The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-02


from three years. absence in Europe He
had gone there with impaired digestion
shattered nerves aud half-broken heart
effects of the loss of the wife of his youth
now he was grown portly, rosy and gray,
seemingly content with life and a plump
haxen-haired, pale-blue-eyed Frau who
called him "mein leiber anannchen,'' 10 g
throaty voice, and bullied him numerically
though not all numerically.
We had driven from the beautiful little
city OF z. where we both lived, to jefferson,
ten miles off. DR.. McGregor to visit form.
er patient, bed-ridden old woman-whose
constitution was not only uninjured but pos
itively invigorated and her wits frightened
by her thirty years siesta-and l to enjoy
the genial society of my college chum and
lifelong friend. After long call, daring
which the pleased old creature showed the
doctor the twenty quilts Gall piecened to-
gether since you went to Turin parts, doc
tor" and discOursed with cheerfulness, even
popularity, on the development of her sciati-
ca and dyspepsia-so resuscitative and reiu-
vinating was DR.. McGregor's company-we
rose to 60 home. -
H"Let's try the road over the Height Of
Land, back" said "See those wild
clouds coming up in the West; we're going
to have splendid sunset, and I'll warrant
the view from the Height will equal any.
thing you saw abroad"
well, if you wish to 60 that way, though
L haven't been over the road for six years.
said my friend reluctantly. "For two years
before L went away no money could have
tempted me to go over the Height"
why, thought it was your favorite
route to Jefferson! Don't you remember the
Summer we used to gallop over on horseback
so often with Mary Davis and witty, hand
some Hattie Powers, when we were home
from old Bowdoin on our Summer vacations
Excuse me, old fellow" said bluderingly,
noticing the heavy. sad look that I thought
you married Hattie.''
Never mind, won't be so womanisb. y
said the doctor. "The sunset, as you say, is
going to be uncommonly fine and 1 should
like to compare native with foreign colors
while they are fresh in my mind. Well go
that way" f
The wind blew strong gale. The deem
drifts of the Winter were shrunken so the
whole OF the fences were in sight and patches
of bare, brown ground showed here and
there across the lonesome fields. Away on
the right of the bleak road, skeleton trees
stood shivering, huddled together in places,
and on the left, the wind walled loud through
the great pines that had concealed the
dreary swamp at the foot of the slope be.
hind them. We reached the Height and
stopped our horse. The land sloped away
for miles behind us, for miles in front. Tow
ers and villages were clustered in the valley
and crowned the encircling hills. Great
banks of blackish purple clouds hung low in
the West; below, a belt of transparent, faint
est green still sky that looked like a quiet
sea; above were great, floating masses of
deep, soft, bright red clouds mingling with
the gloomy hues, shining behind the darx,
ragged fronls, tinging the clear shining sill.
ness below, throwing an arctic splendor into
the arching sky. Slender, fiery shafts were
darted in every detection, grotesque shapes
and lurid forms moving and swaying above
the bills, and seemingly met in witches
conclaye on the top of Old Black-Cap loom
ing behind in the north.
We sat gazing long time with not word
said by either of us.
''It's fine, isn't it? Did you see anything
better on the other side?' asked at last
No, there is nothing finer, or at least,
nothing like it. But how awesome, how un-
canny it looks now," he said, as the splen-
dor faded apd the dismal landscape was coy-
cred with chilly gray twilight.
"Yes, it is always a lonely road at this sea-
son, lonely looking trees and stones and
fences. There being so few houses and lit
tie travel, adds to the general desolation,
and association has good deal to do with
it. There have been three murders COM
mitted on the road within fifty years, and
over there by that great rock is where they
found Old Pratt, the pedler, after great
snowstorm, stone dead, with his wife's da.
guerreotype clinched in both frozen hands.
Do you remember it?''
Yes, but have reason of my own for
feeling shivery, going along this road. I'll
a hon rrrIx u
ing being before, and the very thought of it
now makes cold sweat come over me and
sends tremble along my nerves. As we
drive along I'll show you where I had a
madden chase with phantom sleigh with a
wrath for driver, than ever had with live
man and live horse fleshr'
II didn't know before you were supersti-
tious.''
Nor am /, or at any rate 1 never sup
posed was. My people, you know, are
Scotch-Irish, and many of their feelings l
imbibed, no doubt, with my mothers milk !;
but never believed in their witches, fairies.
brownies, evil eyes, charms and warning
spirits. l can remember that [ used to be
vexed and ashamed because m, old grand
mother out in the country kept horseshoe
nailed to the bottom of her churn. NV faith
er used to be very uneasy if a dog howled
around the house, and my mother was fair
ly ill once when one of the children broke
mirror. But never had faith in such no
tons, see? L have sometimes thought.
though, that it is not that the Scotch-irish
are more superstitious than other nations,
but because they are more impressionable,
less stupid. The same things happen to
others, but are unnoticed, because dull peo-
pie are not receptive. We search out, ana
lyze, discover the significance of mysterious
Ry1f
believe in any of it!
Do you remember the ball at Jefferson in
honor of the Cumberland Veterans of the
Rebellion and on the Anniversary of Gener-
al Jackson victory at New Orleans?''
YES" said, the truth being that re-
membered it very we'll, for it was an occur
renee of that evening had kept me sour,
disappointed old bachelor ever since.
Of course we veterans were the lions of
the evening, dressed in full regimentals and
feeling most of thousand times more pa
triotic than We had when we were marched
away South in the full blast of the war. You
know the old military band was out, and we
had big banquet, toasts and speeches. But
l remember the occasion mostly on account
of Hattie and what followed; we hadn't been
married SO long but that was still rather
foolish over my wife, as you know 1 always
was-and the evening brought wildly to my
miod another one, when the Portland ladies
presented stand of colors to the til
Maine volunteers; Hattie was reigning
belle then, and l, fired with military ardor.
young Mars in her melting and adoring
eyes-and we had just become engaged.
As noticed her that night among the
young bellies that had come outs snce her
marriage, / coulen't see that she had faded
at all and thought she outshone them all.
know she wore sort of pinky, peach-col-
ored silk. Do you remember how gracefully
she danced? When saw her waltzing that
night in the gay, light-hearted way she al
ways had, her fsce flushed with pleasure
and great eyes shining with excitement,
was more in love than ever and couldn's be-
lieve that she was the mother of our two
long-legged boys at home.
Do you recollect her singing? L ALWAYS
thought she had the most thrilling, exciting
voice ever heard. That night after Cap.
tain A-had brought to mind in glowing
speech some of the dangers and glories Of
our war experience, AID eulogized the old
Hero of New Orleans. she was invited to
sing. thought she would give us one of
the pathetic songs of the Rebellion that we
all used to be so fond of; but she didn't, she
burst into the old Scotch ballad that James
Hogg wrote, Bonnie Prince Charlie. l nev-
er shall forget her wild, ringing tones, nor
how she looked as she sat at the piano at
the end Of the hall, under a canopy of flags,
singing the wild war song-singing better