New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-12-23

and never returned. His little son,
was brought up BY his guardians until
news came of his fathers DEATH. and.
he became heir; to the property. All.
my dear, that blow killed the.poor.
lady; anyhow, it destroyed her reason;
and after her death people said
whoever slept in that room had
warning before they died, or before
the death of any one they cared for.
don't know what they saw. but
footsteps were often heard, I've been.
told, though can't say l was. ever
frightened by any thing myself.
So Nurse Alison finished her.story,.
which certainly made some impress
sion on me, and gave a sort Of eerie
sensation for a time, and as I passed
the Red Room during the next week
or two, | confess to feeling a dread of
looking behind me, and of rather.
quickening my steps, as / thought Of
poor pale Beatrice Austen, and her.
young, sad life ended in such q fearful
manner. Still, as / said before, the
poor old room had been so famiar to
me IN my childish days: that Isoon
again got the better OF my terrors,
and-to return to the commences
ment of my story-I had become so
completely Indifferent to all the hor-
ror ofnurse's legend that, as I have
already said, / was the first to pro
pose myself as an occupant of the
ghosts domains, when Christmas time
brought us all once more together at
Everton Grange. I felt no fear, no
dread OF evil. My happiness, I sup
pose, helped to throw a glamor over
everything; in fact was very young
and very much in love. Wehad many
happy parties during those few short
weeks-weeks SO full of perfect bliss
and the Red Room at night looked
cheerful and unghost'y enough, with a
bright fire and candles lightning up it's
old red-painted walls and faded hang
ings, while a group of merry girls my
self the merriest theparty-chatter-
ed and laughed in orthodox girlish
fashion, as we discussed the pleasure
OF the preceding days, and formed
plans and made arrangements for 9TH
er pleasures in the future.
We used to have such dances, too,
and the rafters OF the old Grange
would ring with the tread of many
feet and the laughter of many voices.
Then, better than all, were the quiet
talks Charlie and | often had together;
especially during the precious hour,
the hour before the dinner-bell rang,
when we generally contrived to meet
in my aunt's little sitting-room. There,
free from fear of all intruders, we
would build such dazzling castles in
the air, and arrange such plansfor the
future, for those happy days in storefo
us which we had promised to share
together.
I can seehim now, my own dear love,
the one figure standing out so bright
and clear among the misty shades
getting DINNER now as the years 20 on
of those / knew and loved at that
happy time.
l San hini-oh, so plainly stand-
ing by my chair IN Aunt Eleanor's lit
tie room; his handsome head, with it's
short wavy curls, looking golden in
the flashes OF the freight as he bends
toward me while 1 listen with a full
heart to his glowing words, as he pict.
ures our happiness in the years that
are to come.
He was so good, so brave and true;
far too good for me, I often thought;
and then I would wonder what he saw
in me to make him love me so much.
cit is but plain face" I used to
say to myself at times when looked
III the glass; but, then, Charlie did not
think me plain, SO what did I care?
And so the days wore on until the
time was at last fixed for the breaking
up OF our party, and for our return to
town.
I know my heart sank within me
when I said goodbye to the friends
and relations with whom had spent
so many happy hours; and when the
last morning actually came, and I
looked with a loving fondness round
my dear old room, whose red walls
and queer corners had become so dear
to me, and were SO filled with happy
memories, felt so completely and so
unaccountably miserable that I had
to take myself seriously to task for
what I then considered morbid feel
ings.
We were all sitting around the
breakfast-table on that morning, the
last we were to spend at the Grange,
for at any rate another twelvemonth,
when Charlie entered. l, who knew so
we'll every expression Of his face, saw
by the deep, dark look OF his blue
eyes, and the nervous contraction of
his lips, as he tried to smile and make
some apology for being SO late, that
something had happened.
However, he took his accustomed
place next to me and talked and
laughed apparently in his usual
manner until breakfast was over;
then he drew me into Aunt Eleanor's
sitting-room, our dear old trysting-
place, throwing his arms around me,
and straining me with passionate
force to his heart, he said, in a voice
so husky ! hardly recognized it:
Nellie, my own darling, you must
be brave; the Hecla has orders to sail
Immediately"
Icould not speak; my heart was too