Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-07

! til my eyes fell upon them. IL was really
| sweet in Jessie. Why had never thought
OF such an offering? Why should l feel
an emotion of jealousy that a charming
| girl like J essie should foresta1 me?
"LOvely! are they nOt?' she continued
| holding them up. 81 heard that she loves
| flowers. and is an invalid. They say. too.
| that he adores his mother. You see my
| difficulty has been to get at these people.
| The lady who presides over the house, some
\ foreign unapproacnable body, is rather
/ too old for me to expect from her a return
| of sociabilities, and the mother is an in
| valid. If you will introduce me as your
| friend, | will be at home directly"
could not object to accompanying her
| there. and suggested that we had better
| 20 at once as the afternoon was waning.
| Jessie objected to horseback riding.
you look so romantic and charming
on a horse, but imagine me with my
/ erimps and plumes jOstling along. No,
dear; let us go some other way"
Father was out with the carriage
horses, SO we had no device left but the
cars. 1t was only few minutes of the
1 hour for the tram to pass, so my toilette
| had to be hastily made. In a mood for do
| ing odd things put on the necklace. 1t
/ required no effort for me TO wear the Old
| fashioned ornament, since Jessie, who
| was a model OF taste, thought that the
/ modern jewelry was unbecOming to me.
| 1t was no use for me to try to be ether
/ than l was, and, as Aunt Miriam wished
/ it, 1 would wear her miniature for her
/ sake. l knew that Jessie would burst
out at once into EXPLANATIONS over its
| quaintneSs, so, in order to keep her from
OBTAINING us, wore lace handkerchief
/ over it, as did on the first occasion of
! wearing it.
"Ah, little quakeressp' cried she,
| tucking my arm in hers and whirling me
| EDWARDS. ''Do you know 1 wish you had
worn your elegant jewels. You look so
! divinely innocent as you are l feel like
an actress beside you. Do you think the
! Professor will like me, Minnie?''
had no need to reply, for the engine
| came putting towards us, and in a few mo-
ments we were on board.
We had a pleasant coach so nearly
| empty that we cOnYersed without fear of
! listeners. Jessie grew confidential di-
| rectly.
son! l have not dared to tell you what
! strange things we hear about these new
corners. Your great, startling eyes really
put me in awe of you, and l dread your
! growing indignant. You need not be
! shocked, however, for l am not RESPONSE
| bic for what people will say"
"DO in pity, JESSIE was forced to eX-
claim, 'keep me no longer in suspense"
''Just as 1 expected" she returned;
| you live in world of dreams, and do not
! know that you mingle every day with peO-
! pie who are enveloped in a cloud of mys-
/ terry. Why, have heard that there is
| some apartment in that house where some
mysterious being is concealed. Some say
| it is a wife of Prof Williams, or a hus-
| band Of the stiff lady, or some idiot boy
! who inherits something; or you can hear
! any kind of wild story now since the ball
/ OF rumOr has been started. Oh, my"
! here Jessie clapped her hands in glee-
sis 1t not delightfully."- romantic? L have
! been wild with curiosity to come out and
! look about for myself, and only to think
what fine opportunity you have to find
out something"
1 burst in here with all the indignation
she dreaded:
81 scOrn such miserable curiosity"
What have we here!" she asked, with
a merry twinkle In her eyes. ''Tragic
airs, indeed. You take up the battle-ax
right royalty. All, he is lucky Profess
sOr in having such pupil. Now if it was
only mel"
s'You would not probe into family az
fairs one whit more than l."
''Oh! but one could keep her eyes and
ears open. Only watch me this after
noOn."
/ | grew anxious. What were to be my
notifications on account of this wild
/ creature? 'She ratified on in the same
strain until we reached our destination,
| and my nerves were in a very tremulOus
condition when we walked arm in arm
along the winding pathway that led
| through the grove. l was thankful indeed
| when the loneliness of the scene about us
diverted her thoughts. Even beautiful
Strassmere! Who could approach thee
| unmoYed?
''Where all that's fair and wild and sweet,
| In one harmonious union meet"
Natures fair face greeted us from every
shapely forest tree, through whose shin
ing foliage the wind was telling soft mu-
steal things to our hearts. We stood
upon the white stone bridge over the rip
pling brook, and were silent. The rich
grass waved on the terraces above us as
if nOddng us a gentle welcome. Sweet
OdOrs from the flower-beds came floating
down on the air and kissed our faces. A
little farther on rose a set of marble steps
rising to the terraced gardens. There
Jessie and l sat awhile in quiet enjoy
ment. The rest was too sweet to be
Jared upon by words. | looked up to-
wards the dwelling that crowned the
heights above US, and new, mysterious
charm lowered about its white balconies,
its alcOves and turreted roofs rising like
battlements here and there. In vain ]
looked to find spot where it was posi-
BILE for a secret chamber to be located.
Something within me spurned even the
vague thoughts that fl0ated through my
brain. Fearing that Jessie was about to
break the spell upon us byreturning to her
usual mood pressed with her on towards
the house. We were ushered in, and pO-
litely welcomed by Miss Milano. Jessie
| whispered to me, while Miss hilanO re-
tired to apprise Madame of our visit:
Il am perfectly awe-stricken-dOn'
| dare to look about meD
A very different effect was produced
upon her by the Madame, who received
us in her own room reclining on her
couch. She looked weaker than usual,
and could not talk much. How her eyes
| glistened when Jessie placed in her hands
the lovely flowers! Such genuine delight
would have gladdened any giver's heart.
| Madame's expressions of pleasure were
| given in French, and | had to interpret
| them for Jessie. In this way was not
! kept in the background. AS | had often
to explain Jessie's fast-AOwing language
also, was kept busy enough. The alb
sence of Prof. Williams, of course, was
not mentioned, but felt a vague sense of
! uneasiness from the fact that Harry had
been absent from home two days and
was at Strassmere, so father had been in
! formed. L was on the point of asking for
| Harry, when very peculiar sound COM
ing from the upper part of the house broke
! in upon my ears. Again 1t reached me,
and l became so distracted as to lose the
thread of Jessie's talking. She assailed
me Immediately.
snow, little dreamer, please wake up,
! for you see L cannot talk without your
help"
1t was hard for me to be myself, for my
acute hearing seldom deceived me, and
once before had heard that
sound from Harry's lips in the
! old days-those dreadful days when
! he seemed to be lost to us, when
father had helped me, and we two had
nursed him through a degradation too
! deep for me to write the word here. 1t
was then that father told him if he ever
! saw him again sink so low he should for
! ever disOWn him. The faintest sound of the
| half-maniac voice and the horror it bore
| brought back all the wretched time. l
| could see Harry's haggard face again as
il was when he had come to himself, and
! the dreadful scene with father came be-
fore me, and Knocked all the peace of that
room with it's luxury and gaily-talking
occupants. Again there was wild cry
! that rang through the halls above. 1t
was impossible to keep still. sprang up
and went to the window where my burn
ing cheeks could feel the breeze, and
I 4 IL TwnNn Mi