, 1880-07-30

The waters were swollen by the re-
cent rains -bubbling against the bridge,
and whirling away in rapid eddles into
the blackl pools beneath the dropping
willows. | noticed at the first glance
that the wooden railing on the lower
part Of the bridge had given way.
Icame quite close to the edge and
looked down, looked far over under the
bridge. And then with a cry of such
horror and agony as | had never before
ard haze never since uttered, rushed
back to the house. aJ '. o.. .''"ft g
Let me hurry away from this painful
part'of my story. 81. .m.l .t ~.
Ten years passed, when the Black
water estate, by will of the late Mr.
Whiting, came into possession Of my
father, his nearest relative then living
the young man mentioned by Mrs. Whit.
ing, having been shot in a duel in. Cali
fornia went down with my father to
visit the estate, and it was decided that
we should all SPEND the summer there.
-" My great delight was to rummage
among the family relics of which Mrs.
Whiting had spoken, and from the cha
otic mass of which ! brought to light
rare or curious article, designed to orna-
meht or enrich my private cabinet. One
day l was looking over the yellow and
crumbling papers contained in an old
chest preserving here and there an aut-
ograph or a fragment, and laying aside
the rest for committal to the flames.
Suddenly my eye was arrested by the
name OF aH6noriaF RhettP , :
I read on. The paper was brittle
with age, broken in parts, and il crum-
bled at the edges asI folded it, Yet L
could with difficulty make out lsome
words and sentences b,. ...,,, ~
b" And insomuch as that crime of said
Honoria Was BY her own death-bed con-
fession the #illfui and premeditated act
of callous woman, and by no means to
be attributed las was surmised) to acci-
dent or = - And as, Furthermore, the
said willful and malicious drowning Of
said Flora Hastings, at the willow bridge
crossing, therefore = n not escape.
the just punishment Of Heaven **
rest upon the descendants of the said
Honoria Whiting Rhett till such time
! ~ > *,expiation---" .ris E gfi.
And here the manuscript became
illegible, having been apparently, oblit.
Grated by damp; only the signature was
plainly visible --"Rufus Hastings"
What could it meant Was it some
law Indictment Of the crime Of Hororia
Whiting lAor was it a curse of some one
of the family Of the victim, Flora Hast
ings, against the ."desOendants of the
said Honoria Whitingl1y .a.ol
And the crime Itself, and this mystic
rious aotress of ours, and the willful
and Laura, poor Laura Was
this " "expiation p .. ,,,.,...,..,
And then came the thought Of Lapra's
strange resemblance to the picture, and
her mysterious fore knowledge Of the
bridge and the willows, and Of the door
in the wall, of which no trace had then
existed. What was the meaning Of
this 2it. plitse 80 s4r.rJ1 offs 4ol ,,..t
Lately, / was reading an article in a
foreign magaziner--a criticism on .aseries
of lectures delivered BY q German pro1l
fessor on the subject of the "yital prin-
ciple," when I came upon the following
passage: ...is La,..,yoq. i,.q f'I' j.
"For this immortal principle does not
ascend in one direct line but takes its
course in concentric circles, revolving
round its great source in one great cir
Gle by means of series of lesser circles.
And all research and discoveries Of sci-
ence and philosophy teach us that such,
is the law of all systems in nature, and
chat in all great circles there are seven
degrees or lesser circles; and that enter
ing the seventh degree the circle com,
and REPEATS itself And the
physical and spiritual being Of one who
has died two hundred years ago, may
rsappear in descendant of the present
day. Hence it is that family traits and
resemblances are preserved; and hence
also can be, explained those wonderful
or repetitions Of ancestors
sometimes visible in their remote de
scendants'
l laid the hook down and reflected.
Papa said Was Judge B-a
direct lineal descendant Of Honoia
Whitihg-ME Rhettf'
Tes. mis- mother wss = Bhett, grand-
daughter 0f Hon0siA,'