The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-07-23

linen her voice sank TO frlgntlul
whisper, and the fear in her eyes
heightened, as she said =
Have you not seen that l am
watched?"
/ cast an angry look in the direc-
tion of the maid, who was pacing the
J pier at a little distance from us and
my companion also glanced that
way and whispered:
"Yes, you have seen it; | knew
you had. Everywhere and all day
long am watched and followed. |
cannot escape; they have woven a
web around me-"
She turned and was full of excite
ment; a condition that contrasted
strongly and painfully with her
usually quiet and gentle state.
"But why isit?" / asked, anxious
ly, with feeling of deeper concern
than / dared to reveal. "Why are
you watched and followed? Do not
your friends know of this? Why are
you here alone with a woman you
fear?"
A moments passion cleaned in
her eyes and expired and inexpres-
sible yearning took its place while
she answered:
| MY friends you do not under
stand: you cannot; how could you =?
l fear my friends more than | fear
her. She belongs to them and acts
| for them /; it is my friends that are
my enemies it is from them that
/ cannot escape. Shall | tell you
why it is that they are cruel to me,
and what is the horrible burden of
my life ?-but no; | cannot. Who
are you that should talk to you in
this way? What interest have you
in me?"
A terrible suspicion crossed my
mind, but vanished in an instant.
She had become calm again, and
spoke as one who weighed her words
and told no more than she was
aware of, l begged, | implored her,
that she would speak to me and
make her confidant, assuring her OF
my fidelity and nay earnest desire to
serve her; but she was silent, and
when she spoke again it was with
a shadow of coldness in her manner,
and she thanked me but said that
she had spoken more than she in
tended, and made an excnse, and
begged that | would forget. The
maid, who as | believed, had noticed
her recent excitement, came up, and
saying that it was late and the air
was growing chilly, suggested that
her mistress should return. She
rose at once and gave me her hand,
saving that she would not trouble
me to accompany them to theshore,
and seeing that it was her wish to
be alone I bowed and she withdrew,
followed by the maid.
From that night | thought of her
more than ever. Nay, her sweet,
mournful face haunted my waking
and my sleeping dreams, and the
sad music of her voice echoed in
my ear.
To the interest of her beauty and
her bearing was now added that of
the mystery she had darkly hinted
at-mystery which remained a mys-
terry, for she never again reverted to
it, and | forebore to trouble her with
quesiionings.
But the feeling that had been
growing in me since our friendship
opened, sank deeper and acquired
ever fresh strength. Interest had
long since passed into fascination
fascination now passed into love.
At this there was nothing to won
der. Her dark and melancholy
beauty, the inexplicably subtle
charm of her manner, the frequency
of our meetings and the curiously
fitting character of time and place
these were circumstances | had nei-
ther power nor will resist. And |
grew to love her with the heat and |
passion of youth, though conscious
always of a something lowering
about her which made it difficult |
for me to approach her in the char
acter of lover.
But one evening as We sat together
on the steps leading down to the |
water dared to speak to her as |
had never spoken before. She heard
me, bat with agitation IN her looks /; !
and when paused and drew little |
closer to her she shrank back, and in |
a tone almost of horror she answered
that what / had asked her was
wholly impossible for her to grant.
Then her manner softened, and with
tears in her eyes she bade me leave
her and forget her.
To me then it seemed that this
was not less impossible, and | said
so earnestly and pleadingly; urging
that if it might not be now it might
be in the future, and imploring for
leave only to hope.
But she, gently and kindly mex
orable, denied me again then CIV
ing way utterly to tears and with a
gesture of despair she begged of me
to 90 and see her no more.
Scarcely knowing what | did
reached out my arms toward her,
and she, thinking apparently that
ment to clasp her-though | my
self know not even now whether
that were really my intention
moved from me, and would have
fallen backward into the water had
Inot caught and held her by the wrist !
In the same instant we both obser-
we'd a sudden and startling change
that had come over the sky. 1t had
been a sultry afternoon, but the OPP
pressive calm Of the past two hours
had ceased, and the wind, with an
ominous sound ofstorm, was risingin
the west. The sun had set, red and
angry, and an artillery of heavy
clouds loaded the western sky and
spread rapidly until the whole
heavens were obscured, save where
one broad streak of dull yellow
marked where the sun had lately
sunk. The sea was of one metallic
hue-its surface was broken by the
wind, and little sullen waves With
glittering crests beat against the sides
of the pier.