The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-15
WROUGHT By A STRANGER.

TO tell nv tale know not; unless 1t be the half
unconscious wish to communicate to others that
which must ever be connected in my own mind
with much that is weird and inexpiicable.
Even now, when it all lies behind me like "a
tale that is told, fast recedng and fading away
into the Outlived past; when my blood flows
coldly through my veins, and my heart, like
wearied, wasted thing, drags slowly on till the
chill hand of death shall stay it forever-even
now | shrink with shuddering repugnance, and
would fam draw back from my selfimposed
task
doubt if, under Gods heaven, two human
souls ever loved each other more devotedly than
did my husband and myself We had been mar
ried but short twelve months when he came
home one night, with haggard, absorbed look on
his face that told me instantly something of i'm
portance must have happened. What it was l
soon learned. Business of the utmost urgency
required him to start at once for Brazil. We
were to be separated, he and /, for six long
months-he to journey across the world Of wild
angry waters l to drag out the weary days in
lonely waiting and watching for his return.
OF the desolate weeks that followed my hus
bands departure will not now speak. The days
dragged slowly on, one by one, and at last the
time arrived when l might expect to hear from
him. The mail from Brazl-the one he had
promised TO write by-came in. but the
letter l had watched for, longed for, and
prayed for through so many weary days
and restless nights, came not, nor had any
tidings of his ship been received | went into
his Office where | knew they would hear di
rectly she arrived. They told me there
,y9at.y. obi p1r1n but
that was a common occurrence. Some accident
had probably delayed her. They would tee
graph directly she was advised" Days grew
Into weeks and weeks into months, and yet no
news Of the Osprey How lived through that
awful time, God only knows. Night after night
lay awake thinking, thinking, thinking. until,
utterly exhausted, fell into restless, dream
haunted sleep; only to toss to and fro on wild
heaving ocean. over which | was wandering in
search of my lost husband. Day after day
would shut myself in my room to lie PROSTATE
on the door sobbing, "Oh, my husband! my
brave, noble husband God give him back to
ne! give him back to me!
l will not weary the reader ana wiring my own
heart afresh by dwelling upon the black misery
and hopeless agony of that fearful time Two
long years had gone by, and nothing being
heard of the Osprey, 1t was considered as settled
beyond doubt that she had gone down and all on
board persisted just at this time an old maiden
aunt Of my husband who had been very i'll,
took it into her head that she would like me to
60 and stay few days with her. AS the doctors
said she could not possibly live more than
month or two. had not the heart to refuse; and
SO, for the first time since my marriage, / found
myself sleeping under strange roof. 1t was
little country farmhouse away up in the mid
land counties. L had never been there before,
and, as the journey a long one and | was
very tired, | went to bed soon after my arriva!
That night l dreamt dream of such intense
vividness and reality that even now can recall it
to my mind, fresh andunfading, as if it had hap
pened but Yesterday, found myself know not
how standing alone at midnight bare,
bleak heath, lit only by the weird light Of
low-lylng MOON far away in the starless south.
Across her wan face stretched ragged skirt of
black angry cloud, on either side of which the
intercepted rays broke into two long hazy beams
of light, shooting far the calm
heavens the other bending down toward earth
till it was lost in the shadowy horizon. All
around me, as far as the eye could reach, spread
the wild waste of moorland, save that away to
the right saw the dark outline of some build
ing-apparenty O deserted shed cottage AS
l stood there, numb and trembling in the chill
night Air, a strange irresistible impulse know
not what--seized me, by which was impeled,
as by some unseen power. in the direction of
this object drew closer and closer, my heart
wrenching in wild effort in my
bosom, my breath coming in short, quick
sas and my the ears sbtest SonnG
that l could hear the blood kissing and rushing
through tine veins in my temples Suddenly l
heard q sound as of some human being in pain,
and then wild. waing cry: Harry, Harry,
Harry! God help me!' and then low moan
again. With one bound rushed forward, and
there. in the shadow of the shed, couched up
against the wall | saw the form of woman
apparently dying | knelt at her side, raised her
in my arms and, as the pale light of the moon
fell on her face. recognized the features of my
lost husband. l recolect ssysild, unearthly cry
ringing in my ears, whether uttered by myself
or not, l cannot say, and them awoke TO find
myself lying there in that silent house. with the
cold light of cloudess moon falling full on
my face through the uncurtaned window.
Sleep with the recollection of that dream
haunting ay mind was impossible; so / rose,
and. on looking out, found that my window
opened on some iron stairs reaching down to
garden. In dull, mechanical way ]
dressed. slipped a shawl over my head, and
stepped out l passed through the garden, tin-
latched gate and found myself in an open
road bordered on either side by tall hedgerows
In front the road rose in kind of hill, until it
met the line of sky, beyond which | could see
nothing. AS | stepped hurriedly onward, the
moon, which till then had been shining full in
my face, darkened. and when l rose to the brow
OF the hill. strange consciousness of having
trodden that path before came over me: and as
found myself on the summit, and looked at
the view which suddenly broke before me- an
icy chill ran through my frame and nearly
fell fainting to the ground, for there--seen in
the wan light of a low lying moon, across which
stretched an ragged skirt of black, angry cloud
spread the wild heath of my dream, still, silent
and somber And, as l stood there, trem
bling and shuddering, two long, hazy
beams of light-one above and one be-
lOw-shot out from either side of the
darkened moon, just it had appeared before
1t was some seconds ere could nerve myself to
look to the right, out when l did So there, dark
and DIM saw the outline of the deserted shed.
Once more the resstlesS impulse seized me, once
more was drawn gradually but surely toward
the she'd, l heard low moan, the wailing cry
and saw, just as had seen it in my dream, tie
dark form crouched up in the shadow Of the
wall! But this time there was no awakening
this time IT was no impalpable form l touched
bat the fragile figure of woman, her hair loose
lying around her, her eyes-glazed as if in death
looking up into mine with a dumb, appealing
look. Trembling and affrgh,ed as | was |
recollected that had small bottle of brandy
n.nA Int in mr. H. Il IL