The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-04-09
WAS 1T A VISIONP

without the occurrence of some peculiar
event that can not be explained away by
auy usual wav of solving doubts. i tell
YOU the simple tale that follows as twas
told to me. | only premise it by stating
that it is strictly true, the names alone
being fictitious.
On one of the principal streets of the
city of Savannah stands large, massive
ly built house. 1t had been a palatial
horne in the days when the century was
still in its youth, but gradually as the
city expanded it grew beyond it, until
commerce, with its noisy traffic, invaded
its quiet precincts, rendering it unfit FOR
home,
The original owners clung to its clus-
tering memories, but when in due time
they were gathered to their fathers the
young surviving members concluded to
leave the old mansion and seek quieter
quarters elsewhere. There was an only
daughter, fair young girl, about to be
married to gentleman living in the
northern part of Georgia. She pleaded
hard that she might be married from the
old home, 20 the closing scene before the
desertion of the homestead was the mar
riage of Anna Neville to the man OF her
choice. The plan of the house was very
simple. The library and dining room
occupied the whole Of the English base
ment. The drawing-rooms above were
reached by a solid mahogany stairway,
winding up from tn front door, which
opened directly on the street. These re-
ccption-rooms could be divided by fold
ing doors, but they rarely served their
purpose, and the entering guest was I'M
pressed by the long vista seen through
the depths of the splendid mirrors at
each end Of the apartments. Such were
the rooms that received the elite OF Sa-
vannah for the last time, and the young
bride herself left the following day never
more in the flesh to see her old home.
Everything was dismantled-trans-
ferred to another ho'lse-and IN a few
months every room was iltted up Tor the
occupancy OF professional men with
names outside each Office door. As the
shadows OF night deepened one llght al,
ter another would be extlngulsheo, unit
a long silence reigned throughout the
night, only broken occasionally by some
rat on forage.
Ten years have passed. The war has
mtervened, breaking up old channels of
life, and creating interest i'll new paths.
Not a member of the Neville family re-
mained in Savannah, and the old house
was in an agents hands to keep or change
its occupants as he thought proper. New
people had come in, too-the strong en-
ergetic element that IN time waS to
lcavcn the Southland among them two
brothers in the prime Of life, one ply
sician, the other lawyer They had
rented the drawing-rooms, each occupy
ing his own office, and keeping the fold
ing door sufficiently ajar to admit of easy
egress from one room to another.
This brings us to particular evening
in the winter of 1877, when DR. John
Mortimer had left his front office under
the care of his brother James, then busily
preparing briefs for the next day in
court. The outer door was locked and
the key deposited, as usual, in a given
place, The brothers were methodical in
their work, and generality timed their
duties that one should be at home when
the other was absent. Ii was between 3
aud 6 o'clock, the suns rays had gone
beyond the windows, but the daylight
was still clear and distinct for continued
writing. As James Mortimer still leaned
on his desk wholly occupied with the
work before him, he was made conscious
OF some ones approach by the shadow
cast upon the paper.
Hastily raising his head, he saw before
him tall, lovely young woman. Her
movements were so deliberate that he
took in her whole presence at a glance.
Her golden hair swept in long waves from