The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1880-09-25

IauS mug matter, Lad, the mischief she
made through that sway" of hers.
Wen, to make long story short, the
aunt had firmly determined that hel
niece should marry some scrapeprace Of
fellow whose name | don't remember
/ and don't want to- never saw him
his chief recommendations We're. a bro.
Ken constitution, an empty purse, dis
tant relationship to the late Tom Pos.
tlethwayte, and an old title. So madame
mad settled that bonnie Lucy Gelge
should be my lady, and bolster up my
iord fallen fortunes with the broad
Dlands and full Golfers of Morbccb
Hall. Unfortunately for her schemes II
Taxes two to make bargain, and my
niece was as sensible n girl as even
stepped in shoe leather. so it was open
war between them, or rather passive re-
slstance on Lucy's part, and a course OF
alternating nagging and wheedling on
her aunt 5. | knew the main reason OF
the girls steadfastness well enough-she
would tell anything to old uncle John,
bless her! There was true love and
faithful troth between her and young
Hugh Nelson of Gilthwaite; and he was,
of my own blood too, though not 80 nem
rs Lucy, andI had watched him grow ND
from bright mischief loving boy to the
handsome, brave young squire, for
whom every one had Il smile and good
word-lust the man | thought, to make
my darling happy. But, as | told you,
they could do nothing independent till
Lucy was of age, SO there was nothing
for it but to wait, and they did wait pa
tlently, whilst we three kept the secret,
and how the poor girl put up with that
old woman's yaGarles all the time Will
always be a wonder to me !
However, the time slipped away, and
the twenty-tirst birthday came, and then,
by my advice, Hugh appeared at Nor
beck Hall, to greet his cousin and make
a formal offer of his hand and heart, and
L need not tell you that she took him
then and there. You should have seen
Aunt POstlethwayte' face / thought
she was going to have a fit, but she
thought better Of it, and after a torrent
OF abuse directed Mt Hugh, some flowers
of speech specially devoted to me, and a
general peroration relating to ingrati-
tude, conspiracy, and the like, she an
nOunced her intention of washing her
hands OF the whole affair and going back
to London as soon as all her boxes were
packed and precious glad we all were,
| can tell Won, when they were brought
down into the great hall ready corded /!
fancy she managed to feather her
nest pretty well during these two years
80, madam having taken herself off in
dud9eon, there was nothing left. to hinder
and arrangements for the wedding were
set on foot at once 1t was to be very
quiet little affair at my own little church
at Gllthwalte, and of course | was to
marry them. SO as it would have been
too far for Lucy to drive in the morning,
and besides that, she could not well be
married from her own great lonely house,
we settled that | should fetch her over on
the previous evening to sleep at the rec
tory, and that the wedding should take
place from thence. and now comes
the sad and strange part of the story.
1t was carly in February-just a week
after Candlemas, as / remember only too
well-when [ arrived, late IN the gray
afternoon ut Morbcck, where | was to
dine with my ward before we started for
Gllthwaite rectory The winter had
been M unusually severe one, even for
these parts; but in the last days Of Janu-
airy the frost had broken mp. aud it
seemeda as if our old north-country saying
as to wet Candlemas was to becarried out
for ever since the Ind, when it had been
a more constant downpour, there had
been n succession Of mild, muggy days,
with an overcast sky and an incessant
drIZZIe. As the carriage that had been
sent to fetch me drove up the avenue in
the falling light of the afternoon, there
was something III the air that seemed to
weigh ones heart down: n cool, dank
smell rose up from the earth where last
years leaves lay rotting under the bare
branches that dripped slowly as the
thick mist crcpt and chung around them
But the feeling of depression passed
away as we drew up at the open hall
door, from which the rudy glow Of Il
great fire streamed ont into the dim air,
and Lucy, looking lovehcr than ever,
with n plaid thrown over her golden
hair, came running down the steps to
open the carriage door herself, and as
she flung her arms around my neck, her
kiss seemed to charm away all fear. So
we went III together, and before long
were seated opposite each other at as
good a dinner as q man might wish to
see. How bright and CHEEKY, she was,
my poor, dear lassie, how happy in the
| thought of the morrow! Her spirits
were almost wild at times. Did yOueycr
hear Of what our Scotch neighbors call
being fey ?-that sudden flow of spir-
/ It's from no particular cause, which they
hold to be a presage of mishap to the
person in whom it was seen? | think
4 Lucy Gedge was fey that evening.
| The dinner came to an end at last,
and it began to be time to think of NOV
I ing; we had some way to 90, and the
weather was none of the best after the
weather we had been having Lucy
arose to prepare for our journey, leaving
me to finish my glass of port by the fire,
/ when as Sue reached the door of the
room, she turned and said:
ooh, uncle, | forgot to tell you; it is
such horrid weather, and the roads are
so bad, that | am going to have the car.
riage brought round to the garden dool
that opens on the Broad Terrace. L
will save lis half mile"
Then she went to put on her hat ant
cloak; ii was nothing to me which dool
we went from, and in fact [ felt rather
glad at the prospect of shortening oul
Journey, even by half a mile; so in due
time Lucy came back and we started on
for the carriage | must tell YOU tina
in order to get out of the way of the
Broad Terrace we hal to traverse a little
used part of the old house, and cam,
out at last through a long passage by
small postern door, with flight of sew
eral steps outside. The unused rooms
oDJ tho ,,ossacrN cD,glt Jop,,, or1 ,,,r,-t -