Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-02-17
gu Original Storg.
Written for the Yorkvlle Enquirer.
THE LADY OF LINTON.
BY WALTER MORGAN.
CHAPTER XIV.

Ike SWo0n, a1ter DelnS carTleu oach W Hel
bed on the night of her visit to her husband ::
room, she gazed fearfully around her, as if in
I expectation of seeing some dreaded object
Then looking earnestly at the nurse, who
sto,d anxiously watching her, she asked III
all appreheusive tone
"Where is it? What have you done with
it? Is it & ne?
There's nothing there, dear lady, sooth
ingy replied the nurse. There's nobody in
Il e room but only me. See!" and she drew
back the lace drapery from the head of the
bed that her patient might the better satisfy
herself Of the truth of her assertion.
But it was there" rejoined Miriam cor
did see it somewhere else? know you are
deceiving me-"
Indeed and am not" emphatically an
swered the nurse. "What would deceive
you for? Amt put here to take care of you,
and would let anything come to trouble
you p
"Ah but over such things you can have
no power. Listenr Miriam lowered her
voice almost to whisper, and clasped the
attendants wrist as she spoke 81 tell you
twas from the spirit world. 1t was nothing
of flesh and blood. Didn't see it plainly
just as plainly as / see you now? 1t stood
no, sat- | remember twas sitting-and turn.
ed its head, and fixed its eyes upon me
thus !-and moved its hand, as if to touch
me. o, it will come again-it's coming now .!
see it Save me-save me!' And shudder
ing violently, she hid her face, while holding
the NURSES wrist in a convulsive clutch, as If
afraid to let her go.
That fuuctionary-Mrs. Netherby by
name-decided within herself that her pa
tient must have seen, or fancied that she saw,
something during her nocturnal ramble, which
had made 50 vivid an impression upon her
fancy. She used all her endeavors to sooth
Lady Hepburn's excitement, but the idea
which had fixed itself in the mind Of the lat
ter was not to be banished She kept con
stanty recurring to the recollection Of what
she had seen, asserting that it was spirit
sent to warn her of her approaching doom.
Il knew 'twould come some time," she
said, "and now the time has come. All these
years l have dreaded it-have thought of it.,
and dreamt of it, and waited forit | have
seen it sometimes-in the dead of the night
when all was darkness and silence around
me; but then not plainly, not in reality
Twas only ioreshadowing of what was to
come. 1t was changed, too. Its hair was so
gray! Does the hair turn gray in the spirit
world ? Tell me, do not spirits remain always
young?'
Lord save US! my lady I don't know
nothing about spirits, rejoined Mrs Neither
by, uncomfortably. you must talk to the
minister about such things"
The minister! What minister? Not him
not Cyril. He has left me-poor boy Poor
boy it's far better that he has gone. shall
never see him again, no, not here nor hereat'
ter, for he will 90 among the good and pure
when he dies. Will see my husband after
death-after my death? Or will the gulf
between US be too wide All there's torment,
torment waiting for me. See the flames the
cruel, cruel flames They light up the vault
that was so dark. Now you can look down
Down, down, so deep-as deep as He'll! he
is there-at the bottom. He never even
groaned He is quite dead. Do you see his
bones? Look, look quick and tell me- I'm
sure there cant be anything left now but
bones, after 50 many years. Rats-are there
rats down there? Ugh, the horrible things!
How they spring and crawl Poison for the
rats-posop for my soul. Yes poison! And
there's no antidote. It's eating my soul away
Is it poison, or is it rats-rats from the dark.
dark vault, gnawng and tearing at me? Oh
Heaven, what pain! what torture! There is
no salvation none Take them oF-take
them off! Oh pity, pity me. whoever you are
Rub that word out that's blazing before me
there in the flames See, see how the letters
dance up and down! Murder-thats what
they spell Rub them out-rub them out !"
"Shes worse than ever" muttered the at
tendant to herself II never heard her mix
up so many things together before. 1t would
be comfort if had some one to be with
me in the room-its awful lonesome here. /
never was in such lonely house before as this
seems to be- No relations, no friends, nor
nothing-not even the servants seem to come
around There, there; my lady, don't fret so.
Turn over and try to take little sleep. Can't
you just shut your eyes and keep quiet
bit?'
After some hours, during which the doctor
came twice, finding his patient in a very crit,
ical state, her rawlings ceased, and stupor,
the result of total exhaustion, ensued. DIR.
Purde declared this to be the crisis of her
disease Before another day dawned her fate
would be decided.
will she get better, Doctor, do you think?
asked the nurse.
81 can't say, my good woman. The odds
are against her; but she has powerful con
stitution. Watch her carefully, and if any
change occurs send for me at once. Howev
er it's not likely that there will be any be-
fore I return. In an hour or Two I'll be here
again"
All through that long day, Miriam lay a:
if dead The fever had left her, and with II
was gone all the fictitious strength with whict
it had eudued her. White as the white dra
perry of her couch, with worn, wasted features
and deep purple rings about her closed eyes
she lay utterly PROSTATE, without motion
without any sign Of life. The nurse beAevet
her to be dying The doctor, at one time, be
licved so, too.
But she did not die. With the dawn O
the next day, the crisis passed !; consciousness
returned, and she opened her eyes, once more
nationally upon the world which had so near
ly slipped away from her grasp.
All that now remained to be done was t
build up her wasted strength. But thoug
she had no relapse, and her convalescenc
soon seemed assured, she was prey to mel
ancholy so deep, so profound, that nothing
had any power to remove It,
"It's because she's so lonesome the nurs
suggested, when talking to DR.. Purdie on tn
subject "Shes got nobody to cheer her uE
poor SOUL When folks have been i'll, the
need little cheerful company to amuse the'u
or they'll never get their spirits back
"We'll have Lady Hungerford here to Sc