Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-10-15
him, and said, nodding her head famil.

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ashamed to look your family in the face
/ dare say you are, but you're stuck fas,
and can't run away She made pro
found courtesy to the Lady Alice. ''My
beautiful Anntie! | wish you could
speak! what nice tales we'd have?
wonder if she knows how much adj
mire her." she added, addressing her old
nurse, who had followed her with a
shawl, fearing she would get a chill in
the cold corridor.
"My dear Miss Gerty," answered that
faithful attendant, slightly scandalized
at the idea, chow can you talk like that?
when the poor lady's been dust and
ashes nigh on two hundred years"
But ] suppose her spirit isn't dust
and ashes too7" said saucy Gerty. II
love to look at her-she is like me, they
say. ] heard her sad story, and / feel
such an intense sympathy for her,
though she has been dead two hundred
years Sometimes | fancy it may be
her spirit that has descended to me-
You have heard of the transmigration of
souls, nurse ?"
Cant say have, my DEAR" she an.
swered. "But Eve heard of the trans
portation of bodies, and very bad bodies.
too, that transportation's too good for
'em."
Gerty fitted about the house all day
in restless, excited fashion, and in the
evening, she sat by the fireside chatting
with old Dorothy, listening to her gar
rulous gossips Of bygone days, inter-
spersed with scraps of traditional scan
dals, which had become accepted as fam
lily history. The elderly domestic mind
seems to revel in sensational horrors,
and Dorothy was no exception to the
general rule. She told old tales, till the
girls brain quickened with strange fan
cies, and when the night closed in, as
she passed along the passages and up
the stairs, the air seemed palpitating
with living memories, as though some
invisible spirit was stirring everywhere,
striving once more to get within mortal
ken, and reveal itself to the humanity
it had shaken off. Dorothy followed
her, carrying lamb, whose Pickering
light drove the dancing shadows back
into their dingy corners. Sir Hugh's
painted eyes seemed to be following her
whichever way she turned.
~ fancy you may be little pervious
tonight, my DEAR" said Dorothy, $50 /
am going to sleep in the little room next
to yours"
"All right, nurse" replied Gerty "but
Pm not in the least nervous, only little
lonesome. | am not used to wander
about by myself quite all day, and
think | miss papa-and-Oh! nurse, 90
way; you worry me-"
She flung back the curtains, letting
full food of moonlight fall in one broad
bar across the floor; for o second only,
she glanced out upon the white shrouded
world. So far as the eye could reach, it
was snowfall snow. IT looked SO vast,
50 wild and desolate, that she shivered,
though she was not cold, for no apparent
reason, crept into bed, and closed her
ayes, firmly resolved to shut all foolish
'ancies from her brain and sleep-no
should force her to unclose |
Ter eyes till the morning broke.
Vain resolution! the blood raced |
through her veins; her pulse beat as |
;hough keeping time to soundless music.
She turned restlessly on her pillow, her
mind disquieted, and her Imagination
stirred. At last, exhausted
With nervous excitement, she dropped
nto a disturbed sleep, checkered by
TRANCE dreams scraps and fragments of
he wierd imaginings which had filed
ler waking hours tloated through her
lalf-awakened brain.
Suddenly, stirred by some strong i'm
'ulse, she started up in her bed, broad
wake! The moonbeams had faded
lightly, and paler, greener light lay
cross the floor. The house was silent;
here was not sound anywhere, except
hat created by the wind, which ran
loaning and grooming round the house,
attling against the window-panes with
IS invisible hand. Gertrude thought of
he Lady Alice, who had persisted in the
now years ago, and whose restles spirit,
hey said, sometimes in Winter nights
anne wandering around the hoose,
its hands, moaning, "Let me
ONE in Let me come inn She almost
lncied she saw the white face pressed
gainst the window-pane.
She listened for moment, and-then
-as II fapo,r2 ~ lii che ,aoll1, ,ao 4ba |