The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1877-02-15
n. Y. Sunday Mercury.
Dead on Her Wedding Morn.
BY A. C. CALVIN.

Ada-with her large, soft, hazel ewes
her pure, calm brow, and form of
more than earthly grace-rises sweetlv
and quietly before my vision-gently
as the water mist from the lake, and as
beautiful as spirit, she rises from out
the shadows which the hand of time
has cast upon my memory.
Long, long ago they laid her deep be-
meath the tall, waving grass, where the
white daises grow 50 plentifully, and
where the yellow leaves chase each
other In whispering numbers, when the
summer winds have gone to other
lands.
| was a mere boy, and Ada Melville
a young girl of seventeen, at the time
of which write; but ell do 1 remem-
Der the impression made upon me by
her glorious beauty. Well do / re-
member hiding myself amid the shrub
berry, near her uncle's cottage, and gaz-
ing for hours unperceived upon the
fair young girl, az she sat in the porch
engaged upon her needle-work. And
v! what thrill of happiness | would
experience whenever she spoke to me
In those low, yet musical tones-tones
whose sweetness and melody | have
never heard equaled since in the voice
of woman.
But enough of this. 1t is of the mel
ancholy fate of Ada Melville that I am
about to write. After having been alb
sent many years from my native vii
lage, | returned and found that Ada
Melville was no more.
The melancholy fate of the fair girl
was told to me by friend and as l
learned it from his lips, SO shall re-
late 1t to the reader, although in diff
ferent style.
Ada Melville was the youngest and
handsome est of two sisters, residing with
their father near Albany. With the
moderate fortune at his disposal Mr..
Melville found means to educate both
the girls in all the gentle accomplish
ments of the fair sex. In the course of
time, Eliza, the eldest sister, grew to
womanhood, and was married to a tai
ented young lawyer-a man possessed
of considerable fortune. The young
husband took his bride to her future
elegant residence, and invited Mr.. Mel
vile, width his youngest daughter, to
take up his abode with them. The two
story cottage, however, with its clamb-
erlng vines and morning glories, had
become endeared to the old mans
heart by many tender recollections, and
he accordingly declined the invitation.
Ada, too, then young girl of sixteen
years, preferred the quiet little cottage
to the large the large three-story man
sion of of her brother-in-law.
And thus they lived in the enjoy
ment of happiness calm and holy
happiness-which shed quiet charm
over all the actions of Ada, as she grew
up under its influence. 1t was pleas
lrg sight to see them together-the old,
whlte-haired man of sixty, and the
young girl of sixteen. / have said she
was beautiful, and other people were of
the same opinion; but he whose opin-
ION seemed to weigh the most with Ada
was Herbert Glenville-a handsome
youth of twenty with dark and curling
hair.
Strange indeed it was that Ada cared
not straw when many of her suitors
told her she was beautiful; but when
Herbert said SO, it made her heart beat
fast, and brought the rich color to her
cheek. Why was this? For many
days did she repeat this question to
herself. Why should his words pro-
duce such an effect when she scarcely
Needed those of her other saitors? Her
heart told her that she loved him, but
her reason would persist in denying
the fact.
One moonlight evening, however,
Herbert and Ada were standing alone
IN the porch, and it was there lin gentle,
imprisoned tones, that the former
told his love. AS may we'll be sup
posed, Ada's judgment, like that of
her sex in general, was easily overcome
by the dictates of her heart, and she
accordingly did what any women
would have done in similar position,
viz, leaned her head upon his shoulder
and told him that his affection was re-
turned.
After some conversation which do
not consider it necessary to relate, Her
bert took leave of the young girl, who
continued to watch his receding form
till 1t has passed from her sight She
then turned around, and was about to
enter the cottage, when hand was
laid upon her arm, and low kissing
voice saluted her ear.
Stay, lady, stay; l would speak
few words with you"
Ada turned, and her cheek grew
deadly pale, IS she recognized Marco,
the Serpent.
As this is somewhat singular title
for man, consider that it needs an
explanation.
Marco was the son of a mulatto
woman, who resided in an old wooden
building at one extremity of the town.
This woman was reported to be a sor-
ceress, and was frequently applied to
by both sexes for knowledge of flu
ture events. Her apartment was
decked with the stuffed skins of ami
mails, birds Snd one or two human
skulls, which gave it strange and
gloomy aspect. In a glass case, upon
a shelf, might have been seen a num-
Der Of live snakes, which exhibited
their shiny folds to the gaze of the be-
holder as they crawled about in their
narrow abode. These reptiles were
considered necessary to the sorceress,
In her art of enchantment, which
few of the more credulous believed her
capable of practicing. As before re-
marked, Marco was this woman's son,
and the peculiar expression of his
small, black, glittering eyes, as well as
the rest of his counteneance, so re-
minded the beholder of snake, that
he received the uncomplimentary
spithet of "The Serpent" His char
acter accorded with his external ap-
pearance. He was steaIthy, treacher-
Gus and revengeful. At the time of