Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-11-24

should.
when | got TO the door and rang the
bell. an old woman came TO the door.
opened it cautiously, put her finger up
TO her lips. and beckoned to me mys"
teriously. | followed her INTO an un
occupied room.
She's been took calculated the old
woman.
Took = shouted. Mercilul hea-
yens Took where =
She blnked at me.
She's took to bed
Sick !! 1 gasped. Then my pre-
moniliou was right. She was going TO
dep
The old woman stood with htr back
to the door.
You may stay here she said. IN
60 up aud see. Wait a moment,
Think was about 70 jump over her
head, when she turned, with an awful
severity. and said
DO you want % Kill her"
No l ansv cred, submissiyely.
Then sit night down aud make your
SILT comfortable. I've sent for the doc
tor
Somewhat stunned, believe, obey
cd.
All at once l got new view OF ny
self. |. who had besun to think iiai l
was little weary Of married life, wa
maddencd at lie mere possibility o.
losing her.
The fact Is, as passion had withcTcd a
tender regard. ioly. reyelenced love
had been, unobseryed, growing 10 is
stead.
There are two occasions IN house,
hold when the head thereof feels his
utter inslsniGcauce. On b'th Of these
occasions dread foreign element
stalks erim.} iato lis sanctuary, lays it,
old bonnet on the hail stand, han-s it,
ridicule on tie lat rack, looks at hiu
icily, and takes silent possession OF the
place. Protests are vain in the pr.
cnce OF that dire minister. Authority Is
of 10 avail. for IL Las The insignia oi the
invlnciblc necessity under its wrinhled
forehead; and calmly honristes tie
most potent o. all authority, that OF
precedent.
A man inctinctvly knows when
tbs methodical monster assumes con-
troll Of bis house tlat one OF Two dread
events is abelt 10 !olow-h'e or
death.
Butiflo Is, as was. just cut Of the
animal hiusdom. and hgidly yet a iul.
fed-ed man. he win bgy,ry apr 10 ml'-
take one event fr a., .taer.
He only knows that he is IA a dread
full su, pcnsc, that tie house Is hushed,
that somebody IS moving about in The
next room on iip.loe, that q subtle
odor Of drugs pcryad- tue air. y fan
tastic dread takes possession OF him.
that these unusual and significant cir
cumstances are only the preliminarieS
OF others ID tie same chain. That
presently a dead hush vii fall over
everything ; that he sill meet 'he doc
tor and shake hands with him sOlemnl. .
and that per,onage viii 90 away hur-
.iedly, and au0iher Rlore dread will
come. Then there Will be punscnl
smell OF varn!sh in the house, aud a
shuttle OF feet. Then the windows alll
be open and :hc blinds pulled down,
apd-what !Een?
Does not the very strenuousness OF
lite breed tAis dread in tic brain! DO
Others uol flash through The miud-tha t
picture Of a group, black and silent,
oyer the grave ana tic horrible Lowering
of all that one loves into the clay. with
the attendant miseries Of Gesolauon.
and unuttoIable soiiude-as those
friends walk away homeward, talkine
OF lbcir lie a1ais, .hat have not been
in the least disturbed b, this blast tia!
has wilhcr,d d Jour hear. forever:
For the first time N his lie, aud just
as his soul has stretched out and taken
root, comes to the Man this dread
phantom Of the possible. aud he lifts his
list to heaven, and his uudlscipliuel ua-
lure rebel.
called this a new view Of myself. II
was. For the first timc saw clearly
how dear my wife was 10 me. For the
first time became aware Of my oNu
capacity for suffering.
remember lhat the nurse appeared
suddenly aud softly in the room, like "a
wrath, and, witli au unchanged expres
sion OF solemnity, jeIked Der head, ana
said:
You can see her now
To me il was as If she said. All Is
over, wretch not even Jour presence
can hurt her,
bclieYe | rushed hoadlcng to know
the worst. The air that | bfeathed
seemed 70 have Grape in it. Tne pas
sages we're dark. stumbled and must
have made a great deal Of noise.
All at once l was in lighted room,
white curtains, white walls, snowy
counterpanes aud pretty white face,
with a new penslyc beauty on it, and
new JOY in ii.
Ifell down by the bedside and goi my
aims around her. My loracious love
seems to please her. pressed her
dear face close to mine, aud in spite
of me a tear rolled down from my eye
upon her cheek. As IL touched her she