Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-01-13
Will be dark work over there."


1t was that of a young girl of not more
than eighteen. Her face was very white;
her lips were full and crimson her eyes,
large, liquid and blue; her hair fell
around her shoulders. She was attired
in dress of some coarse, dark material,
with open, hanging sleeves. Tho other
was pointing over the sea. BY the hand
resting upon me she raised herself slightly
so as to bring her lips near my ear. The
voice in which she spoke was not whis-
per, nor mu;tering. 1t was II soft, clear
low sound.
As | turned and looked at her, she
pointed again, as though indicating Il
point of infinite distance, and repeated,
There will be dark work over there
dark work dark work !"
She withdrew her eyes from the drec-
ton in which her extended hand had
pointed, and rested them upon my face,
MS though to question it for IN answer to
her language. AS looked at them | saw
the gaze OF extreme distance, caused by
their having followed the direction in
which her extended hand pointed, slowly
dying out and recognition of near things
beginning to take its place.
At this moment another sight, no less
curious attracted my attention.
The figure of an old man and STOPPING
woman suddenly made itself visible at
tho farther end Of tho room. AS she
walked slowly forward to where | was
standing, she seemed unconscious that |
was there. Her countenance, the color
of old parchment, was turrowcd with II
million wrinkles. She wore n high cap
and short dross, with muslin kerchiel
pinned over her bosom. Her hands were
busy with some knitting and on that her
eyes were bent. AS sho advanced she
uttered low grooming noise, as though
her cracked voice were striving TO realize
some tune of her childhood to itself
As she reached the fireplace, my shadow
caught hor eyes, and she looked up. The
most surprising thing to me was the old
woman's absence Of surprise. She never
paused in her knitting, but looking mo
calmly in the face, exclaimed If so faint
n voice can be termed an exclamation,
$50 you have come at last, sir--come ut
last ~
at seems, then, l was expected ?"
answered, scarce knowing what answer
to make.
" Expected o, yes, you were expect
ed ;" answered the old woman, riveting
her eyes once moro upon her work.
" "Lucy"-indicating with gesture Of
her needles the girl beside me always
knows who's a comm and what's a-goin'
to take place, when she's this way.
What way ?" | asked, bending an
involuntary protective look on Lucy,
who stood, gazing at me with the same
sad earnestness.
"Ah, shafts whore it is, SIR" replied
the old woman, shaking her head. ~
know how it all is, but it's hard to ex-
plain it to strangers. Lucy has been i'll
with strange sickness for the past five
years and sometimes i think she'll be
the death Of me. AS you see her now,
sir, she's asleep. You might pinch her
black and blue all over, and she'd never
teel it. When she's awake, and in her
proper senses, she could no more stand
or walk across the room than you or
could walk across the sen out yohder
When she is fast asleep MS you sec her
now. sir, her strength comes back to her,
and she can see things that can't see.
it seems to me that her eyes go into the
hand of the dead. Long before you came
days and days agO-she said she was
going to have II visit from stranger Just
like you. And somehow or other, she
seems to connect this storm we're having
with something in her past life.
At this moment ] heard Lucy's voice
once more. The words that broke from
Lucy's lips were, " Yes. Darkness and
storm and danger and death Death for
me, death for him, death for her," (pont-
ing to her mother)-" death for all but
you ~ bringing back her eyes to rest on
me.
SO say ying, she turned her back upon
US, and walked slowly, and with dropping
head to the door.
Don't put yourself to any trouble,
sir" said the mother, as made motion
to help Lucy with my arm. "She feels
this state going off, and her time for wax
ing coming on. She will just have time
to reach her bed. She never falls, sir.
But she'll be The death of me, / know.n
As the old woman completed her SON
tence, the soft crash rs OF body falling
upon bed, came to US from the next
room.
The mother motioned me away.
Come to see her to morrow" she said.
"If you will be so kind. / will prepare
Lucy by telling her you have been here.
1t would be too much OF n shock for her
to see you now"
"But you say her predictions always
come true ?" asked.
"Yes."
" Have you no fear for yourself, then
No fear Of something imminent and near,
If what she says-storm and danger and
death-be true ?"
The old woman's eyes eyes flashed with
a strange light as he lifted them for the
last time, to mine.
"If my punishment is to come, it will
come, sir, be the punishment what it may.
| am the cause Of my child's strange dis
ease. She has been. so ever since her ia
theirs death-ever since ] forbid her