The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-03

w nat Will ee please to nave SIR replieu
Mrs. Trickey, in true Devonshire fashion.
Mrs. Trickey will you please look in the
glass over the chimney piece" blurted out
rather abruptly not knowing how else to
lind out what wanted to discover.
Get along with your nonsense, Master
Fred, cried Mrs Trickey, with toss of her
head, which was so energetic it almost dis
composed the stiff frills of her cap.
1t must be mentioned here that Mrs
Trickey had lived with my mother when l
was boy, and that, with her, l still contin-
ued Master Fred, though all the world be-
sides knew me as Frederick Heathcote, Esq,
surgeon.
Il can assure you, Mrs. Tricky, I mean
no insult, nor even joke" | replied hum
bly,. VI fancied something was wrong in the
reflection of the glass; perhaps Susan has not
busted it as she should, Will you please
look into it with Jour experienced eyes, Mrs.
Trickeyr'
l was in hopes that this last implied COM
pllment would have propitiated the house
keeper; but apparently it had no such effect,
for after short inspection of the mirror she
said tartly;
THE glass be right enough so far as do
see this be just one of your items, Master
Fred"
But, Mrs. Trickey do please tell me what
you see when you look into it, l exclaimed,
seeing chat l must be more explicit if 1
wanted to gain full certainty on the matter.
why, what should | see but my own face,
Master Fred?'' she retorted snappishly; 'and
it be as good-looking face as the faces of
many women who be ten years younger than
L be, and [ can tell ee that it have been
thought good-looking face by scores OF men
in its time"
And herewith she bridled considerably, and
drew herself up
"And do you see nothing there besides
your face, then, Mrs. Trckey?''
BLESS and save us, Master Fred, you must
be turning mazed l think, or else it be that
you be making a regular fool of me. 7 don't
see why you should make up such gammots
about my face, when you've aknowed it these
last twenty years. | calls it very disrespect-
full, that do'
And with a fiounce and a bounce Mrs.
Irickey turned and disappeared from the
room, leaving me alone with the house in
the mirror, which mostcertainly she had not
seen.
| was musing uncomfortably on this fact,
with my eyes fixed on the vision, which to
me was as distinct as ever, when the clock
on the chimney-piece struck a quarter to 9.
Then suddenly, as if wiped out by spirits
wing, just when the little silver chime Of the
clock was ringing, house, garden, summer
house, moonlight, yellow CLEAN, vanished
from the mirror, and saw nothing there save
the reflection of the familiar room.
1t was certainly more wonderful phe-
nomenon than any which my medical books
and medical knowledge had taught me- and |
sat up late that night thinking it over and
trying vainly to account for it, As, how
ever, could not gain the slightest light on
the subject, turn the matter up and down as
l might in my brain, came to resolution
on two points, and then went to bed. One
of these resolves was that | would not re-
veal the strange circumstance to anyone, be-
cause had always most hearty dislike OF
gossip and ridicule at my expense, and the
other was that would not allow the mex
plicable vision to trouble my mind so as to
make me incapable of the daily work and
duty of life. My natural caImness of tenn
permanent and my active, busy course of ex-
istence made me more able to make these
determinations with some chance of keep
ing to them than most people in my place
L slept well that night and did not see the
house in the mirror once in my dreams
Next day was sent for in haste to attend a
dangerous, difficult case, which required all
my skill and energy By the time the even
ing was again come the impression made by
the strange circumstance of last night had
in a great measure faded out of my mind
1t so happened that was engaged to spend
that evening with my friends, Mr. and Mrs
Woodland. Mr.. Woodland was banker
and his wife was pretty sparkling woman
the queen of society in our town. She
and | were always close allies; she would
chatter to me of all her family affairs, and
in certain way made me her confidant On
the occasion in question | was Mr. and Mrs
Woodlands only guest. The banker slum-
bered in his arm chair, the lady had two or
three bits OF gossip to tell about the neigh
borhood, and two or three new books to dis
cuss with me, and a deal to say besides about
the first appearance of a tooth in Miss Baby's
little rosy mouth. That young heroine was
brought down in state in her nightdress, and
had to examine the prodigy with much cir
cumstance and solemnity.
Baby had retired again to the nursery. and
had ceased her somewhat loud remon-
stranees with regard to the inconvenience of
being brought downstairs to appear in the
drawing groom in such a costume and at
such an hour. Mrs. Woodland was standing
on the hearth-rng looking in the mirror
when the town-clocS in the market-place
hard by struck s. was looking at the re-
Election of my hostesss face in the mirror,
and thinking that it was certainly a very
pretty one, when suddenly at the side OF the
lively brown eyes, appeared precisely the
same house, line for line, which had seen
in my dining-room mirror yesterday at this
same hour: garden, pagoda-like summer
house, silvery moonlight, yellow lamplight
gleam--all were there.
| could not help a start and murmured
expression of wonder. Mrs. Woodland
turned round quickly at the sound.
What Is the matterF' she asked in sur
prise.
"Oh, just twinge of rheumatism in nv
shoulder" | answered carelessly. II caught
it riding home through the storm yesler-
day."
''Mr. Heathcote, what do YOU see so won
derful in the looking-glass tonight?' she
asked few minutes AFTER noticing with
feminine quickness the direction in which
my eyes, in spite of myself, were so fire.
quently turned.
- was thinking that if vas little hand
somer man than | am, l should try to get
wife made exactly on your pattern" re-
piled lightly.
With these and few more testing words |
contrived to put Mrs. Woodlands curiosity
to sleep again. while, from time to time, /
watched the visionary house. 1t was Just as
| had expected; when the town-clock chmed
a quarter to 9 ii vanished exactlv as il had