Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-12-24

/ a miracle of nature !" | cried Indignantly
| "And he is going 10 marry her million ant
let tho miracle ot nature go' well, there "
one thing about " : tho miracle OF nature hs'
some se'trespeci
And my mother laughed
"wby 40 sAcitsbie 2" said she. "Iou d'
| not love him. II IL only a Silly pride o
yours that II punsring modification"
And then oil went TO bed myself, but mo-
| for any great amount oi sleep.
".
The wind was blowing with a rising gale
bringing snow up the mountains and As
looked from the window In my restlessuest
an hour or two later, my lamp being out
saw II driving by In Krea, gusts oi whiteness
across tho gull oi gloom behind.
"Weli, we'll" ! said 10 myself y green
Yulo makes n fat churchyard and this IL q
very white Yule. There won't be man y
more people here, but tho mistletoe will
hang IN the hall all tho same"
threw open the window ~ breathe the
freshness Of the gale moment aud at that
moment / SAW IT, Light lay all around II on
tho driving snow, light like slanting beam
everywhere diiiused upon tho storm, and In
the midst OF all tho light and whiteness q
vast shadowy iorp, mans form as Plalnl y
as ] ever raw anything, Ponsonby man
only 10 my excited fancy terrible. What
made II more terrible was that could see no
face only where a face should toe, perhaps q
deeper shadow more full of dark suggestion.
creeping of the blood, II did not alarm me.
at doss not come ~ an enemy" j said.
"There IL something familiar about It, But
n this Is the Ponsonby ghost, why docs 1t
come to- meP"
And bent forward searchingly.
But what was this beside II? Another
shape, dark upon the whiteness OF the storm,
n womans shape, but again gigantic, and
round II blowing out cloud of shadowy
hair, long, yelling, black as a a'arthaeinish -.
And the woman bent a. IL bending TOWARDS
me, and raised An aru-was IL threateningly
And then, ~ ~ from a jewel on a long ex-
tended hand, came flash of light through
all that blindness, aud the two shapes bent
together, aud all at once the truth rushed
over me, and III spite oi myself | laughed q
loud, clear, ringing Laugh, aud the two
started apart. There was confusion of NOV
ing light and darkness where they had been
and then all light ceased aud only the great
white storm rayed on.
SO this WAS the end, then, Of Pierrepoinps
doubts He had solved the question. Well,
he had solved II for me too II was the end OF
my doubts
lighted my lamp, aud took out his photo.
graph and PLACED 1t alongside the draw ing |
had made OF MIR. Nevers. one was all dark,
slender and sinuOus grace one was full of
life, fire and power. One had proven weak
and unworthy, II not treacherous one was
so strong that II he wished anyone's love, he
would not ask for it. And yet until very
not love the other. All! what If those eyes
that here gazed at me 80 kindly, 80 tenderly,
had ever booked otherwise, What IL they
ever should! Always since my first remep-
brsnce of thcm they had held that gaze for
mo.
at PIerrepoInt Pousonby is despicable,"
! said, " SO Is woman that does not know
her own heart But have found out mine,
and that without any 80 bitter test as tests
might he.
bows on the table looking at that drawing, /
WAS wondering at myself, wondering what |
rad done in tue years that | had known Mr.
Nevers during his long absences and the
" eeks and months when | had never heard
Jf him. aud feeling with a sudden fire and
Intensity that never could ! endure such alb
'enCe aud silence again and live. And he
Oh, that perhaps made little odds. 1t was
,nough for me to love, bliss enough, content
nent enough.
And yet knew better | knew now more
ully what 1t needed no words from him to
ell me. Aud blew out my lamp and
ooked again at the vast, white storm sweep
ng rs gladly as the blood swept in my veins,
md went to sleep full of a deep and un-
pesksbie Joy, and only woke when day had |
ung dawnsd, aud found the white storm still |
aying on.
] had plenty to do IN my rooms that day |
or meant to be leaving the place presently |
nd meant that my mother should go where |
went, wherever that might be- and II WAS |
wilight OF the early Christmas eve when | |
vent down, and the servants were hanging |
- the holly and the mistletOe that had been |
Tought in from the woods before the storm. |
always had a sort OF pleasant superstition |
bout the mistletoe, aud this quaint leaf and /
'aXen berry of the NirgInisn woods might be |
: powerful rs the genuine sprays brought |
a from over seas, fingered now watching |
hem hang 1t rs II assisted AT some religious |
I inCantng rite.
A group OF the guests were sitting about |
le great hearth ut the drawing room, when
went in at last, their faces rosy In the blaze.
ierrepoint.started to his feet and took step |
Dwards mo, aud then suddenly re-seated
imself by Juliet "a before, and Mr.. Nevers,
18th hls warm, welcoming smile, wheeled
IL chair aside 10 make room Ior me near
im
"Dld you know that Juliet heard it?"
Tied Amy u me.
/" Heard WHAT"
"Why, the ghost you know, the Ponsonby
host"
You don't say so' when-w where-whst
~ didn't say | saw IT," said Juliet with
FITNESS al heard it"
:" Heard ghost '"
" Yes, heard a ghost ~ she cried snsppishly |
Aud that's all there Is about it,"
oh, indeed " aud | WAS turning away
" Yes, indeed :" she cried then. "And |
ont think you'd be 30 exceedingly calm If
on had heard it. II was perfectly blood.
lrdling Oh so sharp, so high, so shrill, |
, piercing, so cruel and mocking, and win.
lctiva Positively, never heard so fierce
shrek OF laughter more like yell OF
ate "
Strange no one else heard it Did YOU |
ear anything of the sort, Mr.. Ponsonby ?"
" Who ?" he said with a start +" No, |
othing, nothing of the sort" with an odd
"Ol that sort. at least"
" Then II wasn't the Ponsonby ghost, |
Ippose."
- on ~ cried Olive, Mr. Pousonby prom
ed that your mother should tell us the
host story on Christmas eve"
That story Will no told on many n Christ |
las eve yet" said |. " 1t is a ghost, fancy,
Iat never will he laid"
What do you mean ?" said Mr.. Pierre
oipt sharply.
"Why? Do you know about it ?" said
ulieL
"Oh, yes. And so does Mr.. Punsonby."
" Aud why will 1t never be laid ?" she
'ked, imPeriously, ~ ii she had a right TO |
now.
"Ob, because, according to the legend of |
| suppose there never will be Ponsonby |
lilliug to sacrifice the thing he loves best tor
10 thing he loves second best"
I" I'm sure don't know what you are
slking about ~
" 1t doesn't matter. hat il he loves for
lstance, woman best, hs will not sacrifice
or for any money, and II he loves mouey
est, he Will not sacrifice that kr any woman. |
y the way, | wonder II 1t was the ghost /
iw that you heard"
" You you saw ghost ?"
" | saw, looking from my window, at lust
bout midnight, pausing on the storm, ex-
Ia IFaa fRll1 ~ a 1