The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-07-01

AL4 HEkLE Lit NSAL1N 49,
tears Of youth, A gentle hand waslaid
on my brow, and q gentle voice said
please, missus, let me take your
bonnet off,
/ looked up and saw q compassionate
face. WHO are youg' / asked
please. missus. Use Phillis- Use
gwine 10 wait on you"
She was kind and faithful. Soon af-
ter / descended 70 dinner. where found
Miss Percival mistress of the house. /
did not attempt TO trouble her, my de-
lection was too deep MI. Pereiyl had
sunk into q gloomy queer state He
was afraid Of his sister. and afraid Of
Bal, who appeared again. dominant. on
the scene. One day heard . strange.
gloomy cry come from the hail below.
and then q struggle. ! ran out and
looked down, and saw Perciyal strug-
Cling with two men servants, who were
! calling aloud for Bat. His white hair
was in the widest disorder, his cravat
torn of. and he was raving. / rushed
to his aid, when Miss Perciyal came and
siezed me behind.
.It is only one OF my brothers at
tacks," she said. sBat knows what TO
do" And soon the negro woman took
him away into . lone room.
The mask Of Mr.. Percival had fallen
He was q maniac, the inheritor of his
mothers malady, and Cesar and Bat
| were his keepers. He had married me
with this terrible secret untold. and ]
was here, under his power. and under
the eye OF his sister. My uncle was
dead; he died shortly after my mar
rage; and my aunt. 1 knew. would not
befriend me; whittier should ! turn. ahi
whereP i wrote some despairing let
ters to Northern friends. but Miss Per-
cival was too good q watchman. and
they never went to their destination.
She affected surprise when ! told her
that l knew nothing Of PercivaTs mala-
dy, and said that he told my uncle and
aunt. She advised me never 10 men-
ton his trouble to him. but 10 receive
him with calm indifference. lie did re-
in n few days. and was kind and
attentive to me. Within a few years
two children were born. one of whom
named Leon and the other Nadine.
On through five years more Of sor-
row l lived. Mr.. Percival never un-
kind TO me. but with this dreadful ghost
between us. | began, however, to per-
| ceive that his health was better, and |
devoted much time to studying the ply
steal cause of these attacks, and ] sue
ceeded sometimes in averting them.
We took a journey to the North. and
at a great ball we met Lord Alleyne and
his beautiful wife. Judge of my sur
prise, on meeting them, TO find they
were Leon and Nadine. He came to
me and told me all that had passed;
how his father and elder brother had
died, and how he had followed Nadine
o.. D.,.as. .r1 ,.atrral Lar AAn
looked long and pityingly in my eyes;
he was regretting my lost happiness.
AT this moment a loud shrek rang
from the supper room. Mr.. Percival
had been siezed with one of his worst
attacks. He was in the grasp Of two or
three men. i threw my shawl ovc
him and led him away. AS did so the
last pair of eyes that met mine were
those of Nadine.
After our melancholy return home,
the war broke out between the North
and the South. Percival. again in i'm
proved health, was full OF enthusiasm,
and ready to obey the call to arms. His
sister warmed to fury against the North.
/. passive, pale. miserable, hugging my
unconscious children to my heart,
fought the giant Despair. They left
me-Percivaf for the field, with Caesar
and Bat for his attendants; Miss Perci-
val to be matron of a hospital. l had q
hard fight to keep the wolf from the
door. / suffered for food and clothing;
but q few faithful blacks never left me,
and we lived.
Without warning, on q certain day,
Mr.. Percival made his appearance. He
had never been SO kind and lovable as
he was on that occasion. 1t was at n
time when prospects seemed good for
the Confederacy. His health had been
absolutely improved, he said, by camp
life, and Cesar, who came home with
him, told me that he had had no recur-
renee of his terrible malady.
At length the time arrived for him to
leave us again.
He clasped me In his arms and said:
my poor, patient Annette, | W you n
great PREPARATION. You have been sac
rificed-forgive me-"
In vain did i try to detain him. l
forgave him the wrong he had done
me, but 1t was too late. l never saw
him again until he was brought home
dead. He fell at Chattanooga. The
majestic. wasted figure lay in state in
his own ruined hall ere we buried it in
the earth. On his breast lay an en-
broidered gauntlet; it was a part of the
fancy dress which i had worn at the
ball in Florence where We met.
'.Massa always wore that, missus. i.
and he told me to bury 1t with him."
said Cesar. ut was in his breast
pocket when he was shot"
Yes, / saw a drop of blood mingling
with the embroidery of myrtle and
roses on the little gauntlet, and the
dress which had brought us together
was with him to the last
Miss Percival still lives, but our rela-
tions and intercourse are by no mean
close and companionable. As to the
Countess Nadine, she deserted her hus-
band. Lord Alleyne. disliking English
life; and Preferring the green cloth Of
fine English estates. Alas! how mys-
a--f-~---> A. nro- - 1Ifa /