The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-10-11
Select Story.
HEARTS AND HANDS.
In Overidnd Monthly.

am a widow with one son and one daugh-
ter. We live on the Northwestern coast Of
Scotland, in spacious house. built $50 years
ago by one Of our ancestors. | have heard
that he was naval officer in the British
service, aud had lived under the English
! flag, wherever the breeze could bear or ocean
| FOAM until, weary with roaming, he sought
this world-(orgetting spot, mariiesling his
enduring love for the ocean by settling with
in the sound of the sirens voice, yet safe |
from her embrace. The mansion which lac |
built must be an emblem of himself-half !
feudal, halt modern-cinging to graceful
tradition, yet mindful ofliving facts. Every
thing in and around the dwelling and the
place suggests to me the symptoms of family
traits the wild shore unuvested save by
the heaving ocean the dark forest in one
direction, looking as though its recesses
might be the abiding places of bogies or of
beautiful fairies while, on the other hand,
lay the desolate yellow hills crowned by gray
clouds that seemed ever unwilling to yield
to sunshine.
The house itself suggested refined comfort.
1t was spacious and substantial Every part
, of it was moulded with symmetry that lent
grace to its strength, and clearly bespoke
nature cultivated and proud, secure Of his
own claims and confident of its own taste
but the lofty vestibule, the wide stairway,
: and the spacious halls were imbued with a
, gloom that no fancy decoration, nor music
c nor laughter, nor the intoxicaton of wine
: could unhend, for there was an invisible pre-
E siding influence that seemed to penetrate the
C hollowness of mirth and to predict the brief
c ness of JOY. From long secusion in such
g : a haunt my own mind has become as-imila-
c ted to the atmosphere, and when Iattempt
{ gayctv il is in the suhducd form which ex-
c preSse. due reverence for the stately gloom
C OF surrounding associations.
c 1t was gloomy night, the rain poured
c heavily, but the winds lay still As if specta-
c tors Of the performance Of the pitiless
9 hood-a slow henving of the tide that was
C coming in full from thesea. The fire reared
C and cracked as if trying to be hilarious in
g spite of the sullen gloom without. Cousin
G William, my children and myself sat around
e the broad hearth, and sympathetic silence
&c seemed to fall upon us all. tried in vain
&c e to think of something pleasant or cheerful
e to say, but as each idea presented itself |
&c found some fault with it, as being too light
c too sombre, or too commonplace to be worth
'cc the utterance.
,c At length, Cousin Wiliam-more in 4
,c tone, however, of soliloquy than of conver
,e sation-said
&c Yes Just thirty years tonight since he
,c died.
Nc Anything was a relief to the long silence
be and we all eagerly caught at the opportuui
,c ty.
Since who died p Whom do you mean
No Cousin William !? How strange that yol
should remember so well anything tina
ic transpired so long ago Who was it tina
&c ded?'
,gs Anyone in whom we are interested? {?
Ne asked.
,e only kinsman, he said, and one 0
y whom you havesometimes heard-our cousii
,,c Sir Hugh, who was once possessed of these
DE- domains one who enjoyed the position
Ne and advantages which wealth and title gave
ne one who had brilliant career, who shOulC
&c have had happy life, but whose death wa
&c strange ard sad
&c DO tell u.s. | said, Something about him
Sc Oc / have always felt curiosity about him. TO
o, all the intimatiOns | have had about hin
a. have been faint, indistinct glmmers moth
Uc ing plain and explicit like the details Of on
No other dead kinsmen and | am just in th
nc mood tonight to enjoy rummage into tn
oc secret drawers and hidden passages of tn
"@ "o past SO, Cousin William, if you viii la
M aside your cigar and drink this glass OF win
"c know that you can make yourself 50 en-
na tertaiuing that the beating rain aud moan
,e ing sea will be forgotten. will even volur
@c teer to place you ON the train of the fursab
C en- past by asking you if our cousin, S
Oc Hugh, was not a very eccentric sort Of pc
oc sonY
Sc Sc Rather strange, | might say reptile
zoe Cousin William, because his unlikeness
cc others did not show itself in overt actions,i i
NC do the whns of eccentric men. Society rt
Vc cOgnized him AS one conforming to the rul,
.oc and welcomed him as leader who could di,
tate its opinions or grace his pleasures. ii
o, strangeness was known to those who minge
Ice in his daily life, aud who, like myself lool
oc ed up to him, and, by chance, looked int
Oc him. lie had the faculty of obtaining I'll
,oc entire confidence of his associates withol
,,oc yielding anything in return, and, viii
seeming to open his mind to you, he was on
penetrating your thoughts so that, on con
loc pairing your revelations with what you ha
ioc heard you were made to know that you ha
''' given all and received nothing.
2'c Was he handsome p asked my daugl
lOc ter
lOc That was always mooted point sal
Toe Cousin William; those who had only a pa
~, sing view pronounced ed him almost home
10; while those who knew him well considert
lOc him ncomparably handsome, the inAuen,
900 Of his voice and manner being irresist
lac BILE
iSe iiSe i can understand exactly how it was, 'sa
YTc | even at this distance, | know that b
Joe cousin Of ours and feel his power. | belize
| can even tell you what portion of tn
lpI p"c house he built, for | can see it has sou
SIc SCc touches greatly differing from others. | b
leye that he built those two towers on Il
''' West side, that look like far seeing eyes ,tr
sVc sUc ing to catch visions of something longed f
Zoe which never came and never was to come
him. | feel as though his heart lunged {
'S wv ways for the taste of some joy it could ne
erreach, or was embittered by the thought
something toolshly thrown away
Y. You are romantic said Cousin w
liam.
. Not romantic, if you please said |, 'ou
yerY imnnssihle for nlIhnnrh as won