The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-07-27
SELECT STORY.
HALLUOINATION.


The masters of Penny Royal School
We're very jolly set of young fellows
in the particular year when Septimus
Lacy joined the community. There
were eight or ten of them, all men in
their prime, fresh from college, wear
ing the bloom of their honors gayly
strong, vigorous, athletic fellows for
the most part, accustomed to work
and as ready for play as if they had
still been among the boys that swarm
ed into the cricket field when school
was up and the matches on Septimus
Lacy grave, sensible looking young
man of % or 24-brought his sister
with him, and took quiet lodging of
three rooms in the High street of Pen
ny Royal
Miss Lacy was several years older
than her brother, and had already ac-
quired the formed manner and easy
bearing of well-educated woman of
the world. Though not regularly
handsome, there was some distinction
in her figure, which was literally
nodded, and graceful in action or in
repose. She carried her head well,
and had the free, gliding motion
proper to person well proportioned
and sensibly clad Her dress, never
remarkable, was always in fine taste
her gowns fitted to perfection-she
did not tight-lace. No high-heeled
shoe or tight boot cramped her action
in walking. Her complexion was
clear and good, with disposition to
freckles in the summer time hel hair,
of shade of ruddy brown, lay plenti-
fully about a low, broad brow, be.
tokening thought, and the same color
haunted her brown, sun-freckled eyes
She had a way of partly closing them
when talking, which made some people
nervous, and her conversation was
agreeable, particularly to men. 1t
was easy, suggestive, animated, and
there was peculiar tone in her voice
that was very attractive. Miss Lucy
was musician, and the fine instru-
ment in her room enab ed her to exer-
else her charming accomplishment on
favorable terms. Very pleasant even
ings were passed there in a nice, infor
NAL way. Friends would drop in to
talk or to play rubber, Miss Lacy
would sometimes take hand, or more
frequently discourse soft music in a
soliloquizing way, which disturbed
nobody, and delighted appreciative
ears. Young Derwent Percival would
loll back in low chair, listening ST.
lently, and mlsing on scenes that
somehow came back to him from the
past, with the sound of the weird
things she played. Her long fingers
would wander, about the keys in va
grant fashion, now twining through an
arabesque, then skipping through the
mazes of some wild Hungarian melody
which made his heart throb excitedly,
and a strange craving to dance came
over him. Then grave, signing an
dante from some ancient master would
hush and lull his soul to silence and
bring to him, as he sat there, the sing
ing of the river in his fathers garden
as it sang in the days when he lay by
its margin coming his Caesar or de-
youring romance, And through all
came the voices of the whist players,
as the rubber was lost or won. The
queen of hearts would win her trick
to the solemn measure of funeral
march, and a gay troubadour's ditty
celebrate the revoke of Tom Brown,
who had an evil trick of revoking, and
| always declared Miss Lucy's music
tripped up his wits and led him astray
Then the party would break up with
laughter and glass of beer, and Der
went Percival would say, with his eyes
cast down, for he was a shy man
"Thank you, Miss Lacy. It's quite
wonderful, the effect of your playing
1t sets me dreaming of all sorts of old
things"
He was big, handsome young fel-
low, this Percival-Miss Lacy thought,
the handsomest man she had ever
seen. She would steal a glance at
him out of the corners of her half
closed eyes, as she sat playing Once
he met it and blushed horribly A
womans eye always discomtitted him,
There was girl in a country parish
fifty miles away whose soft, fair face
dwelt in his heart and kept it fresh and
pure with her innocent gaze, which
yet abashed him when he was beside
her. lie had never dared to meet it
full and tell sweet Frances Lorrimer
that the one hope of his life had grown
round vision of those blue eyes of
hers, smiling kindly into his, AS Miss
Lacy softly touched her chords he lay
wondering if ever he should kiss that
fair face of his dream and call her by
name and touch her hand and know il
was his own. Miss Lacy little knew
the appartions she evoked with hen
spells, They did not reveal themselves
to her, Only the ass saw the angel OF
the Lord as he stood in the way.
| The other young men were not slow
to note the fascination of Miss Lacy's
piano, and rallied Percival unmerciful
lly,
| "Poob what fellows you are" he
would cry good-uaturtlly enough
| No one could offend Peraiyal But
| Miss Lacy was moi of SO easy tenn
lper 1t annoyed her excessively tC
detect furtive smiles on several face.
lWhcn she passed the younO mastar /,