The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-07-24
after the heroine of story that my mother
had read, and liked very much, Just before
L. III

II was always tall, and thin, and gaunt.
| as you see Inc now, girls ltook after NV
father. He looked we'll enough lor a man,
mind you. But his features and figure did
not suit girl, and 1 was always called
'homely' from child
"But Oliver was handsome. like nv
mother. He had great blue eyes, and curl
Ing brown hair, and the brightest color, and
the sweetest smile. And Isadore was like
him, only fur more beautiful. You have
seen her portrait, down stairs"
what that lovely, that angelic child ?
cried Elfrida. wonGeringly. II thought
that was an artists ideal picture"
ut was the image of our Isadore at nine
years of age" replied Miss Mildred, irving
to cover the sudden break and trombio iH
her voice by loud ssHemi"
land at sixteen she was far beyond that
painting for beauty" continued Miss Mil
dred. Strangers used to stop in the street
to look at her and to inquire who she was
But she appeared to know nothing, and to
care nothing, about her wonderful good
looks. She was good and gentle, and al.
ways amlable, without tho least apparent
sign Of vanity.
"Ripe for heaven" our good old MINIS
ter used to say. I wish she might have
gone there them" said Miss Mildred with
a stlfled groan.
"She did not die, then!" exclaimed FL
trida. II was 80 fraid you were going to
tell us Of her deathi'
'She did not die, God help her I" 1eplied
Miss Mildred. with sigh so deep and sad
that 1t was almost groan. "Here. in this
very wing chamber, my brother Oliver
thought of it,, " she said, after a 10, pause.
"Here he called me to hclp him decide
how to carry out the plan. You see. girls
lsadore was like your friend Eyclvn-she
possessed great courage She seemed to
have no fear of anything on earth. Oliver
knew this; SO did I. And neither OF IA
expected anything more than a hearty
laugh at her expense, cr at our own, when
the evening frolic ended.
"lt was Hallow Eve. Isadore and her
dearest friend, a Nancy Bruce (who lived
then at the farm just below this one). had
agreed to try their fate, with spells, on
that evening. They dared each other to
one thing and another, aud finally Isadore
pledged herself to go into tho lonely old
north rooms, with candle, at nine o'clock
tnat evening, and eat an apple before
Grandmamma Thorne's great mirror, that
mad been stored away there for safe-keep.
Ing tor fifty years or more.
"You see, girls, the idea was that her
future husbands face was to appear to her.
looking over her shoulders, In that mirror
as she STOOD before it eating her apple.
"Well, Oliver overheard the girls plan
ming this that afternoon, and he told me.
And, as l said before, helped him, here
III this very room. that evening, while he
disguised himself IN long white dress, and
painted his face all over deathly white,
with heavy, frowning black eyebrows that
formed black arch across his forehead.
ut changed him terribly, and he looked
30 like corpse in that shroud-likc dress
that was half scared myself at him. But
neither of us thought of Lsadore's being
frightened.
"And so we stole into the north room.
and coItriyed to get the mirror out of it's
frame. Oliver put Lis face into the vacant
space. hung drapery around it, and
charged him to keep perfectly still, and
then stole away, to watch for Isadorc in
the hall.
sin few minutes she came down the
stairs with her candle and apple in her
hands. She was smiling rogushly to her
self as she opened the door of the north
room ana went in."
"And what happened2" asked Elfrida.
eagerly, as Miss Mildred paused.
Where was your mother? How could
she let lsadore 20 into that dreadful room 2"
brcathcd Marion Hurst.
RATHER and mother were both stayinp
with sick neighbor as watchers that
night, said Miss Mildred; 'and watched
and waited, In the outer hall, till Nancy
Bruce crme crying, down stairs, to tell
some one what they had planned to do, be-
cause she thought something awful had
happened to keep Isadore 50 long in the
north room
"When Nancy saw me she caught hold
OF me and dragged mo with her to the door
OF the north room. We went in. The
candle was burning on the table. The an
pie had fallen to the floor. Beside It nv
brother Oliver was lying senscless, in fit.
His face looked like white fire, in the half
darkn, ss. The poor foolish boy had
rubbed phosphorus all over it, after left
him to make 1t look still more ghastly and
ghost-liko."
"And 1sadore-where was Isadore ?"
cried Marion Hurst, beginning to shlvcr
with nervous dread.
Ac1aN hOl uOWn III nCHD
In distant corner, with her tace to the
wall. She knew no one. Oliver told us,
'lsng aftcrward, that she stood gazing at
him in silence 30 long that he advanced his
tace toward her, through the mirror, mean.
ing In play to offer her kiss.
"rhe light, the life, the intelligence, all
went out Of her own face at that moment"
hc said. ''She fled and crouched down in
the corner; and he, believing then that he
had fatally injured her, fell fainting to the
floer.'
"Poor fellow !" sighed Efrida. "Whcre
ls he now, Miss Miidred?"
'1n heaven, hope He was ono of our
first volunteers from this town, and ono of
the first officers who was killed in the last
war. They told me that he exposed his
life In leading his men into action. l did
not mourn for him girls; knew ho,V 9lat5
he was to 60. Our parents died heart
broken, one year from that fatal Hal
lowe'en.h
''BYt Isadorc, where Is she ?" asked Ell.
frida, half fearfully. :.