The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-09-04


unconscious OF the snake coiled up
among them; or child clapping its
little hands, and laughing while the
earth crumbled beneath its feet. There
were times when 1 fancied something
was wrong with his brain. One evening
l was to have a supper in my studio-a
farewell TO Anatole, who was going to
England to try his fortune. / was in
luck just then; / had sold picture, and
Anatole's departure was good excuse,
il one was needed. The table was laid
in my studio; it was gay with lights and
flowers, and other things things TO eat,
and too many things to drink, 1 fear.-
George was late. He came at last, IN
swering our uproarious greeting joyous.
ly, aud took his seat by me. saw with
some regret that he had already been
drinking, though he only betrayed it by
a certain restlessness Of manner, and a
deeper flush than usual on his face. We
were very gay, and George outshone
himself; he was full of an almost boyish
iollity, which grew wilder and more
boisterous as the night drew on.
1t was late when the conversation
driited gradually into ghostly channel.
Our party represented several nationali-
ties, and each one brought his charac-
teristic contribution, until young Ital-
ian, with pale, delicate face like an old
carving in ivory, who sat opposite to
George, began to speak Of the idea that
every face which looked into a mirror
left its indelible Impress there, until
there came to be confused mass of out.
lines invisible to unenlightened eyes,
but which under certain favorable cir
cumstances arranged themselves in or
der, and came out into shadowy distinct
ness, one after the other.
AN ancestress of NINE l heard him
saying in his dreamy voice, had mir
ror Of Venetian glass, set in frame
carved wonderfully, and swinging be-
tween twisted columns. she was beau
tiful woman, with great blue eyes, and
red gold hair like that Of Titian's wo-
men. II was said that my ancestor loved
her with such jealous rage that he could
not bear her TO even look at aught be-
side himself; even the sunlight and the
evening sky were hateful to him, because
her sweet eyes looked at them lovingly.
She must have led gloomy life at best,
in the high castle perched upon lonely
rock; and who can wonder il the painter
who came TO take her portrait stirred
little blood in those pale cheeks, if only
as sudden stone disturbs the surface of
some still mountain lake Her husband
watched her grimly, as she sat in her
thick satin dress, ,sowed with great pearls,
and her hair gathered beneath diadem,
and flowing in long locks behind.
The next morning they found her ly-
ing in the great bed-with its dark
blood.red hangings-dead. The women
who made the death toilette, whispered
that the fair neck was dark and swollen,
with the cruel grippe Of strong hands; and
it is said that when she laid in state, her
long hair was curiously dressed, 80 that
her neck and throat we're vailed by il,
and her fair pitiful face was framed like
some of the Madonnas OF Fra Angelica,
in burning gold.
THAT night my ancestor shut himself
in his wife's chamber, and in the dull
dawn they found him on the floor before
the mirror; they lifted him, but his dark
face was rigid, and his gloomy soul had
gone to its appointed place. He had
gone alone into the deserted room, and
with his dim candle went to search in
the secrets of the dead. It was mid
night, and as he looked involuntarily in
the mirror, out of its shadowy depths
suddenly looked forth the face OF his
dead wife, with all the lonely wretched-
ness and despair of her short life gath
cred into her eyes. She implored him
mutely to give rest to her poor wander
ing soul she held him with a ghostly
strength in the dark room, until she
conquered, and he fell and died before
her mirror. Aud 80 she was avenged
There was painful silence for a mo.
ment, then George laughed aloud: 'Ah,
Giovanni, how easy it is for You infdel
Italians to believe 1T is said, it is
said, that is enough for you: who knows
what your grim ancestor saw in the mir
rorl Did he come back to tell? His
own black face might be enough to
frighten the soul out of his old body
And moreover, suppose a man should
choose mirror into which no one he
knew had ever looked, what then p
Giovanni answered TRANQUILITY, "The
hand OF fate would lead him silently; he
would be constrained to choose the mir
ror holding the face which made or mar
red the past.
Look, jack George suddenly ex.
claimed, it is nearly midnight; if you
had lonely room and mirror, 1 would
try Giovanni's theory tonight
/ had q mirror and lonely room; an
antique mirror, which had found the
day before in an old shop in the Cite,
and brought home in triumph as YER
table work OF art. AS Giovanni pro-
ceeded in his story a strange fancy had
taken possession of me--for this mirror