The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-14

J taught me, and sat up late that night
thinking'it over and trying vainly to &C
count for it. AS, however, could moi
! gain the slightes. light on the subject,
turn the matter up and down as might
} in my brain, came to a resolution on
two points. and then went to bed. One
of these resolves was that would not
} reveal the strange circumstance to any
} one. because had always most hearty
dislike Of gossip and ridicule at my ex-
pense, and the other was that / would
not allow the inexplicable vision to
trouble my mind SO as to make me in
capable of the daily work and duty OF
life. My natural calmness of tempera-
ment and my active, busy course of ex-
istence made me more able to make
these determinations with some chance
of keeping &c 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 dangerous, difficult
case, which required all my skill and
energy. By the time the evening was
again come the impression made by the
strange circums, ance of last night had
in great measure faded out of my
mind.
1t so happened that / was engaged to
spend that evening with my friends,
MIR. and Mrs. Woodland. Mr.. Wood
land was banker, and his wife was a
pretty, sparkling woman-the queen of
society in our town. She and were al
WAYS close allies; she would chatter 10
me of all her family affairs. and in a
certain way made me her confidant. On
the occasion in question was Mr.. and
Mrs. Woodlands only guest. The bank
er slumbered in his arm chair, the lady
had two or three bits of gossip to tell
about the neighborhood, and two or
/ three new books to discuss with me,
and a deal to say beside about the first
appearance of tooth in Miss Baby's
little rosy mouth. That young heroine
was brought down in state in her night
dress, and had to examine the prodigy
with much circumstance and solemnity.
Baby had retired again to the nur-
sery, and had ceased her somewhat loud
circumstances with regard to the incon-
venience of being brought downstairs
to appear in the drawing-room in such
costume and at such an hour. Mrs.
Woodland was standing on the hearth
rug looking in the mirror when the
| town-clock in the market-place hard by
struck eight. 1 was looking at the re
Election Of my hostess face in the mir
ror, and thinking that it was certainly
a very pretty one, when suddenly, at
the side of the lively brown eyes, APP
peared 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 lamp
light gleam-all were there.
could not help start and MUIR
INJURED expression OF wonder. Mrs
Woodland turned round quickly at the
sound.
what is the matter?" she asked in
surprise.
"Oh. Just a twinge of rheumatism in
my shoulder" l answered, carelessly.
81 caught it riding home through the
storm yesterday" ...-.
"Mr. Heathcote, what do you see so
wonderful in the looking-glass to-
night" she asked few minutes after,
noticing with feminine quickness the
direction in which my eyes, in spite of
myself. were so frequently turned.
II was thinking that if was a little
handsomer man than am, should try
to get wife made exactly on your pat
term" replied, lightly.
With these and few more testing
words contrived to put Mrs. Wood
lands curiosity to sleep again, while,
from time to time, watched the vision
airy house. 1t was just as l had expect
ed; when the town-clock chimed
quarter to nine, it vanished exactly as it
had done on the previous night.
From that time forward, wherever 1
might be, if / was in the room with a
looking glass, saw every evening, from
eight to quarter to nine, for the next
month to come, the house in the mirror.
Sometimes it met my view in the tiny
looking glass on a cottage wall, where
l was tending poor patient, sometimes
in the pier-glass of sick fine lady's
apartment. sometimes in the mirror of
friend dining-room as l sat at din
ner. There was never the faintest
change in the vision; it was always
marked by exactly the same features. |
can not say but that this perpetual
haunting of my life by so mysterious an
apparition did make a vaguely uncom-
Portable and painful impression on my
mind. But by strength of will, and by
clinging resolutely and ceaselessly to
all my active daily duties, 1 prevented
its having a morbid. unhealthy effect
upon me. revealed the circumstance
to no one. but appeared to the outer
world as if there was no strange page in
my commonplace story.
When, however, month or so had
passed by, there came a great, sudden,
real sorrow, which most effectually
thrust aside all inclination to brood
over gloomy, shadowy, fanciful
troubles. One morning there arrived a
telegram from Lecco, on the Lago
Como, in North Italy, saying that my
sister, on her way home from India,
had fallen dangerously i'll there. and
calling me at once to her side. knew
that Lottie's health had been delicate
ever since her baby was born, and that
she was about to return to England for
the sake of cooler climate and the
best medical advice. l knew, too, that
she meant to return through Italy, but
| was hardly aware that she had, as
yet, started from Bombay. and 1 had
not the faintest notion that her disease
might possibly take such a dangerous
turn. No wonder. then, that the It'd |
ings were severe blow.
Lottie was far more to me than sisters
generally are to their brothers. She
was several years younger than was,
and she had been first my plaything,
then my pupil, and l had experienced
pang of real jealousy on that day