New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-01-11

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and gave the impression Of tremen-
dous reserve force. His manner was
genial and exceedingly courteous; but
he spoke as one accustomed to COM
mand, and with few words. Telling
Kate that it was undoubtedly the
owner Of the place just arrived, and
that must obey a professional call,
| left her with her little womanly fears
and all her womanly curiosity Great
ing quite a turmoil within her.
We passed out OF my gate and into
that OF the next enclosure. Thestran-
ger led the way up the steps and easily
opened the door. Ie had the manner
Of a man entering his own house. The
hall and all the lower rooms were
empty and desolate. A light stream
ed from q door OF the upper room,
flooding the staircase, up which fol-
lowed my guide, who, without a word
led me into the lighted apartment. It
was midwinter and the lower part
OF the house had felt chill and damp;
here, however, was an agreeable
warmth. and the apartment struck
me as one OF great luxury and COM
fort, and of a. character decidedly orig.
inal and foreign. On my way to the
bed, noticed that the walls were
hung with a large lowered damask,
very rich in texture, but little faded.
The bed curtains were of the same,
and all the furniture was carved in
high relief " ~ w. H.. "a. >.' 10.
On the bed lay very beautiful
woman. Her face was q perfect oval,
her eyes were large and black, and full
OF lnexpressible sadness. She was in
great pain, but very beautiful even in
agony. In response to my first ques-
ton she spoke in a language strange
to Inc.
MADAME will speak French" sug-
gested the gentleman, asking with
glance if did also, and I immediately
began to question her in that Ian
guage.
soon ascertained the trouble and
felt there was little orno chance of her
surviving long. l took out my pre-
scription book, noted the case, the
disease, and it's stage, ETC., at the top
of the leaf. l wrote the prescription
below and tore it of, placing it upon
the end of the mantel, with orders to
administer the remedy every hour un-
til morning, when I would return.
My inclination WAS to offer neigh
borly assistance, but the gentleman's
manner, polite in the extreme, showed
me very plainly that nothing
more was expected OF me,
and I was ushered out OF
the room, down the stairs and out OF
the door by my new neighbor, who so
noisily closed the door behind me that
Kate heard it and was ready to greet
me as I entered my own. With wide
eyes she listened to my description of
apartment and patient, and went to
sleep asking the puzzling question,
"How could they have moved in, and
| not have heard them?"
In the morning after my coffee, I
went again to my mysterious patient.
[ had little hope of finding her alive
and none at all of finding her better.
| noticed a light snow lay unbroken
upon the steps as [ went up them,
and yet it had not showed for two
days. l attempted to enter without
knocking, but on turning the knob I
found the door fastened. I knocked
at first gently, then louder, and at
last with my fist on the central panel
SO noisiiy as to bring the old garden
er from his hens in the rear. He
looked at me as if my senses had
flown, and asked
''Please sir. an wot are you doing?"
81 want to get in"
"And wot ever do you want to get
in for" exclaimed the gardener.
II want to see the sick lady, if she
is still alive"
1.-THE sick lady! But there's no sick
lady, nor never g. soul in the house,
an hasn't been these 10 years."
You are mistaken. | was here last
night. I must 60 in again. l saw the
gentleman and lady myself. It is the
owner come back, I fancy"
The gardener smiled sadly, and as if
to humor me, took from his pocket a
key.
at is the key of that door," he
said, "and the only key to that door,
and never myself for years have l put
it in that lock, comm and goin' as
do by the kitchen; but to show you
that the house is empty, will open
it and you shall 60 in"
He cleared the keyhole OF an accu-
mutation of dust and bits OF dried
leaves, looking significantly at me, and
still more so as the door creaked and
turned stiff1y on it's hinges, disclosing
as it opened, loose pieces OF paper, and
little dirt heaps that laid againstit on
the inside. The once polished floor
and staircase, was covered with a
coating Of dust which surely could
not have been disturbed for many
month. I began to feel dazed. All was
empty and desolate below, as on the
night before. I bounded up the stairs
feeling the cobwebs brush across my
face. The door of the sick woman's
apartment was open. took one step
across it's threshhod-
1t was cold, damp and empty! 1t
was devoid OF any movable thing; a
few nails showed where once had been
hangings on the walls, and from these
hung festoons of cobwebs, heavy with
the dust of years. I stag
gered as one struck with blindness, see
ing not what he knows to be there. I
WAS as Ona who raal1zas his reason to