The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-09

ence, made me more able to make these
determinations with some chance of keep
ing to them than most people in my place.
I slept we'll 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 cir |
cumstance of last night had in great |
measure faded out of my mind.
1t 80 happened that | was engaged to |
spend that evening with my friends, Mr..
and Mrs. Woodland. Mr.. Woodland was
a banker, and his wife was a pretty,
sparkling woman--the queen of society in
our town. She and l were always close
allies; she would chatter to me of all her
family affairs, and in certain way made
me her confdant. On the occasion in
question l was Mr.. and Mrs. Woodlands
only guest. The banker slumbered in bis
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 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 night.dress, and had to examine the
prodigy with much circumstance and SOL
emnity.
Baby had retired again to the nursery,
and had ceased her somewhat loud remon-
strances with regard to the inconvenience
of being brought down stairs 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. was looking
at the reflection of my hostess 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-roo mir
ror yesterday, at this same hour: garden,
pagoda like summer-house, silvery moon
light, yellow lamplight gleam-all there.
/ could not help start and murmured
expression of wonder. Mrs. Woodland
turned round quickly at the sound.
"What is the matter ?" she asked in
surprise.
"Oh, just twinge of rheumatism in
my shoulder" answered carelessly. 81
caught it riding home through the storm
yesterday"
"Mr. Heathcote, what do you see so
wonderful 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
frequently turned.
al was thinking that if l was little
handsomer man than am, should try to
get wife made exactly on your pattern
1replied lightly.
With these and few more TESTING
words contrived to put Mrs. Woodlands
curiosity to sleep again, while, from time
to time, 1 watched the visionary house
1t was just as l had expected when the
town clock chimed quarter to nine, il
vanished exactly as it had done on the
previous night.
From that time forward, wherever
might be, if was in the room with 6
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 cottage wall, where
was tending poor patient, sometimes il
the mirror of friends dining-room as
sat at dinner. There was never the faint
, est change in the vision it was always
marked by exactly the same features.
, cannot say but that this perpetual haunt
ing OF my life by so mysterious an appari
ton did make vaguely uncomfortable
, and painful impression on my mind
But by strength of will, and by clingint
: resolutely and ceaselessly to all my activ,
daily duties, prevented its having NOR
bid, unhealthy effect upon me. l revealed
the circumstance to no one, but appeared
to the< outer world as if there was nj
! strange page in my commonplace story
When, however, month or so hat
3 passed by, there came a great, sudden
real sorrow, which most effectually thrus
aside all inclination to brood over gloomy
[ shadowy, fanciful troubles. One morning
: there arrived telegram from Lecco
3 on the Lago Como in North Italy, sayinl
: that my sister, on her way home from
3 India, had fallen dangerously ill there
l and calling me at once to her side.
knew that Lottie's health had been deli
l cate ever since her baby was born, AM
Q that she was about to return to Englan,
D for the sake of cooler climate and tn
f best medical advice. | knew, too, tina
she meant to return through Italy, but
I was hardly aware that she had, as vel
J, started from Bombay, and had not tn
> faintest notion that her disease Nigh
@ possibly take such dangerous turn. N
l wonder, then, that the tidings were &c
q we're blow.
v Lottie was far more to me than sister
generally are to their brothers. She wa
n several years younger than was, and sh
J. had been first my plaything, then my pu
9 pill and had experienced a pang of res
n jealousy on that day when, sitting on
9 stool at my feet, with her sweet face bic
q den on my knees, she confessed to m
that there was one who was more t
'. her than was, one who was more to he
- than all the world beside. This FOOLS
,s feeling, of course, quickly passed away
and rejoiced to see her happy bride
u yet Lottie was still my pet, my pride an
it my darling.
If l will not dwell upon the hurried jou
p ney, with Fear sitting at my side, nor tn
% long nights and days of dreary, anxiou
l watching. 1t suffices to say here that IN
sweet girl was, at length, given back
8. my arms, after, through long weeks, M
10 medical care and skill had battled wit
IN death for her. During the whole of tn
d period the house in the mirror never agai
appeared to me, and indeed, in my al
is sorbing anxiety and trouble, the remer