, 1889-02-07
"MY ANGEL BRIDE"

"MY ANGEL BRIDE"
:....".. ...."...."..... .".......
The uncle and aunt soon followed their
adopted daughter, and Will Divine was
left alone with his grief. He continued
TO live In the old house at Holloway bead.
just how he lived no one knew. He was
rarely ever seen except around the old
house and In the churchyard. He would
at all times avoid conversation with o
stranger, and had but few words for those
Of the neiRhbors who had known him
from his childhood. He seemed to find
companionshlp with silence aud in his
violin. He played on it almost necessarily
the song she sang to him when they
stroled together through fields and groves.
The window Of his room looked out upon
the churchyard, and there he sat, hour by
nour each day. and Razed at the white
marble that rested above his "Angel
Bride" He once said to an old acqaaint-
ance OF his, who had stopped at the we'll
for drink of water. that when he played
the song on his violin she appeared before
him, stood motionless and silent until the
song was ended, and then disappeared.
Although but little more than so years
Of age. the hair Of Will Divine--or, as he
was now commonly called, Bill, the fid.
dler-hunR in long, jagged, uneven white
locks about his neck and shoulders, and
his features looked wrinkled and old.
One day at a meeting at the old church
1t became generally talked among the
knots of people that gathered around be-
fore the services were begun that no one
had seen him at the window or about the
place for several days past. Three men
went over to the house and called for him,
decided to enter. The first room revealed
nothing, They called again
No answer.
Two OF the men assembled the stairs that
went up to the garret; they opened the
door that led to the only room in this part
Of the house. On the floor in one corner
lay the body Of Bill, the fddler, and in an.
other the old violin that had been his only
companion since death brought on his
grief. BY the side Of him on the floor was
written, as If with the end of burnt
stick, these words:
Leave me here, and let me go down
into dust wrapped in the rufus of this old
house,"
The men returned to the church and re.
ported what they had seen. Those among
the people who we're curious visited the
house and looked into the garret.room
with its dead occupant, but none seemed
to feel sufficient interest in the matter to
fafe any steps toward having the body
lutCIEcui anu sO tuC kTbf6 OI Dill but
Fiddler is in the old house at Holloway
bend.
About nine months afterwards. and before
mad heard of his death and the peculiar
circumstances surrounding ii, had occa.
sion to visit the village of G.. to attend to
some matters of Importance. would
have remained in the village during the
night, as it WAS plainly evident from the
gathering clouds that storm was brew.
ing, but an engagement with gentleman
who lived in q different portion of the
state demanded my presence at home the
next morning, and determined to take
the chances. and IL needs be, weather the
Storm and make Forsyth that night. So,
saddlinR my horse, | started on my jour.
ney. When about three miles from G. ]
found that l was in for 1t. Ragged
streaks of lightning played about me, the
thunder pealed in my ears and the rain
fell in torrents. l would gladly have taken
shelter in some house, but could see none
near the road. and not being familiar
with the country around l knew not the
private ways that led to them. | remem.
bered the old house at Halloway bend, as
it stood almost on the road, and deter
mined TO share its shelter with its eccen-
trio occupant.
As | rode up saw a light in the house.
| could zee it but dimly AS the rain was
falling heavily and the night was very
dark. Dismounting, removed the sad.
die, placed it in the half tumbled porch
and tied my horse to an old peach tree
That stood near by. entered the door,
which had fallen from its hinges, and was
evidently rotten from age, as | felt it
crumble beneath my feet as l walked on
it; | pressed my hands against the walls
and pressed forward until felt the facing
of door, | knocked, but no response
came. BY the flashing of lightning l
conld see dowa the hallway. and that
was standing in front of closed door. 1
knocked again, but with the same result.
So, feeling; found a latch, lifted it and
lightning danced on the window panss,
and was sure it was the window from
which had seen the light. My first i'm
pulse was to feel for some matches, but
had but little hope Of securing light
from them, as my clothes had become
thoroughly wet with the rain. After
several attempts, however. my efforts
were rewarded, and, securing some
splinters from the floor and walls, started
fire among the mass of bricks that had
tumbled from the falling chimney into the
fireplace. The portions of the door In the
hall that were not entirely rotten were
added, and soon was standing before
good warm ire.
concluded then to visit the other rooms
Of the house and find the occupant. Se-
curing lighl fIom the fireplace, entered
door after door, but all was silence and
emptiness within. l did not go up stairs,
but returning to the first room, | piled
some bricks up and seated myself upon
them by the fire. concluded that was
the only one in the house and that the
fiddler had left it.. The rains had almost
ceased to fall outside, the lightning |