The Portland daily press., 1877-08-27
actually entertained the incredible idea for a

terialized memories of myself and another as
| we once walked this same PATH
The young man bowed as Mr.. Morgan
ended, in manner indicating his acceptance
of the apology, although he looked both
amazed and amused. But the explanation
had very different effect upon the girl at his
side. As she listened her eyes had filled with
tears, and her face had taken on a wonder
fully tender pitiful smile When he ended
speaking, she impulsively said: "Pm SO sorry
we were not what you thought us! Why not
pretend we are, tonight at least? We can
pretend it you know. The moonlight makes
| anything possibe;;" and then gancing at
Miss Rood she added, as if almost frightened
"Why, how much we look alike. I'm not
sure it isn't true, any way"
This was in fact, an unusually marked ex-
ample OF those casual resemblances between
strangers which are sometimes seen. The
hair OF the one was indeed gray, and that OF
the other dark, but the eyes were of the same
color by night, and the features, except for
the greater fullness of the younger face, were
cast in the same mould while figure and bear
ing were strikingly similar, although day
light would doubtless have revealed diversi-
ties enough that moonlight refused to dis
close.
The two women looked at each other with
an expression almost of suspicion and fear,
take was certainly excusabe, sir"
ut will be easier to pretend" said the girl
as with halfserious, halfsportive imperi-
business she laid her hand on Mr. Morg ans
arm. Sand now it is 30 years ago, aud we
are walking together" He involun tarily
obeyed the slight pressure, and they walked
slowly away, leaving the other two after an
embarrassed pause to follow them.
For some time they walked in silence. He
oil ofalr, ohopI IL
illusion, supported as it was by the evidence
of his senses, that he was wandering in some
OF the mysterious between worlds that he
had so often dreamed of, with the love of his
youth in her youth-time charm. Did he
really believe it to be so? Belief is term
quite irrelevant 10 such frame as his, in
which the reflective and analytical powers
are for time pnrposey held in allegiance.
The circumstances of her introduction to
him had dropped. from his mind as irrele-
want accidents, like the absurdities which
occur in our sweetest and most solemn
dreams, without marring their general i'm
preston in our memories. Every glance he
threw upon his companion, while on the one
hand it shocked his illusion in that she
seemed so likely to vanish away, on the other
strengthened it with an indescribable thrill,
by the revelation of some fresh trait of face
or figure, some new expression, that repro.
NaSSo eAO 4AAioo 1sOON VI LIS yOubus NUI, Ill
deed, that it is likely his companion was thus
perfectly the double of that lady, although so
well resembling her, but the common graces
OF maidenhood were in Mr.. Morgan's mind
the peculiar qualities of the only woman he
had ever much known.
Of bis own accord he would not have dared
to risk breaking the charm by word. But
his companion-who, as is tolerably evident
by this time, was Mabel French-had mean
VI s2A H. T..
audacious temper She had at once recog-
nized both Mr.. Morgan and Miss Rood, and
had gone thus far from mere romantic i'm
pulse, without definite intentions of any
sort. But the idea now came into her head
that she might take advantage of this ex-
ira ordinary situation to try matchmaking
experiment, which instantly captivated her
fancy. So she said, while ever so gently
pressing his arm and looking up into his face
with an arch smile (she was recognized as the
best amateur actress in her set at home) 81
wonder if the moon will be so mellow after
we are married?"
His illusion was rudely disturbed by the
shock OF an articulate voice, softly and low as
she spoke, and he looked around with a
startled expression that made her fear her
role was ended. But she could not know
that the eyes she turned to his were mirrors
where he saw his dead youth. The two
Miss Roods-the girl and the woman, the
past and the pres ent-were fused and become
one in his mind. Their identity flashed up
on him.
An artesian well sunk from the desert sur
face through the underlying strata, the layers
OF ages, strikes some lake long ago covered
over, and the water yelling up converts the
upper waste into garden. Just so at her
words and her look his heart suddenly filled,
as If it came from afar, with the youthful
passion he had felt toward Miss Rood, but
which, he knew not exactly when or how,
b ID been gradually overgrown with the dull
ness of familiarity and had lapsed into an in
dolent, affectionate habit. The warm, vo-
luptuous pulse of this new feeling-new and
yet instantly recognized as old brought with
it flood of youthful associations, and com.
mingled with the present in confusion more
complete and more intoxicating than ever.
He saw double again. "Marriedp' he MUIR
INJURED dreamily. "Yes, surely we will be
married"
And, as he spoke he looked at her with
such peculiar expression that she was a
little frightened. 1t looked like more seri-
GUS business than she had counted on, and
Tor moment, if she could have cut and run
perhaps she would have done So But she
had the strain of the true histrionic artist
about her, and with little effort rose to the
difficulty of the role. ''Of course we will be
married." she replied, with an air of inno-
cent surprise. You speak as if you lad
just thought of it,
He turned toward her as if he would sober
his senses by staring at her, his pupils dilat-
ing and contracting in the instructive effort
to clear the mind by clearing the eyes.
But with steady pressure on his arm she
compelled him to walk oh by her sipe. Then
she said in soft, low voice, as if a little
awed by what she was telling, while at the
same time she nestled nearer his side: 81 had
sad dream last night, and your strange talk
reminds me of it. 1t seemed as if we were
old and white haired and STOPPING, and went
wandering about, still together, but not mar
ried, lonely and broken. And woke up,
feeling, you can't think how dreary and sad
as If bell had toled in my ears as l slept;
and the feeling was so strong that put nv
fingers TO my face to find if it was Withered
and when could rot tell certainly got up
and lit the lamp and looked in the glass; and
my face thank God! was fresh and young;
to think OF the poor old people had left be-
hind in my dream"
Mabel had so fallen into the spirit of her
part that she was really crying as she ended.
Her tears completed Mr.. Morgans mental
confusion, apd he absolutely did not know
whom he was addressing or where he was
himself as he cried:
it shall never be.''
Lightly withdrawing her hand from his
arm, she glided like sprite from his side, and
was lost in the shadows, while her whispered
words still sounded in his ear, "Good by for
thirty years.
A moment after, three notes, clear as a
birds call sounded from the direction with
ershe had vanished, land Miss Rood's compan-
ion breaking OFT short remark on the eXces-
slVe dryness OF the weather, bowed awkWardly
and disappeared among the shadows.
When Miss Rood laid her hand On Mr..
Morgan's arm to recall him to the fact that
they were alone together, he turned quickly,
and his eyes swept her from head to foot and
then rested on her face with an expression of
intense curiosity and a wholly new interest,
as if he were tracing out suddenly sug-
gested resemblance which overwhelmed him
with emotion. And as he gazed, his eyes be-
gan to take fire from the faded features on
which they had rested so many years in mere
complacent friendliness, and she instinctively
averied her face. Long intimacy had made
her delicatey sensitive to his moods, and
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