The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-01-25

anu ,IN9t ttAtplNi iltl .iilt
believe would have laid down their lives
| to gratily Il caprice OF hers. The air, too,
proved beneficial, lust rs the doctors had
said it would; her health and spirits re-
turned the roses came back TO her cheeks
and she sang like bird as she moved
through the gloomy old house. ! think.
in those days. she was as happy as the day
was long.
Sir George was an Englishman. and |
don't think that he was particularly fond
of Ireland besides he missed his clubs
and the society; but he was passionately
attached TO his young wife, and was 50
we'll pleased at the Improvement i'll her
health, that he found no fault,
One day--it was in the early SPRING
Sir George rode over TO see onr nearest
neighbor, Colonel Clare Ilerstlale. the
colonels place. was twelve miles from
Balhrogan; 50 he intended to stay the
| day, dine, and return home in the evening.
| All day the sky was dark and lowering,
and at about five o'clock n great storm
came on--vivid flashes of lightning, lOl-
! lowed bV thunder like the discharge OF ar
| tilery then torrents of rain commenced
| to pour down; the wind rOared, and the
sea was churned into yeasty mountains OF
| iram
My lady was in high spirits. she intend
| ed going to Fairholm shortly; her cousin,
Miss Mabel Harcourt. was to be married,
and Lady Aieen had promised to be pres
ent at the ceremony. | was pleased. too,
at the prospect of seeing home again. |
had been reading aloud to her all the eve
ming; The book was an amusing one, and
she had laughed merrily over it. About
eleven oc!ocl, she ordered me to bring her
up a cup of tea. When went down Tor
| it, ! found that the servants were AL go
mo to bed for at Balbrogan it was "early
| to bed and early to rise' with Il vengeance.
did not fancy early hours, So | stood
there chattering, quite forgetting my
| lady's orders until heard her bell ring
sharply. l then ran up; Lady Alleen was
| sitting III her dressing room, where 4
wood-tlre tlckercd and danced, making II
| glow like summer in the room and as She
| leaned bacl, in her large. crimson easy
chair, noticed At once that she was dead
ly pale.
''Anne :" She demanded, sharply, ''what
is the meaning of all that noise down
stairs? What is the matter ~
Il heard no noise, my lady, -" answered.
II thought | heard some one crying Just
,ol,,. thn r,i,aou, fanciod that If m;obt
NO ONO nf tho servants am, went to fho
| head OF the stairs to listen but could hear
nothing. | thought perhaps ii might be
the nder-housemad, Ellen Dooley. Par
sons told me Yesterday that her mother
was dying"
"N es, my lady; bat Ellen Is AZ home,
and they say to-niphl that the old woman
is better"
Then resumed my reading The ciuck
had lust struck twelve when shr stopped
me again suddenly.
.sAnnp. listen i certainly hear some
! body crving.'
/ laid down my book and listened in
teutlv; then |, tao. heard the aounl-a
sort of signing sob, like a person ia pam
81 .ook in the hall, Anne" aud / inne-
diately oheyed. A lamp burned iii the up-
per hall. another in the han below took
4 little hand-lamp with me. ami careful
ly searched The upper corridor, the great
broad s1aircaae. and The lower h4ll. /
even perred into The orrat state apAft-
inents. 50 gloomy and darl; IN their lonely
splen,ior but not 4 trace Of any hnlu1n
presence could find not a sound in the
whole silent, @Irepin" house, save ia"
beating OF my own heart, and That low,
s"bblnG cry Which always sounded rloar
TO my ear, t"l'i my mistress that could
iind no one, and Sh" answered sharply
"Of COURSE there il no one there. lou
are a foolish girl to indulge in such tancita
My nerves are quite nnsttuuH. Continue
Your reading"
obeyed silently, though / Was Il little
astonislled at her nann~r-lt wa 10 diff
tcrent from her ordinary Gentle way
Then, lust as | was finding my place, |
heai, that sound again louder. and ap
parentlv nearer than ever.
"lt is lust outside the window. my adV :"
| cried. lit mus! ll,. some one in sore
distress"
| hastily pushed b.trl the curtains an,i
looked out. The storm had abatc,l. and
the thunder was rolinp off slowly toWar,
the distant hills, and th. wind began to
lulI and. presently. out glimmtreu pale
watrrv moon, aid 1hpw 4 faint, pale
light over the andscape. Sometimes it
was almost obscurrd BY heavy masses OF
lnk-black clouds; but by 1t" ie=hlt rays
could see that 1u9t below the window Il
woman was standing.
She was tall-taller than any one had
ever seen, and wasrobed in a sort of loose
white garment that fell in heavy folds to
her feet. with long yellow hair which en-
veloped her like a cloud Her head was
uncovered; her disheveled tresses blown
into wild confusion by the wind Yet there
she stood in the mud and damp of the ter
race, evidently quite untroubled by wind
and weather, weeping. For moment my
amazement deprived me of utterance, then
| cried out:
1T is Il woman, my lady such q strange,
tall woman. standing on the terrace, in a
white ,iressm
"lLow absurd Of you to imagine such
things. Anne What could any one want
on the terrace at this hour?" Lady Aileen
said, almost lercely but she covered
down in her chair. covering her face with
her slender white hands as though to
close out some horrible sight and did not
attempt to come and see.
But there really is a woman there-a
woman with LONG yellow hair, and she is