Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1888-04-06
HORROR.
A True Tale.

was hut nineteen wears of age
when the incident occurred which
has thrown a shadow over my lite:
aud, nh me, how many and many n
weary year has dragged by since
taen! Young, happy and beloved
was in those long departed days.
They saw that | was beautiful. The
mirror now reflects a haggard old
woman, with ashen lips and face Of
deadly pallor. But do not fancy
that YOU are listening to mere pul.
ing lament. II is not the flight of
years that has brought me to be this
wreck of my former self; had il
been so could have borne the loss
checriully, patiently, as the common
lot Of all; but IL was no natural
progress of decay which has robbed
me of bloom, OF youth, of the hopes
and joys that belong to youth, snap.
ped the link that bound my heart to
another's, and doomed me to a lone
old age. try TO be patient, but
my cross has been heavy, and my
heart is empty and weary, and /
long for the death that comes so
slowly TO those who pray to die.
l viii try and relate, exactly as il
happened, the event which biiehtcd
my lie. Though it occurred many
years ago, there is no fear that /
should have forgotten any of the
minutest circumstances; they were
stamped on my brain too clearly
and burningly, like the brand OF q
red-hot iron. / see them written i'm
the wrinkles Of my brow, in the
dead whiteness of my hair, which
was glossy brown once, and has
known no gradual change from
dark to gray, from gray TO white, as
with those happy ones who were
the companions of my girlhood, and
whose honorcd age is soothed by
the love of children and grandchi.
dren. But must not envy them.
] only meant 90 say that the difficult
" Of my task has no connection
with want of memory remember
but too well. But as ! take the pen
my hand rrcmbles, my head swims.
the old rushing fainincss aud Hor.
ror comes over me aga n, and the
wcll.remcmbcred fear is upon me
Yet | will go on.
This, hrielly, is my story: w sa
great hcircss, | believe, though /
cared little ior the fact; but so il
was. My father had great posses
sious. and no son to mhcrii after
him. His thee daughters, Of whom
! was the Youngest, were TO share
the broad acres among them.
have said, and truly, that cared 1T
tie for this circumstance; and, in
deed, ! was so rich then in health
and youth and love that felt my self
quite Indifferent TO all else. The
possession Of all the treasures Of
earth could never have made no for
what then had--and lost, as / am
about TO relate OF course, we girls
knew tat we were heiresses, but
do not think Lucy and Minnie were
any the prouder or happier on that
account. ] know / was not. Reg.
inald did not court me for my mon
ey. OF that / felt assured. lie
proved IT, Heaven be pTaisedl when
b: shrank from my side after the
change. Yes, IN all my lonely aQe.
] can still be thankful that he did
not keep his word, as some would
have done-did not clasp at the altar
a hand he had learned TO lOathe aud
shudder at, because il was full Of
gold-mueh goldl AT least, he
spared me that. And ! know that
! was loved, and the knowledge
has kept me from going mad through
many a weary day and restless
night, when my hot eyeballs had
not tear TO she'd, and even 10 weep
was luxury denied me.
Our house was an old Tudor
mansion. My father was very par
ticular in keeping the smallest pc.
culiarifies of his home unaltered.
Thus the many peaks aud gables,
the numerous turrets. and tie mul-
lioned windows with their quaint
lozenge psnes set in lead, fcmaincd
very nearly as they had been three
centuries back Over and above
the quaint melancholy Of our dwell.
ling, with the deep woods of its
park and the sullcn waters Of the
mere, our neighbofhDod was thiniv
peopled and primitis e, and the peo.
pie round ~ were ignorant and
tenacious Of ancient ideas AID ira
ditiOns. Thus Il was a superslifou.
aimOs phcre that we children were
reared in, and We heard. from our
infancy, countless tales Of horror.
some mere fables doubtless, others
legends Of dark deeds Of the olden
time, exag Grated by crcdnlty and
the love Of the marvellous. Our
mother had died when we were
young. and our other parent being.
though kind father, much absorbed
ia affairs Of various kinds. az an
active magistrate aud landlord there
was no one 90 cheek fhe unwhole.
some stream oftradition vi which
our plastic minds were inundated In
the company ofnurses and servants.
As years went on, however. the
old ehostly tales partially lost their
ELECTS, and our undisciplined minds
were turned more toward balls.
dress and partners and other matters
4ffV and frfs.f ..r~. 80