-his genial nature clOuded with
an lneradicable gloom. He gave I'D all
practice, all society; bought this place and
settled here: he received no visits. paid
none; he lived in his library among his
BOOKS, occasionally taking long, solitary
Iamoies about the country. His nature
u'j not degenerate into harshness, but a
strange melancholy possessed him; its
cause was unknown, so was its cure. He
,lfned his back upon the world, and,
enough he was no world scorner, nothing
would induce him to enter it again. He
i Wldower and his only SONNY
.-,AeF-was then boy at Harrow. You
may imagine this was not lively place
i"r high-spirited young fellow To- come
-2me to; they saw little of each other.
II due time my father married and | was
t.in. Years passed and one wiutry night.
Wien was about eighteen wears old. we
r. eiyed telegram summoninr Us here
"- cane, and were shown into the room