The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-16
A NIGHT OF TERROR.

''The quetuie and fresh air Of the country
will soon, / hope, quite restore your health,
dear sister Bessie
II hope so, Sampson"
''But it Is very dull, uncle"
mot SO gay, Nelly, as London. But you
must not think of your own qualification,
but your dear mothers health; and I am
sure she would have died If she had remained
any longer in that foggy, impure atmos-
phere."
'Indeed aunt, do think Of her. / know
nothing of London gayety, and we live In a
very quiet part, almost as quiet as this,
but"
She checked the words that rose to her lips,
but could scarcely repreSS SILVER as her eyes
glanced around the -wainscotted walls,
darkened by the dust of at least a century,
unreleved by picture or ornament. 1t was a
large, gaunt apartment, with a heavy carved
mantelpiece, sparsely furnished with lumber
ing old-fashioned furniture illumined only by
a single tallow candle, the feeble rays Of
which scarcely extended beyond the table up
on which it stood, and left the extremities Of
the chamber In impenetrable gloom.
Although 1t was autumn, and chilly wind
was whistling without there was no fire In
the wide black CRATE
Seated near the candle was woman en-
ployed upon darning stockings; a thin,
shrivelcd up woman, dressed In frowzy black,
with weakened, pallid face, bitter mouth,
slight gray stony eyes, gray hair drawn
down in bands to the tips Of the ears; over all
look Of care almost amounting to suffering
Her age might not have exceeded forty,
although she looked fifty.
Such was Rebecea Armstrong.
Exactly opposite to her sat her husband,
Sampson Armstrong, q pale, flabby-looking
man, with q bald head a fiat nose, a large,
coarse mouth, always smiling, and very
small, deeply sunken, fugitive eyes, that
never looked straight at any person their
owner addressed but shifted and glittered
like reptiles.
Seated in an arm chair was stout woman,
wrapped in shawls, with sickly, weary look
upon her comely features.
Standing behind her chair was a pretty,
dark-haired girl, with sweet, pensive face
These were Mrs. and Nellie Armytage
whose relationship to the other personages
described has already transpired.
To pass off that little shiver which the con-
temptation Of the room had caused, Nelly
went over to the window and drew aside the
dlngy green curtains and looked out No
more enlivening prospect met her eyes with
out than within: a belt Of dark trees. broken
In the middle, giving glimpse OF mist
covered fields beyond, lighted UP fitfully by
the moon, as the dark hurrying clouds swept
across her face; deep silence, broken only
IF uipI nd no h
ing Of the trees.
She quickly closed the curtains and went
back to her mothers chair and, kneeling
down beside It, clasped one of her hands.
You are cold, DEAR" said she; then turn
ing timidly toward her aunt, Gould not we
have had fire lit in your room; we can
not afford one so early in ours" was the an
swer.
"Oh, aunt, it need not be any expense to
you" p0-'7' "
"Never having been accustomed to luxu-
ries, we do not miss them To have what you
do not require is a waste" was the sharp re-
joinder. Then she added, In a milder tone.
'Of course it is different with Bessie-she Is
an invalid"
II think we will 90 to our room at once"
said Nelly, much abashed by this speech.
Mamma is chilly, you know, and we have
been travelling all day, and are both very
"Oh, you must not go until your cousin
Jabez returns" interposed Sampson. Il ex-
pect him every moment, and he would be
In terrible way il he did not see you. We
have talked of you so much, and he is SO
eager to see his beautiful cousin, he Is quite
in love with you already"
There was a startling difference between
the sharp, grating tones OF thu wife and the
Soft, woully voice of the husband; but at
that moment Nelly thought the former pre-
ferable, as being the more genuine.
Further reflection was here interrupted by
the loud bang of door, followed by heavy
footsteps and loud whisting, and the next
moment fifth figure was added to the
group.
A man dressed in shabby-genteel gar
ments, redolent of stale tabacco, with a face
strongly resembling the elder mans, except
that the treacherous cunning of the one was
replaced by look of insolent audacity in
the other. He was flushed. and his gait was
rather unsteady.
Nelly looked round at the entrance of this
newcomer, and instinetively crept closer to
her mother
But Jabez-for 1t was he-without waiting
Ior word of introduction, caught the fright
ened girl up in his arms and kissed her with
loud smack.
',Ha, my pretty cousin, welcome to Fen
gaze : !! ne cried, in hoarse. boisterous tone.
You've ruined us. Will you never rest
until you have brought us both to the work