The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-01-10

not demand for eXplanation-na
otherwise but one Of simple admiration
Ridiculous as it may seem to YOU. GREAT
traveller and physicist, Ito put the
matter shortly-fell in love with my Ia
DIV of the tombs there and then, and
held the picture in my hands in ran
ture. for don't know how long, before
I so much as thought of explanations
Even when | did think, though, tbe
natural explanation, as you call r.
was not so easy to arrive at. This grave
was some distance from the others, and
stood quite alone, having no tree or
shrub near it but the yew. / had con-
templated it for some time before de-
Gliding to take it, and | was quite GER
tain that no one approached it during
that time. OF course, when | focused
the scene I necessarily had my eyeson
it, and it was absolutely impossible that
| should have missed seeing face
her face above all-had it been there
Now, spiritualist as | am, and dreamer
as YOU think me, Ialways seek a 'natlr-
al explanation of any apparent mystery
first, and | decided on doing so in this
case. Had | not been honestly in bye
with the vision | should have simply
kept the portrait as a subject for pleas
ant speculations when l had nothing
better to do; but l was in love, res.
really in love, and l made up my mnd
to solve this mystery without delay
''And you discovered that it was he
wife of the curate?" l said.
''No,sL di9I61-F ~ WIS tb1-.reply,
you had better have another H9S.Y
Wilde; it will keep you from raking
futile Interruptions. l could no leavP
town for two or three days, ard during
that time l enlarged the head into THAI
picture which you saw first, snd when !
went to Bringley took bob pictures
with me. got down therctoO late to
attempt anything that nigh, and though
turned the subject over il my mind all
the way down, and continued to do so
till l fell asleep, [ could not arrive at
any very definite conclusion as to where
to begin. 1t would hardly do to go
about showing my portrait to every one
[ met and asking if they knew who 1t
was. Such course was calculated to
give rise to unpleasant speculations as
to ones sanity, and, on the other hand,
[ did not feel much inclined to settle
down in the place for an indefinite
period and 90 in for staring in the faces
of all the young ladies for miles round
in the hope Of. meeting the subject of
my dreams. The next morning [ did
what | suppose any one else would
have done under the circumstances
went straight to the churchyard, and to
the grave itself. All was silent and
solitary as upon the last occasion. L
went close to the cross, and putting
aside the wild rose, | read:
d" Sacred to the memory of Beatrice La
sale, who died October Is 1862, aged twenty
one years-Until the Dawn
'Now, it was impossible for me, think
Of the matter how [ might, to get rid of
the idea that it was no mere chance
that had brought the lady of my picture
to this grave, and | felt absolutely
certain that could discover the where
abouts of the relations of the dead
woman | should not be far off another
look into tie eyes of the living one. !
went back to the inn and at once asked
the landlord if any one of the namel 2
Lasalle lived in the neighborhood. -
he had never heard the name. As
long had he lived in the town? Agt
ten years. How long had the par ii
of the place held the living? Only
about four years. The last man had
been an old bachelor, and had held the
post for forty years. o, well, who was
the oldest inhabitant, where did he live,
and was he is in his dotage or capable
cfa hn.. A
not rightly know which was the Oldest
inhabitant, but he knew an old one, and
that was not he but a she, who
lived about mile off, and could answer
questions but could not hear them, being
stone deaf Encouraging. wasn't it?
However, | meant to try all knew; so
! got this lady's address, and presently
reached the cottage of the ancient dame
who was supposed to know all about
everybody, and whose name was Sug
oidge. 1t was a Well-built, substantial
little house, with a garden much better
than most of those | had passed. A
good looking woman of about forty
came out of the door to meet me as
unattached the garden gate. Surely this
was not the afflicted female? 1t wasn't.
"What might | want?
ITO see Mrs. Suggidge Had 1 the
pleasure of speaking to her?
''Yes-young Mrs. Suggidge. Old
Mrs. Suggidge was indoors.
'Ah! it was old Mrs. Suggidge I
wanted to see, to ask her a few ques-
tons about a family that once lived
near.
80, then, it was all right; there was
nothing mother liked better than an
swering questions if she could be got to
hear them, but that was an event which
seldom happened, it seemed. | was
shown into nice, comfortable little
room, in which the object of my search
sat busly knitting. The daughter
having introduced me and my business
to her in a voice strikingly like the
shrek Of railway engine, she said she
sfr9ttfd b5 happy to- tell Ia lSss
could about anybody. Grateful for thS
extreme amiability. | collected al my
energies, and initiating, as dearly as /
could, but still feebly, the timbre and
pitch of the daughters voice, asked her
if she knew if a family named Lasalle
had ever lived thereabout The effort
was failure. She knew no one named
Russell nearer than Bilston town. and
he was butcher who beat his wife.
"Fpelino- sure tb at | could nevo,. oval