Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-04-17

/ saw q woman's form, bent with age
face intersected with lines and wrin.
kles like map, from which nose and
chin stood out like mountain peaks, and
the sunken eyes cleaned like the fiery
depths of two volcanic craters.
stop my leddyP she cried, "the gates
of death are open before ye! TAX my
hand and let HE lead you, and thank
God, my bairn, that Elspa was near you
in your peril"
had heard of Elspa as woman who
dealt in herbs and simples, but / had
heard of her as one with uncanny repu.
tation. She was spoken of as "the wise
woman" but the words were uttered as
if they meant witch"
confess l was half afraid to accept
her guidance, but she stamped her foot
and by gesture strong as words gave me
to understand that had been walking
toward a precipice, and three steps far.
ther would have borne me to destruc-
| tiOn.
What landmark she had know not
but think she seemed to feel her way
with her feet. At all events, after about
an hours cautious stepping, we stood
below the mist, the blue lake cleaning
| like mirror still further down, and my
uncle's house within sight. Conscious
of the service she had rendered, l did
not confine my thanks to words, but was
liberal with my coin.
As she took "the siller," she scanned
my face curiously, then seized my hand
and peered into it closely, while a sort
of creepy sensation (excusable in girl
of nineteen) stole over me.
"Once, twice, thricep Three perils,
my bonnie Teddy. One is past. The
ithers lie before. Perils of your ain
seeking The gates of death stand in
the path of your true love. Open them
not with rash or needless hands before
the year be out, or love may mourn for
love that couldna bide. The air of
mountain and lake is na guide for We,
bairn. Keep mair at hame and dinnO be
misdoubtin'. There's guide God above
a.! Rememberl One danger is over
past. TAX heed ye seek not the ithers
and dinna scoff at old Elspa's warning
words
The old woman trotted off with her
basket on her arm, a rusty black bonnet
on her head, garments poor but clean,
and only small check wooden handker-
chief to protect her from the chilly
mountain miStS.
1 had scarcely decided whether to
laugh at her maunderings or to yield to
the superstitious feeling she had AVA
kened, when 1 opened the house door to
find all within in a state of excitement.
1t was long past our dinner hour and
my absence had alarmed them. Ot
course, explained the cause of my de-
lay, and it was only by Aunt Ritsons
agitation that fully cOmprehended the
danger had escaped. l think her
mOtherly concern made me more COM
municatiye than usual.
We were still speaking of Elspa when
my uncle came in.
"Ahw said he, as Winnie helped him
off with his overcoat. "Ahl my dear,
you might thank your stars Elspa was
on the mOuntain-side. l dare say she
had followed you. The old ScOtch-wO-
man is shrewed and far-seeing; she has
turned her eighty years experience to
account, has good practical knowledge
of common ailments and curative SIM
Piles. should lose my own credit or
might do worse than take her as an as
sistant;;" and he laughed. "Then she
can read character with any physiogno-
mist in the world, and the silly folk,
think her prophetic, when she is only
clear-eyed."
think uncle was using an invisible
probe. know l eolOred, and he laugh
ed again, but said nOthing-nOr did l.
The excitement had not all been on
my account. Bella had received an in
vitation to spend some months with a
newly-married friend in London, and
goOd-natured Winnie was in high glee
Even aunt acknowledged it was "a
chance not to be missed, if possible" and
l saw her glance furtively in Uncle Rit-
sons face, which / fancied was graveT
than usual. Still, possibilities were not
discussed in my presence. 1t was not
until had retired to my own pretty
room for the night, that overheard the
sisters discussing the problem, unmind-
full of the thin partition between the
head of my bed and theirs.
l found the mOney-Or its scarcity
stood in the way, and heard the changes
of the matrimonial market calculated
with a balance greatly in favor of Lon
don.
Money! How 1 hated the wordl ]
would have given every shilling / pos
sessed to be assured that Edgar Neville
was true to me, and would seek me out
when the period of probation prescribed
by my father was gone by. But where
could he seek for me? Correspondence
had been forbidden. He knew not my
address and my father had withheld Ed
gar's from me. All, how he repented be-
fore he diedl How glad he would have
been to have left me in those strong,
protective armsl
soon bridged the monetary difficulty
over in spite of my uncles opposition,
and 1 think l showed something of my
old self in the spirit with which enter
ed into the needful preparations for
Miss Ritson's launch ON the sea of Lon
don society, little thinking what might
be its import to myself.
1t was May when she went. / Sug-
gested that she should tighten her
mourning, being about to visit bride
"a hint she seemed glad to take, for her
pretty lavender bonnet set OFF her face
much better than her heavy Grape.
She kissed me very heartily before she
got into the gig beside her father, to be
driven to the station, to which her boxes
had already been despatched, and l felt
more satisfied with myself than l had
done since had crossed the Cumberland
border.
Letters filed with the wonders she
had seen and the places she had visited
broke up the monOtOny of our lives.
Then came one from Hastings, in which
she told of her introduction to Mr..
Neville.