The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-09-08

The fine entrance hall can recall it now
warmed by an ample stove and well light
ed up, with few dressed skins lying about,
and huge ebony cabinet over against the
door, made CHEEKY contrast to the outside
car and surroundings we bad just left.
Round the walls were grouped a splendid
pair of stag's horns, fox's head and brush
a stuffed seal, and other trophies of a sport
ing life; and black buffalo's massive front
let surmounting sheaf of sssegais, suggest
ed at once what we afterward learned to be
the case, that our host had been in South AZ
rica "I wonder what sort of people they
are, Major? ?" were As words to me-
soto voce, as he gave his sleeves final jerk
and glanced down critically at his boots,
while we followed the butler to the drawing
room. A moment more we were face to face
with our new acquaintances.
I do not recoTlect anything very uotewor-
thy about our host. He was atan and rather
handsome man, but of somewhat faded as
pect-quiet and genial in his manner. "I
am an old soldier myself" was his greeting
to us, "and never like any one in the ser
vice to pass our place on duty without our
finding him out" But our hostess As I
shook hands with her she at once engrossed
mysattention. l am at loss now, as I was
then, to define the nature or cause of the
peculiar interest she seemed at once to excite
in me. Certainly she was remarkably
handsome woman, but my observation Of Eer
at the moment of Introduction was quickly
diverted by the strange demeanor of A.
l had turned round and was in the act of
presenting him when he suddenly started,
nd NIT Of
ton or advance of any kind, stared at her.
For the instant the situation was embarrass.
ing. Was the man going to faint, or was he
of his head, OF what? There he stood, stock
still, facing Mrs. NJ, till in a severe tone
I said, "a, this is our hostess" Mrs
M. allow me TO introduce Mr.. A."
This appeared to rouse him little, for he
made sort of backward movement which
might do duty for bow, though very poor
/ apology for it, and said DILL beg your
pardon" retiring Immediately into the back
I ground. If this was bashfulness, 1t was a
| curious form of it, thought, and certainly
new in my knowledge Of A. This little
| incident over, had leisure to look round the
room. There appeared to be about dozen
| people in all. Mr.. NJ introduced me to
a relation of his, BaTOnet. whose name
| forget to parson, who assured me in Hi
| bernian accents that troops had beer down
/ here repeatedly :" and to a niece, whom 1
was to take in to dinner, caught momen-
tary glimpse of A, and saw TO my sur
/ prise that he was furtlvely but intentIy
watching the lady of the house from an OBJ
| scure corner. l was quietly slipping up to
him to ask what it all meant when dinner
was announced.
! At the dinner table found myself on the
/ left of our hostess, the baronet opposite me.
A. was placed some distance down on
the other side so that could keep an eye on
| him, which I soon began thinking must do.
I had now an opportunity of noting more
particularly Mrs. Ms personal appear
ance Her age I should Judge to be some
! where about eight and twenty or thirty, con-
siderably under her husbands. Her figure
was faultIeSs neck and arms of that name
! less tint one has so often seen so imperfectly
decribed in novels as creamy white; a cOro-
ma Of hair of that deep auburn red which
| sets off fair woman and a face of singular
| beauty, of which you forget everything but
the eyes the moment you looked into them.
Such eyes they were Their particular size,
shape, this or that color would never occur
to one it was their strange, almost weird
look when turned upon you that one felt. 1t
was though they OWNED what you were
thinking of, and could answer your thoughts.
Yet it was not satisfactory nor resttul
face. ca recall certain half-disagreeable
sensations I experienced as her eyes Occa-
sionally rested on mine while we talked and
once in a while a fash as of something al
most malevolent seemed to pass out of them.
One incident recollect. We were discus
sing pictures, and Mrs. NJ, pointing to
some fine family portraits hung around the
dining room. said: "My husband and are
distant cousins. Major P, so that you
see we are mutually represented here, and
yonder is the lady of by-gone days and sup
posed to be very wicked and to be like me. >
1 looked up and sure enough there gazed
face from the canvass strikingly like the
speaker's-so like, except for the quaint cos
tune the portrait might have been taken for
her own. It was finer specimen than usu-
al Of the formal yet fascinating style that our
grea t-great- -grandmothers have been depict
ed for us-a stately attitude regular but i'm
| mobnefeatures, and exuberant charms sump-
tuously if somewhat scantily draped. The
our end of the table she held fan in her
hand the lips had disdainful, almost deris-
| i've, smile and the eyes, which In such pic
| lures, usually appear to be contemplating the
| spectator and TO follow him about, seem di-
rected on our hostess. "TheTe is certainly
likeness said, ''but the lady on the wall
| is entitled, feel sure, to the entire mOnopo-
| ly of the wickeduess." Mrs. M laughed
| and winged glance at me, and the smile of
the eyes were those Of the portrait.
| Another circumstance l remember discov-
! ering in looking around the table, which,
| bad been superstitious, might not have ad-
| ded to my comfort. We were sitting thir-
/ teen. Mrs. M must have noticed me
! counting the numbers, for she made some
remark as if in reply to my thought-''oo sOr-
! ry we were disappointed Of one of our num-
| ber at the last moment
Meanwhile A was again attracting my
| attention for his extraordinary behavior. His
partner. a pretty looking, lively girl. was do
| ing her best to make herself agreeable, and
he was answering her In an intermittant
| fashion but could see he was eating very
| little, ard crumbling his bread in a nervous,
preoccupied manner, while every now and
then his eyes wandered to Mrs. NJ, with
I a curious fixed stare, which was positively
ill-mannered and unaccountable. Instinct
| lively turned to the same quarter to see the
object of this persistent scrutiny, but in vain.
\ There indeed was a beautiful woman, dress
| ed to perfection, and with those wonderful