The Press., 1889-11-07
ANNORA.

It is an odd story and a terrible one. but absolutely true. I knew Annora Masters; have stood by her grave often and thought bow little we know of life or of each other.
 I have studied character good deal. lam a novelist, so it has become like second na- ta1re to me to analyze motives and actions It has been so through long life The habit has only strengthened with added years; but in Annora [, studied nothing; could study nothing.
 A country town is very good place for gaining and adding to knowledge of that sort The inhabitants, to an extent hardly re- alized by people who do not know them, live in common; I mean, they have all known each other and each others faults and feel ings since they were children together; and the feelings formed then, and the keen inter- est in each others affairs, last on through middle age and the downhill part of life Every one knew Lucy Cherry. Every one in the town liked her. Most of the young fellows-I was young then and one of them did more than like her.
 When she came into church on Sunday mornings look of agonized expectation would come over about thirty faces in the congregation. They all gazed 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 the Cherrys sat. Square pews were not gone then. A great mistake it was, surely, that they ever did go. Sleep during the sermon is what most of us secretly wish for. Under the new arrangement, though, who is bold enough to take it?
 Lucy would sometimes look up-not often during those moments of her quick walk behind her brother. On whichever side of %hn oic hoT cr1o oil fooa visible; on the other side proportionate de- spair showed itself. Had they not been in a place where private sentiments are rarely manifested the relations between those gen. tlemen would instantly have become ex- tremely s'strained." 1"
 It was not to be wondered at Lucy was very pretty. Brown hair-just the sort which most becomes a woman-soft and wavy; blue, dark blue eyes, and tall figure, straight and upright as an arrow. It is neither here nor there to say that never saw s a woman like her, and had ever married but how could when she never even gave thought to mea Still the fact intensified my feelings afterward when-but evidently even the practice have had is not able to hinder me from telling this story confusedly unless take care We'll, 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 disconsolate countenances Lucy looked neither on one side nor the other. She looked on the ground to hide 8 very pretty blush and then fxedly on her brothers broad shoulders, as he, good soul, walked in front, thinking of nothing less than his sister.
 She was engaged to be married-we had all heard it in the week-to doctor, who had recently bought practice in the town. He had many friends and few enemies, and was decidedly popular. Clever, he was most cer- tainly, strikingly handsome, and so pleasant to talk with that every one who met him did stop and talk to him.
 This is mans praise of man, so it is not likely to be overdone, and it is hardly likely that should have any reason for overprais- ing the man who won the only girl l ever cared for
 No; did not-wonder at Lucy. No onedid. And they looked so well together-she so sweet and womanly, he so thoroughly manly and yet so gentle, to give the much abused compound word it's real force.
 Lucy, perhaps in mercy to us-perhaps to him-was content with only six weeks en- gagement, and their wedding was fixed for New Years day. = The weather that winter was unusually
 
 old year there was terrible snowstorm, which lasted all day, and only ended just in time to 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 so taken up with thinking of Lucy's wedding that no one bestowed thought at the time at, what would at any other have been great excite ] ment-the arrival of the new tenants, An nora Masters and her husband use the words advisedly, for those two names could go in no other order.
 Not until next morning when I, with sew eral of my friends, who hardly felt it their happiest day of life, stood in church, watch ing Lucys sweet face and her husbands handsome, manly figure, did ever think of the new people.
 And then | thought of them because, among the crowd in the body of the church, saw a woman whose face haunts me-win haunt me till nothing earthly can trouble me longer. Tall dark; dressed entirely in black, with black hair and eyes which even through her veil burned with 2 flashing. sort of light. If it had not been impossible to look at Annora Masters TOT more than an instant, should have been able to know certainly if there was really a dull, red light in them, as I fancied, like glowing fires in her white face
 She stood among quantity of townspeople; but, after had looked at her, it seemed that no one else but Lucy and the tall, dark wom- an was in the church, She was watching Lucy with those eyes, and I thought, fan cied, that everything bridal about Lucy seemed for that moment an ashen gray.
 Then Lucy passed out of the door into the snow, which fell fast, on her veil. | came out, too, and followed at 8 distance, and as Annora Masters went up the High street and in at the garden door of the long untenanted house, knew that must have seen the new tenant s f#s# The townspeople called on Annora Masters. Every one said the same thing, or, rather, no one gave any opinion of her, and only when pressed, said: Ss
 "She is strange, don't you thinkp'
 Annora returned none of the calls but Lucy's; and was only seen at church, where she appeared with regularity which was part of her strangeness, 1t struck me-so utterly out of place did she look there. l cannot say why no one could; but the wo- man was awful, in an utterly indefnable