Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-11-06

/ in love with beautiful Fenella, and be
glad to make her his wife. Would have
| loved Carlos less had his birth been hum
! bles or would he have thought me less
! his mate had been a peasant girl' We
! believed not. So | took counsel of my
| lover. and we decided that it was all very
sweet and beautiful. and that all lovers
were as true as we were; and We said
nothing to the older folks about Fenella's
| lover.
think that somehow Fenella and her
lover guessed how he felt. They never
seemed to heed us when We met in lonely
spots. II was always evening, and |
| never quite saw his face, but he had a
| fine figure, bore himself eXQuisitely, and
beneath the cloak he wore We saw the
fash of Jewels. He was some one OF
wealth, if not of consequence, that was
evident.
We tarried in that old villa only few
brief weeks. Those who had the direc-
ton of the party whisked us away TO
''do" other places before we were too
tired Of it: but ere parted with my maid
Fcnella, hired only for the time Of our
sojourn, had grown to like her very
much and somehow l could not help say
ing TO her, as she braided my hair for the
last tine:
s'Fenella, before next summer comes I
shall be married. You guess who is to
be my husband, of course. Would you
like TO come to our native country and be
my maid when l am married''
She bluShed and gave me that little
courtesy of hers.
Il am glad Miss Pansy is to be so
happy. should like 10 be her maid if l
hrf will toll
nobodvp | am married" She put her
hand into her bosom and drew forth a
ring. MY wedding ring" she said.
He is very well born, and we must keep
it a secret a while; but he loves me very
much, and I-ah, how well love himl'
So we exchanged condolences, l and my
maid. and the next day we parted.
| returned to America, she remained in
her native land; but it was long before
quite forgot her pretty face and pleasant
ways. Indeed, l cannot say truly that
ever quite forgot them, but / heard no
more of her.
Twas married before the next spring
came, and lived a happy life with my
husband for five pleasant years. Every
spring we spoke Of Italy, and planned to
visit again the town where we had met
and learned to love each other, but it was
not until the sixth that We really carried
out our plans, and after weeks of travel,
by land and sea- found ourselves in the
quaint old place where Fenella had been
nv maid and where l had dreamed my
love dream and knew she had dreamed
hers.
The old Wills in which we had dwelled
stood empty that summer, and, to make
our visit still more full Of sweet memo
ries, we hired ii for the season. With it
we also hired the same old man and
woman who had ministered to the wants
of the large party Of tourists who had
crowded the villa during that vanished
summer.
We two only had returned to it, and we
lived in two or three of the many rooms in
a sort of Bohemian fashion which we
found very pleasant.
The very first day / had questioned the
old woman about Fenella, and she had
shaken her head.
'Fenella is dead" she said. "She
died three months ago"
And her husbandp' / asked.
Nobody knows where he is" the old
woman said While madame was here
with her party so long ago Fenella had a
sweetheart, but he vanished, no one
knew how or where Then Fenella was
very unhappy, but she told no one any
thing. She lived here in this house with
an English lady, who took her as her
maid. until the lady herself died. She
used to sit by the window of that little
room and weep. / have seen her; but
she never told anyone why. Neverm
Then my old servant shook her head
again and departed kitchenward, leaving
l. llaFa ctn
Somehow grief had come TO my little
waiting maid. That, at least, was evil
dent.
The little room that had been Fenella's
opened out Of mine. 1t was a small
apartment. with little folding bedstead
placed against the wall, an image of the
Virgin on a bracket, a chair, table, and
in the window a great box in which
grew some plants and great creeping
vine which clung to the latticed paneS
and made an exquisite curtain.
Whenever / entered this room / felt
chill creep through me and grew sad. /
had noticed that from the first, and sup
posed il TO be because the story the old
woman had told me had had a strong
effect upon me.
The image of Fenella weeping at the
window seemed to have impressed itself
upon my mind, 50 that | could almost see
her sitting there.
AsI lay in my bed, with the communi
eating door open, and watched the moon
light falling in checkered patches
through the vine leaves down upon the
floor, | often fancied that if did but lift
my voice and call ''Fenella, l should see
the trim form, in its pretty peasant bod
ice, trip across the sill. Often l even
imagined the outlines of a figure sitting
beside the great box, bent toward it. 1t
was only a shadow; only fiutter of the
leaves-Only something in my own eyes
or in my own brain; but il proved how
much thought of Fenella.
At last / wakened one night with a
strange chill upon me. 1t was not the
chill that precedes an illness-we all
know it very we'll A thought given to
those mysteries, which all sensible people
profess to doubt will send il creeping
through the blood Of almost any human
being. had been thinking of nothing
irea.ning of nothing; but Weakened with
this chill upon me, and looking through
the door of the little room / have spoken
of, which | naturally did, whenever l
opened my eyes, ! saw Fenella.
Yes. my maid Fenclla, just as she had
looked when she lived with me. Her
black petticoat, her red bodice, the white
sleeves of her chemisette were as plnin as
though they had been tangible garments.
Her black braids fell to her knees.
Around her neck hung the black velvet
ribbon on which / knew she wore her
wedding ring. She was weeping Bit
terly, and bending as she wept over the
box in which grew the vines and flowers
which flung their shadow on the moonlit
floor, SO that she seemed to water them
with her tears.