, 1875-07-04
a TERRIBLE ALTERNATIVE

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IL ueuS. @tFa oe.o.o,
ufe. should say II ie og no meAns ene oess "
your. collection bnt, regarding It AZ portraat'
there Is something about It that 'fetches me.
Il is not that the face is either handsome or in-
.o,,o.+n., hnt +hera IN a stranee vein1 some
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thing about IL WHICH 1ne alts1 seea's 70 nase
caught fresh from the living lace ana transferred
to the canvas, and which all his after art had
f.i,od IN osint out.r
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Inc picture "n'cn s4So 4iso ~ sne7e ooee.
tions was That OF man certalblY not past mloo'e
age, dressed in the fashion Of the earlier period
If the raeu of George III. The face and figure
!. ,..r, lad rnere form and featnre. were COM
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monplace enough 'hete wa no..1as euue1an.'5 .
lemalhao4e ~ t ] ;naasa ~ ,ootng % NJ NJ !.
you felt it ought to represent kindly, genial
gentleman. but somehow it dda't. There
si - l. sn,,ath;nr bah;,d yvorL;,o ant
seemed to De sohe1n'as oeulho' "orAns ou'
through the painted eyes as though II OF hey
had seen what they should net, and Werc haunted
by some awful mystery that would not be hidden
s.sr =, +ha aT,ve' Turning mr. hack unon It
cs.n - sno s.@.. .stian ~, nv fr;snd saarn.d
shifted tpe eonFefea+'on' anu my 'eleno 'e7"eu
by no means displeased to dismiss the subject.
Wa had long, gossipy chat on many matters
;,ta-.st,ne n oId friends who meet hut seldom
4no s .s:.t ,o.. ,..aae - +;n,. hat,aon T.
and VIII lons 'apsee " tinae oes"een' -
was late before we could:ma up our minds to
separate At last, as l LETT the room, candle
stick IN hand, could nos help. agaihss my VIII.
casting furtlve glance at the portrait. and
hastily shut The door hehlnd ne. was dead
tired. for ! bad como oil long Journey bok
could compose myself to sleep, ana when %
was troubled In my dreams Tue portrait bad
followed ma up-ataiHs. enpped INTO toe room after
me, and t1led TO 8eE INTO the oeo pesioo me out,
failing in that, went ana leaned sGalnst tho
wall and came out OF tne frame ana c!lmoea qP
to the top ofrny BEG. h1d N me curtain 19ida,
and multiplied Itself by thousands, till the WHOLE
atmosphere, above and around me, was n11ed
with the one weird strange 1aco: 10 the morn,
Ing MT fraaud hoped naa ssept "eh- tola
him the sort Of purgatory had endured, aod-
ing, .,
II am sure there IS some grim secret con.
nectud with that picture; you may as well tel'
me what it is. Il it Is family secret, promise
to keep II sacred
WELL" he answered, after moment's
reflection, there is painful story connected
with it. The portrait IS that OF my grand
father-Dr. Matthias let u ca! 1lm- ae
was one OF the physiclans-l1a.o ordinary to
George ILL.,. which position no occupied
long before he had reacneo lnioaie-ae": ne
was = courteous, genial, kindly man. iuu OF
those social qualities which make man favor