New-York tribune., 1885-07-19
~rpoIIGHT BY A STRANGER.

ynss oe.. uness IL be the balf-unconscious wish
communcate to Others that men mus eyer ,hat j s
rssd and nexplieable. Even now, when IL an
". hehind me like "a tale that Is told, fast reeed-
~ and fading away into the outlVea past; TIen mx
is.rt like wearied, wasted thing, drags slowly
- iii the chill hand of death shall stay 1t forever
- sveu now | shrink with shuddering repugnancc;
.1S would fain draw back from my self-imposcd
'idoubt it, under Gods heaven, two human souls
.rsr loved each more devOtediy than dld my
busbsnd and myself We had been married out a
sSort tweivemonths, when he came home one night @
with baggard absorbed o"f ,orsapre ON %rs reo mnst
have happened. What it was 1 soon earnea; s;i,a a.
BDsness of the utmost urgency feqniiea mn %
& and l. for six long months to journey across
Il Orld OF wild angry waters, to drag out Tue
ary days in lonely waiting and watching Ior
if the desolate weeks that followed my hns-
Dald's departure, ! will not now speak me uays GAYS
drs gged slowly on, one by one, and at last te LIME
arrived when might expect to hear IIo'n n'iu. ~
The mail from Brazil-the one be had promise a9 "
write by-eame in, but the letter had :" mapv
for Ongcd or and payeab csme not nor had
sny tidings of his ship been received weus et, i,v
his Office where knew they would near ulIe' far
She arrived They told me there was no cause IoI
sn,,iety the ship was overdue. but that was
,or mon occurrence; some accident had pr0DaoLH
her h1y wOae ne weeks and
.n., months, and yet no news OF the Osprey: & nUs
u lived through that awful time, God only KNOWS
5hinking until, utterly exhausted, fell INTO
restless dream haunted sleep; only to toss 70 anu
fro on wild heayng ocean, nS over whfn pay after
Sav wond shnt myself in my room to pr 3strate
~ the floor sobbing. "Oh, my husband my brave,
",lle en- husband! ~ pa ms 'Oo give I'LL" 0"'~ " INV
will not weary the reader. and, wiring my. own
arr aTesh by Swsns f t6st s
s.rs had gone by and nothing beng neard oi LIE .he
sJrey, 1t was considered as settled beyond aou9t
sae had te goae an ao% ~d maiden aunt Of my hns
,ai,d's. who had been very i'll, took 1T into ner
d that she would IKE me to 60 and Sbe sSyud not
oossibiy live mere than mouth or two. had not
the heart to refuse, and so. for the first time since
y .nss msrss rsS fSusd %as esasg sssRS
away ND in the midland counties. had never
been there before and as the Journey was Long long
nv arrival. That night dreamt a dream OF such
INTENSE yividness and reality, that even now can
seea it to my miHa iresa ana Sonod mysef
know not how, standing alone at midnighs on
bare, bleak heath lit only by the weird light OF
iow-lying moon, far away in the stariess soutn.
Across her wan face stretched ragged skirt OF
black angry cloud, either side Of which the
intercepted rays broke into Two % long gl ha1 avsms
the other bonding down toward earth. till IL was
lost in the shadowy horizon All aronnd me. as far
monrland. save that away to the right ! saw the
dark outline of some buiiding-apparently
deserted shod cottage As stood there numb ,nla
aud trembling in the CALL night air, strange ire
sistible impuise-I know not what seized me, oy
Wkich was impelled, as by some unseen power, III
the direction OF TINS 66]ecI diom effort
Ia nv bosom, my breath coming IN short qnicH
gssps and my ears SO upnaturaliy strained Lor tne
snd rushing through the veins In my temples.
Suddenly heard sound as of some human being
PAIN and then aon Ei,6 TanS ann ben epy low moa
again. With one bound rushed forward, and
there, in the shadow of the shed. crouched mp
rsrenfiy dying knclt at her side, raised her III
NV arms, and, as the pale light Of the moon fell on
band. ban d i recollsct q wild. unoarihIv cry ringing
In nv ears. whether uttered by myself or not l
csnnot say, and then-I awoke to find myself lying
uncurtained window. Sleep. with the recollection
Of dream haunting my mind 0asd %as tat
window opened on pair Of iron stairs reaching
down to q garden; In dull mechanical way !
dressed slipped shaw over my head, and stepped
out. / passed through the garden, unlatchcd q
cse, and found myself IN an open road, bordered
on either side by tall hedgerows. In front the road
rose in kind of hill. until 1t met the Inc or SKY,
beyond which could see nothing. AS stepped
hurredly onward. the moon, which. I'll then had 4
been shining full in my face darkened, ana when
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, ana looked
at the view which suddenly broke before me' al, an
icy'chlll ran through my frame. and nearly fe /
fainting to the ground for there-seen IN the wan
light of low-lymg moon, across wh,ch strs,caeu M
ragged skirt of black angry clond-spread the
wild heath of my dream, still, silent, and sombre.
And, as stood there, trembling and shuddcring,
two long hazy beams of llght-one above ann one
Lcow-shot oat from either side of the darkened
moon, just as 1t had appeared before IL was some
seconds ere could nerye myself TO iooS i, 20 'ne
ssw tn outline Of the deserted shed. once more
the resistless impulse seized me- once more Sas
drawn gradually b1t surely toward the shoa, !
heard a low moan. the wailing cry, and saw, just
as l had seen it in my dream. the dark form
crouched up in the shadow Of the wall! But this
time there was no awakening, this time II was no
impalpable form touched, but the fragile hgnre
Of a woman, her hair loose yng around her, her
eyes-glazed as If IN death @ up INTO nd
sfrighted as was recollected that had a snal,
bottle OF brandy and water in my pocket, placed
there in case l should require It on the journey.
With great difficulty succeeded in forcing a. few
drops past her lips which seemed to revive faint
duttering in the well-niga lifeless bosom. l saw
thas she was persbing with cod; so l raised the
poor creature In my arms, took OIL my shawl, ana
y spped it round her. and tried by brisk chahng
she strength of my lungs, shouted for help, but
except the angry bark of some distant watch-cog
1here was no answer Life was SO nearly % gone tha,
= would take to hurry home ana OBTAIN aid ana
the long night through sat there on the damp
rmmy ground. bareheaded and shiveriDg, with
: to keep the faint, hickerng spark Of life from
ard a wagner going by, aud, hopeessly hcarsc
tn cold and calling as was succeeded in
tractng his attention, and inducing him to drive
both to the house. A doctor hastily sent for
40 SAID the poor woman almost dead from
niger and exhaustion. but that by care and at,
ntIon her life would be spared That night
snt 10 bed with my head burning like furnace
d every limb aching with pain; and when morn
came II found Inc stricken down with II raging
yer, brought ou by the exposure TO the damp
I'd cews Of midnight on the lonely heath. How
kngI lay like that know not 1t must have been
ysany weeks, for they told me after / had been
x-;aa NM nv fhe dOcfors was deliriOuS the