The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-06-18
A BOND WITH SATAN.

WANTED BY "a widow lady residing a
short distance up the Hudson, a young
| girl of refined and agreeable manners 10
! act as companion. FERNS liberal. Ad-
dress, box -, for three days.
A wOrd-a look even; are some
times pregnant with our fate, and
serve as the portals through which
we pass to happiness or misery. 1t
is not wonderful, then, that the
above Observation-Disclosures on
by accident while going hopelessly,
almost aimlessIy, through the morn
ing newspapers list of "Wants"-
was the turning point in the destiny
Of Marian Fosdick.
On her eighteenth birthday an
aunt who had grudgingly doled out
10 her her living gave her, by the
way of birthday gift, week of
grace in which to find some means
of sustaining herself, as she was
now of age; and on the last day OF
the seven she had obtained nothing
more substantial as result OF her
weary pilgrimage than little adj
ditional knowledge of the u1merci-
ful virtue OF q suspicious and i'm
maculate world when dealing with
penniless youth and beauty.
Marian had nothing TO lose she
had, therefore, nothing to fear;
and in less than d week from the
date of the first note tremblingly
addressed by her to "Box -"
she had patched up her scauty
wardrobe, gone through the formal
tiles of dry.eyed, stony parting
with her aunt aud was duly Install
ed as companion OF Mrs. Barrett,
in a fine, old country house not a
hundred miles up the Hudson.
The BarrettS were an old family;
bad traditions and ancestors (Eng
lish), and titled, of course. They
had taken root and rdmifed over
half the Union, and been careful to
intermarly only in families likewise
powerful and possessed OF tradl-
tons and ancestors.
They bad old servants and an old
house-the latter utterly devoid of
the tricksy olnamentation OF mod,
ern buildings, square, solid and
comfortable; built on a gently
swelling knoll shaded by trees a
years old, with brook i'll
front and ugly, well-constructed,
red. gabled barns in the rear. Apart
from the lovlihess of the snrrOnnd-
ing country, without beauty of any |
kind, y ct so thoroughly comfortable
and weIl.to do, so suggestive OF the
good things OF this life
in its surroundings and out-hank-
ings of fields of grain, a huge, well
kept kitchen garden and heavily |
orchard with such good |
cackling, scratching, low,
ing, winged, feathercd, hoofed and
horned about it--above all, III
Itself SO substantially, squarely and
ugly, that it
actually bullied some into styling
It one of the handsomest places III
he country.
There were only two of the Bar
,ets to uphold the family dignily in
his particular section of the cOun-
Barrett, a far, gracious
woman, looking younger than she
'eally was, and her brother, the
owner of 1.-The vast estate, and neith-
sr fair nor gracious ; but their sim
Die neighbors spoke of them with
Is much reverence as ofan army,
md select and fortunate, indeed,
was the merry-makiug considered
hat was honored with their pres
,nce-that is to say, with Mrs. Bar
'ett's, for her brother was never
seen, except at church or on horse
pack, and was understood to be
eccentric and something OF a mis-
lnthrope.
Mrs. Barrett was one of the best
# housek eepers; her household
economy was clockwork her days
we're arranged by system. AT
such an hOur, Miss Fos-
lick was summoned to read to her;
It a given moment she was dis
missed. From that time she was
rec to sit under tie old trees and
work, or dream, or read; to investi-
rate the mysteries of barnyard life,
II of bread aud butter maknng;
quiet reigned every
where. She was treated with the
ame solemn respect and observ-
nee as the rest of the family.
There we're romantic walks,
md no end of marvellous views
Lbove all, no one to seOld, to spy
,ut faults, TO irritate with iueessant
aunts aud insinuations. Il
For tie first few weeks Marion
vas enchanted; then she began to
ire; then she grew weary unto
Iealh. She was only vegetating,
instead of living she had no end
O accomplish-nothing to pursue T;
Ter faculties were stagnalings the
she had found so delicious
rev terrible the mOnOtOny CALLED
nd irritated her she was walled
ut from life and its sympathies
nd her soul grew clamorOus tor
elease.
1t was at tins time that the exist
nee of Mr.. Barrett first Obtruded
tself upon her as a fact to be
Sitting IDLY under the trees after
nc of her afternoon readings she
Ias startled By his coming sudden
j. around the corner. pt-tae house,