The daily gazette., 1880-12-24
The Little Grey Lady.
AN ENGLISH oHRIsTMAs STORY.

voice of the guard, as the train rolled
slowly by the well known platform.
How natural it all looked. Even the
old sign boards were exactly as they
were when we left six years before for
India. And now my mother and L
Katharine Jane-were once more at
home TO spend the Christmas holidays
with my Grandmother leigh. Wear
rived two nights before Christmas, and
the evening was chilly and dark when
we left the station and drove over the
eight miles between US and Leigh Ma
nor In the West riding.
Yorkshire, as everyone knows Is di-
vided into three great districts--the
North, East and West ridings. The
West riding, which is the largest, is
also the most healthy; the soil on the
hill is stony and not particularly fer
tile, but great stretches of beautiful
pasture lauds lie in the intervening
valleys and form a large part Of the
estates of the gentry. The road look
ed especially gloomy as we drove
along the dark December evening, but
we were going to too loving welcome
to mind the gloom mach. At last
lights twinkle In the distance, and
we knew that we were near the park
gates.
Leigh Manor is a stately Elizabeth
an pile which had been in the Leigh
family ever since the time of the Tu-
dors. Being rather isolated, standing
in the middle Of park and pasture
lands, it had acquired, after fashion of
old and lonely houses, the reputation
of being haunted. But the old hall
had rung and echoed so often with
the shouts and laughter Of merry
cousins that no one remembered this
old story, and the legend remained a
mere dead letter in the family,
Warm was our welcome and merry
was the party that sat round the hospi-
table board that night Grandmamma
Leigh had lost only two out OF her ten
children, and very proud and happy she
looked as she surveyed her eight sons
and daughters, with their respective fa-
miles, seated on both sides OF the long
dining table. She was tiny creature,
with complexion as fair as a pearl, and
always wore either black or dove color
black silk for everyday and dove-color
ON gala occasions. That night she was
in dove-color, with masses of delicate
old race round her cap, throat and
wrists, which SO becomingly hides the
wrinkles of old Father Time; and
could not help thinking that she looked
every inch the dainty gentlewonan that
she was.
We had been absent so long and there
was SO much TO tell or hear, that II was
late before We separated for the night
The usual living and sleeping roomi
were in the wings OF the house; but every
corner being required for 80 large 3
party, my mother and l, with some Fair
fax cousins, were put into the left wing
which was separated from the rest OF the
house by long picture gallery; ON the
walls of which hung the portraits Of de.
funct generations of Leighs, who, l re.
member, were the terror of my child.
hood. After long schoolgirl chat witt
my cousin, Bella Fairfax, returned tc
my own room, which was next to moth.
er's. There to my amazement was
Grandmamma Leigh, tucklng in the
clothes Of my bed, with her back turned
toward me. Before could say 5000
night" she was gone, but remarked tc
my mother:
"How very much stronger grannie Ii
now than when we were here six years
ago, mamma. Her back was as straight
as an arrow when she walked out just
now"
My mother gave me q curious, trou-
bled look and said laughingly; "you
must be very tired to see double, my
child; get into bed as fast as you cam"
The next morning before we went
down stairs my mother said
Perhaps, Kate, it would be as we'll
not to mention 10 any one that you saw
grandmamma last night, and if you
but me, for you must be ILL.," And
thought no more about it.
The Christmas festivities went off
with their usual gayety we had cha
rades and private theatricals, the
Waites and the bell-ringers, and de-
licious old English dinner. The only
drawback was that owing to bad bran
dy or some other accident the snap
dragon would not light, at which the
old butler, who had been in the family
for forty years and who was very super
stiiious, turned pale and muttered,
"The Lord have mercy upon us tits
an omen that bodies no good"
We saw the New Year in, and the
night after we all went to a ball four
miles off. We were quite ready to
start when my mother discovered that
she had forgotten her fan, and was
sent up stairs to fetch it. On coming
back through the lighted picture gal.
lery saw my dear grannie's we'll
known dove. colored dress and tiny fig
ure standing in the doorway at the op-
posile end. But she had ON the queer
est high cap and long black mlttens.
~ have found the fan, grannie DEAR"
l called out; was gone SO long that
you came to look for me?'
To my horror, when l got to the
door, there was no one there. Ny face
must have been very pale, for when
got down stairs mamma made me
drive in the coupe with her instead of
In another carriage with my cous-
ins.
"Have you been seeing any more old |
ladies', my child?" she asked, with a
face as white as my own.
at could not have been my fancy
his time mamma" answered in q
whisper. 81 saw grandmammA, as l
standing in the doorway of
he west wing, and spoke to her
'he had on such queer mob cap and
urious long black mittens, and when
got near her the face was like that
H. ~. I. I.