Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-05-02
NO.. lO4.
Gales aud Sketehes.
A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
BY CONSTANCE STERLING.

"Can you tel me, Lydia. who that
| young lady is ?" asked Mrs. Strong, one
of the summer boarders at Wroxend
House. situated at the bluff at Carmyn
Springs.
Lydia Rowe, Mrs. Strong's intimate
| friend who accompanied her in her annual
summer ramblings, looked with some Gu
| riositv at the lady. whom her friend indi-
| Gated with wave of her gold eve glass.
"She came only this morning." she re-
piled. land have not been able TO find
out vet who she is. shall ask Mrs. Dar-
| ling"
Pray do" said Mrs. Strong. "for am
anxious to know. Doesn't it strike you
LYDIA that she has the very strangest eyes
| you ever saw ?'
Yes" replied Lydia. II cannot help
| watching her. She seems so melancholy,
and stares from the window all the time
She looks like some hunted creature, in
fear of her life"
Apparently the conversation so freely
| INDUCED in bv the two ladies, reached the
ears Of the lady who was the subject of Il,
for with a very perceptible sigh she left
her place by the window, where she had
been gazing out on the barren coast with
eyes in which a deep WEAKNESS lay. and
went out on the balcony which ran around
the entire house.
Wilfred Lyle. who for the past hour had
been smoking idly on the balcony. gazed
with interest on the tall. slight figure
which passed him, and took path which
led toward the sea shore.
| What terrible eyes !" he muttered, but
yet how beautiful they are She must be
a charming girl, and must become ac-
quainted with her. wonder who knows
her here ! A new arrival. of course, and
shall ask old Darling who she is.
As he walked toward the steps of the
balcony in search of "old Darling who
was the landlord of the Wroxend House.
A handkerchief lying on the grass at the
| foot of the flight of steps met her eyes.
He ran down at once and picked it up. In
| one corner, written in ink was the name
Lillian Gaylord"
"What pretty name ~ thought Will
fred, stuiiing the handkerchief in his
pocket. land so suited to her, too. | shall
| find old Darling directly and ask him all
| about her." Mr.. Lyle sauntered easily
about the grounds, and presently deserted
Mr.. Darling experimenting the removal
of some dead vines in the garden.
Tell me who Miss Gaylord is, and
where she is FROM" said Mr.. Lyle. Il
am half in love with her already. Darling.
but her eyes are terrible in the intensity of
| their gaze"
81 don't know much about her. Mr..
Lyle" said the landlord. 'She is here
| with Mrs. Gage, who is her aunt. They
| came this morning. and are from large
town in New York State. The lady is
Mrs. not Mss Gaylord. but she is a
| widow"
With this neagre information Wiifred
had to be satisfied, but he waited patient
| lv on the piazza until Mrs. Gaylord re-
turned from her evening stroll, and then
| stepping up TO her, returned, with few
polite words, the handkerchief he had
| found.
Lillian Gaylord thanked him, but no
smile frightened her face, which was cold
and colorless as if cut from marble. Her
eyes had in them the same wild stare as If
frozen with some horrible sight. Wilfred
felt his heart chilled when her gaze rested
on him if only for a moment.
Mrs. Strong and Mrs. Rowe were soon
acquainted with Mrs. Gage, and through
her with her niece. Lillian Gaylord but
though the aunt was found to be sociabe
and pleasant rs the days slipped BY, the
niece maintained the cold reserve which
bad been so marked on her first arrival at
| WroXend House. And yet it did not seem
so much a reserve born from haughtiness,
As OF some deep, absorbing thought with
which her mind seemed filled, and about
which she could not speak. She main
talned a strange indifference to the atten-
tions of Mr.. Lyle, though there were
several other lady guests who would have
| given much to receive attentions from
such handsome and wealthy young law
yer as he was known to be.
| As for Wilfred Lyle, he felt each day
more and more that his heart and soul
were bound up in the beautiful widow,
who treated him so coldly. He felt that
| if he persisted in his attentions she must
at last yield to them, and learn to love
| him. But when five weeks had gone by,
he saw no alteration in her manner toward
him, and resolved to learn from her own
| lips why it was that she received him so
unfavorably. 1t was toward evening of a
| glorious day in September, and the air
came fresh and invigorating from the sea
coast, toward which Wlfred went for his
evening stroll. As he neared the cliff he
saw with surprise and pleasure that Mrs.
Gaylord was seated beneath large,
ancient tree, engaged in no work, but
gazing with her unfathomable eyes into
the water Just below her. She started as
he approached, and would have risen, but
he begged her to listen to him for few
moments
Then, with hurried vehemence Wilfred
Lyle poured out the feelings of his heart
| for this cold silent woman, who never
| turned her eyes toward him during his
whole recital.
But when he had finished. she rose to
her feet and with a strange excitement
in her manner spoke hurriedly and in
wailing tone which showed that she was
suffering.
| You ask me for my love-" she said.
"know then, that have none to give you.
| shall never love again there Is no
room for it in my heart. You are kind 10
me; let US then be friends but cannot
love again"
"Will yod tell me why love can never
more enter your heart, Lilian' o. only
tell me, that may overcome any obstacle.
| can never cease to love vOu-~