The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1889-04-12
1t ,Uas Margaret.

-Four whltewashed walls, and a clank
of chains, and fair devil going and
coming about me, and night and day and
night speeding by in whirling fame
And still the phantom face, fixed on
the wall, on the trencher, on the floor; if
| climb to my grated window seal and
blotch on all the wide blue heaven! And
then it grows into reality, and hides it.
self in flesh; it lays a cool hand on my
burning brow; it puts water to my parch-
ing lips; it sings me songs which, some
where, fancy, that once long ago
have heard; and it smiles till it almost
seems that have seen and felt the Same.
smile with thrills Of deep, delightful JOY
in life ere this. And then it signs, a
tear gathers; grow enraged at all the
lovely counterfeit; spring upon it, and
would beat it down bodily, when the
fixed gray eyes arrest my arm-eyes like
two tears--and after that l hear when
ever move the clanking of the chain.
One day thundergust has swept
across the sky. have watched its
purple masses fold and lap and let their
fire down to earth, and, as if l were
myself metallic, have felt the electric
current coursing down the countless rods
that protect my prisonhouse. A curious
sensation has come over me, as if the
blood had turned about and were run
ming the right way in my veins, am
conscious of it's fresh free tingling, as if
were just made.
look at the lovely fiend sitting there
beside me, so unmoved by the wild COM
motion of the elements; l mind the
spray of tea roses in her hair, falling
over one ear, and lending their tint to
to all the delicate skin below. "Let me
see you, fair devil, if you are shadow
or substance!' exclaim. "You pursu
ing phantom, if you are not all an evil
spirit, let me see if there is any blood in
your veins!'
The tint upon her skin grows paler,
but she smiles on me, and lifts the sleeve
from the bare ivory of her rounded arm.
She takes from some hidden place tiny
toy knife, and gives it me.
Then she looks at me again with her
beautiful, fearless eyes. l do not hest
tate for all they say. l scan the fair
faint veinery-I choose-and the red, red
blood is trickling down, and all the tint
upon her cheeks is gone, and she falls
forward upon my breast. "Margaretg
cry:
as one enters. "Oh! all is welly'
Anu oil ID wen, 1luccu. TIOIu UIlttU
hour am myself. The old trouble arts
ing from the conclusion that SO long
ago experienced is entirely done away
with; the ghost that so long stalked
through the chambers of my brain is laid
to rest, and never have seen a trace of
it; but Margaret, long since recovered
from her injury-Margaret herself, in
the beautiful body of her flesh and blood
lis seldom out of my sight.
When I came from my whitewashed
prison room DR.. Blanchard himself took
me in hand, had me at his own house till
strong enough again to fight my way,
and then established me in different
occupation from that in which he origi-
nally found me. ventured out from
that in time into deeper water. have
prospered, as you know-improved my
self, as you may imagine; my house, my
retinue, my equipage are worthy of my
wife. for the mother Of many children is
more beautiful in her maturity than in
her maidenhood, and if any material
comfort, pride and pleasure can atone to
her for all the trouble of her youth the
earth shall be ransacked but it shall be
hers!s