Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-01-03
Gales ano Sketftfs.
fHE HOUSE IN fnE MIRROR.
(continuued from Yesterday

ing-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 I was tending a |
poor patient. sometimes in the pier glass |
of sick fine lady's apartment, sometimes |
in the mirror of a friends dining room as
| sat at dinner. There was never the |
faintest change in the vision; it was al |
ways marked by exactly the same features.
cannot say but that this perpetual haunt
ing Of my life by 50 mysterious an appari-
ton did make vaguely uncomfortable
and painful impression on my mind. But
by strength Of will. and BY clinging reso
lutely and ceaselessly 10 all my active daily
duties. prevented its having morbid.
unhealthy effect upon me. | revealed the
circumstances 10 no one, but appeared to
the outer world as If there was no strange
page in my commonplace story.
When. however. a month or 50 bad
passed by, there came great. sudden.
real sorrow, which most effectually thrust
aside all inclination To brood over gloomy
shadowy. fanciful troubles. One morning
there arrived q telegram from Leeco, on
the Lago Como in North Italy. saying that
my sister, on her way home from India,
had fallen dangerously i'll there and cal!-
ing 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 10 England for the sake OF a
cooler climate and the best medical advice.
knew too that she meant to return through
Italy, but | was hardly aware that she had,
as yet, started from Bombay, and had
not the faniest notion that her disease
might possibly take such dangerous turn.
No wonder. then, that the tidings were a
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 bad experienced pang of
real jealously on that day when, sitting
on a stool at my feet, with her sweet face
hidden on my knees, she confessed to me
that there was one who was more TO her
than | was, one who WAS more to than all
the world beside. This foolish feeling. of
course, quickly passed away, and re-
joiccd TO see her a happy bride; yet Lottie
was still my pet, my pride and my darl-
ing.
will not dwell upon the hurried jour
ney, with Fear sitting at my side, nor the
long nights and days OF dreary. anxious
watching. II suffices to say here that my
sweet girl was at length, given back to
my arms, after, through long weeks. my
medical care and skill had battled with
death Tor her. During the whele OF this
period the house IN the mirror never
again appeared to me, and indeed, in my
absorbing anxiety and trouble, the re-
membrance of il even hardly entered my
mind.
One lovely evening in early spring,
when Lottie was much better. but not
strong enough yet to be moved, | had
been taking long ramble into the lovely
country which surrounds Lake Como, and
on my return had lost my way. The sun
had sci. the moon had risen and was bath
ing the world in q silver sea. | had
reached path by the lake. and was paus-
ing TO consider in which direction Leeco
lay. The scene around was all one glory
of stiffness and of brightness. breeze
just stirred the waters softly with a kiss.
the outlines of the distant hills were soft
and tender. as if drawn by an artist-angel's
pencil here and there among them there
was white glimmer which told of
hamlet or homestead; hard by
nightingale Just struck single note.
and then was silent again. rs if he feared
to break the calm spell of the moon.
All ut once | started. and low excla-
nation burst from his lips. My eyes were
resting on the surface of the lake. and
there mirrered in Its clear waters, be-
held exactly the same house and garden
which had so often. before left England.
met my view in such a strange. myster-
ous way. Disturbed. astonished. unable
TO believe my own senses. glanced round
behind me. and there, on little rising
ground above the lake. saw a house
which corresponded to the reflection be-
low, and which was. in every respect, the
realization of my vision. just then the
clock of some distant church among the
hills struck eight.
The whole circumstance and coincidence
was so singular that could not help be-
ing impressed and startled by it. Antag-
onistic though my whole energetic nature
was to all imaginary fears and beliefs.
approached the gate of the garden. and
noted how in every smallest particular,
even to the star-like flowers of the ereeper
on the wall, even to the fresco of the old
woman with the basket of oranges at her
feet. even to the slightly opened window
with the ray of light gliding through it,
1t was the complete likeness OF the house
which had SD often met my view in the
mirror. The very name of the villa writ
ten over the gate filed me with strange,
eerie feeling: it was LA Casa dello
Speccho." 1t had evidently been so
named from the peculiarly clear and
beautiful reflection which it had produced
in the waters of the lake.
The complex thoughts and feelings
which the sight of the villa and its name
called mp caused me to linger near it for
some little time. until began to fear that
my mind was going to take a morbid.
sickly turn, and resolved to leave the
spot at once. Just as I had turned to go.
however. gold seal. which had belonged
to my father, aud which. therefore, was
much valued by me, happened to fall from
my watch-chain. and spent some time in
looking tor it; for it had rolled down the
hill into the grass.
had at length found the seal. and was
moving away. when the same distant
church clock struck a quarter to nine.
Scarcely had the sound died on the breeze.
when long, shrill cry came ringing out
of the house into the night, apparently
through the half open window. After
that, cannot describe the motives which