Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-06-26
ANN0RA.

now NIUE We KNOW OF NE Ut u "a u R%A4s-i-
have studied character a good deal am
a novelist. 90 Il has become ike second na-
ture u ms TO analyze motives and actions 1t
has been 80 through a long life The habit
hss only strengthened with added years, but
in Annora I stIIdled nothing: could study
nothing
A country town Is a very good place for
gaining and adding to knowledge Of that
sJrt. The inhabitants, TO an extent hardly re
allied by people who do not know them, 1--we
In common, mean. the. have all known
each other and each others faults a-d feel
lngs since they we're children together and
the feelings formed then and the keen inter
est in each others affairs. last On through
middle age and the downfall part Of life.
Every one knew Lucy Cherry Every one
in the town liked her Most OF the young
feglows-I wa young then and one of them
did more than Ike her
When she came into church on Sunday
mornings a look Of agonzed expectation
would come over about thirty faces IN the
congregation They all gazrd eagerly at
Lucy, in the hope OF one glance from her as
she went up the very short part Of the aisle
leading to the square pew where tie Cherrys
rat Square pews were not gone then A
great mistake it vas, surely, that they ever
did GO Sleep during the sermon is what
most Of Us secretly wish for Under tie new
arrangement, though, who is bold enough to
take i'll
Lucy would sometimes look up-not often
during those moments of her quick walk
behind her brother On whichever side II
the aisle her glance fell, radiant faces were
visible on the other side proportionate de
spair showed itself. Had they not been in a
place where private sentiments arr rarely
manifested the relations between those gen
tlemen would Instantly have become ex-
tremely strained.
II was not to he wondered at. Lucy Was
very pretty Brown hair-just the sort
which most becomes u woman-soft and
way; blue, dark blue eyes, and a tall figure,
straight and upright as an arrow 1t Is
neither here nor there to say that never saw
a woman like her and had ever married.
bu, how could when she never even gave
thought to met Still the fact intensified my
feelings afterward when-but evidently
even the practice have had is not able TO
hinder mo from telling this story confusedly
unless take care Well, am growing old,
and it was terrible | do not half like the
task have set myself.
One Sunday came when both sides OF the
aisle showed only discon.olate countenances.
Lucy looked neither on one side nor the
other She looked on the ground To hide
very pretty blush. and then ixedly on her
brothers broad shoulders, as he, good soul
walked in front. thinking of nothing less than
his sister
She was engaged to be marriei-we bad all
heard it in the week TO a doctor, who had
recently bought practice in the town. He
had many friends and few enemies, and was
decidedly popular Clever, he was most Ger
tainly, strikingy handsome, aud 50 pleasant
to talk with that every one who met hun did
stop and talk to him.
This is a mans praise Of man, so it is not
likely to be overlone, and it is hardly likely
that should have any reason for ovcrprais-
ing the man who won the only girl ever
cared for.
No; did not wonder at Lucy. No onedid.
And they looked 50 well together-shc so
sweet and wonanly, he thoroughly manly
and vet So gentle, to give the much abused
compound word its real force
Lucy, perhaps in mercy to us-perhaps to
him-was coutent with only six weeks en-
gagement, md their wedding fixed for
New Years day
The weather that winter was unusually
Old year there was a terrible suowstorm,
which lasted all day and only ended just in
time 10 let the clouds roll away from fiery
red sunset New people came to town in the
middle Of the snowstorm. people who had
recently taken one OF the few large red brick
houses the town posseSsed-a really large
house, standing in its own large, Old fash
Toned garden But every one who knew her
and that was all the town-was 50 taken up
with thinking of lucy's wedding mat no one
bestowed thought at the time at what
would at any other have been great excite
ment-the arrival Of the now tenants An
nora Masters and her husband use the
words advi>edly, for those two names GO
go in no other order
Not until next morning when / 90 ..- ~.
eral Of my friends. who hardly ia i, .4vlr
happiest day OF life, stood in chu! e.. 50 atch-
ing iucy's sweet face and her rs. =. IL. >
handsome manly figure did ever think Of
the new people
And then thought Of them because.
anon, tue crowd in the body Of the church,
| saw a woman whose face haunt. l.fo- viii
haunt me til nothing carth'J CA tiouui lHc
longer Tall dark dresscti entire, IL black,
with black hair and eyes Uhitl erpl through
her vel burned with Ga hin or Of light
If it had not been mp 'lc @ at
Annora asters for nor d. / Il instant,
should have been able to know " II
there was really duh, rod light them, as
| fanc,ed, like glowing ...'' IN ar white
face.
She stood am6.g quaint Of to uspeople
but, after had looked at Ler, it med th'
no one elsp but Lucy and the tai. ark
al was in the church. She va, watch ..,
Lucy with tho$e eyes, and t4ls dt, i-,i-
cled, that everything bridal bout Lucy
seemed for that moment an asho.i gray
Then Lucy passed out oil the .oor in , the
snow which fell fast on hen ii cs...t
out, too, and followed at n dist ,ucc I'D
Annora Masters went up the I'll n st. At am
in at the garden door of She lH ut antel
house | knew that must have seen ths new
tenant
The townspeope called on Annorl Masters
Every one said the same thing, or, rather, no
one gave any opinion of her, and only when
pressed, said
She is strange, don't you thinkT'
Annora returned none of the calls but
Lucys. and was only seen at church, where
she appeal ti with a regularity which was
part ct her strangeness it struck me-so
utterly ont Of place did she look there
cannot 81. why no one could but TIC wo-
man WIS awful, N an utterly indrlinabl,
manner, and peace ard goodness seemed n,
odds with everything about her o. her
household and housekeeping no one knew
anything. Servants they had brought with
them-two plain, middle aged women Her
husband we saw beside her when she went
out on Sundays. And he went up to Lon
don-a journey Of only twenty miles-every
day. He was supposed to be that indeflna-
bic individual, business man" At least,
he went 10 London every day till the day We
were all shocked and startled by hearing that
Mr.. Masters was dead
Yes-dead suddenly Lucy's husband
went to him London doctor came
down. and together they carried out the post
norton examination, which was of course
insisted on, and to which Annora mad, not
the least objection. They could find nothing.
nothing-nothing whatever-to cause death
AL was right: there was no latent disease. no
injury. The man we had seen alive and well
on Sunday was dead on Tuesday-that was
all.
From unknown causes" the verdict at the
inquest ran.
Lucy in her Kindness went to see Annora
Masters after this, ito comfort her." she
said But apparently Annora would have
no comfort For Lucy. whom met a few
days later. asked me seriously If | had ever
seen Annora Masters close: if I-lowering
her voice-thought she was madi
She bad, Lucy said, grasped her wrists
tightly, and said, when Lucy tried to saw
Of