The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-09-07

Peggy clutched her husbands arm in
| mute dismay, and both watched the sylph
| like movement Of the mysterious person in
| black with dumb amazement, and neither
| had the power to speak or stir, SO great was
! their CONSERVATION.
| One by one the servants, having heard
| the account of the stricken watchers,
| came filing into the central hall in their
stockings and cloth shoes quietly and with
| white, questioning faces. The watchers
| followed afar off, determined to find the
coast clear this time or vamose for good.
! At this strange visisant. 8 manner each one
present was so astorlshed and helplessly
| thunderstruck that Ger fully five minutes
not soul stirred nor uttered a word. After
! the shock to their nerves had worn of
| enough to admit Of speech, James said: Il
know that it was Miriam,'' in such a posi-
| tive tone that his words carried conviction
! to their hearts.
! Then the cOmmotion among the servants
| was simply indescribable and startling In
the utmost sense. They rushed hither and
thither with lights, calling the beloved mis-
| tress in pleading tones to come back, and
| grew almost frantic in their vain endeav-
! ors to find Miriam. Not trace of her could
! be found.
| After their long and fruitless search to
! find their beloved mistress or unravel the
mystery of the midnight visitor, they gave
| it up, lanenting their failure in heart
! breaking EXPLANATIONS of genuine sorrow
| The dead master was wholly forgotten by
! the excited household for the time, such
| was their love for the daughter, whom they
were positive had walked like spirit into
| their midst with face mysteriously vailed,
and had disappeared in some unaccountable
| manner
| Why did she come; and if she did, why
come in that manner? Why not come and
| stay now that there were none to dispute
her presences
| These questions were asked a thousand
| times, but not one was found wise enough
| to answer.
Doubtless it was really Miriam, who,
| hearing of her fathers death, had come to
| take last look and farewell. He who in
| life she dared not approach aud from whose
heart the strange decree had weaned her,
| even in her babyhood.
What her thoughts must have been we can
| only conjecture; coming back to the child
| hood haunts and slipping in like thief In
| the midnight watches beneath the old roof
| tree from which she had been banished;
coming back to shed bitter tears, perhaps,
| her to call him father; and then vanishing
away into the midnight darkness, like a
| thing of evil, was something only those who
, possessed wealth of daring could do. She
| must have had nerve and completa control
| of her will power, also passionate love for
! the dead, to undertake this strange method
| of visiting him thus.
| After complete search Of the whole
country side, and no trace of the absent
| one could be obtained, the more supersti~
| tious set that midnight visitor down as q
| tirst-class spirit. Some went SO far as to
presume that Miriam might have died and
| that her spirit came to take a lastlook a. Sir
| Rupert, and mayhap feel a. throb Of tri-
/ umph over his demise.
But Peggy Clarkson, superstitious as she
was by nature and education, hooted the
idea as simply preposterous, declaring that
| it ''was the young misthress, in puir fish
and bud, for,'' said she with agreat show of
| contempt for the theory advanced, "who
! liver hearn tell o. spirits mournin' out loud
over corpses9'
| Be this as it may, Miriam could not be
found, and Sir Rupert was borne to the
Somb of his ancestors in OaklaWn, with
| neither kith nor kin to follow him. The old
gray-haired clergyman pronounced with
unto him desolate, and the day of his death
! was certainly better than the day OF his
birth. Peace to his ashes!''
In due time the will Of Sir Rupert was
unearthed and made known. Heatherleigh
Hall was bequeathed 'sto Miriam Perc1val
Fairfax and her heirs forever In codi-
ell attached he pronounced an earnest wish
that Miriam Percival Fairfax must be found
and reinstated at the Hall. But where was
she? In smoky London, gone to America,
gone somewhere else; this place, that place
and the other, gossip had it, but it was but
gossip, aud the stately daughter never
came.
The servants were remembered hand
somely in the will of the gruff old master,
and each after having received his or her
portion went their ways. All left the gloom
and silence OF Heatherleigh excepting the
Clarksons They remained under its desc
lated roof in accordance with the wish of
Sir Rupert, as set forth in a clause Of the
last will and testament made known. He
desired them to wait and welcome Miriam
OH her return. All when would that be?
And Clarkson, having finished the story
of Sir Ruperts life and death, looked at
me with great, questioning eyes, from
which the tears of sad, earnest waiting
trickled down.
s:Ah, me Leddy! Oi'se about dhrappin'
into me grave waitin' for the childer, an
Dime afeard she'll niver coom''
An inspiration seized me. sPeggy, if
give away secret to you, will you grant
me any thing ask?"
She looked at me for full five minutes in
speeches. amazement, dou biting my sanity,
for all know, for she murmured: s.Lordl
an has the terrible story ov the master
turned yer heade"
'tNo, Peggy, but have secret which I
will sell to you; something worth knowing;
though it won't do much good after all,
with the exception Of knowing it, of
course.''
I said this at venture, not knowing
whether Clarkson would bite at the bait
threw her or not. She sat looking at me
doubtively, and knew I had another attack
to make if carried the works.
ssPeggy," said /, lowering my voice and
looking about the room as il fearing other
ears; peggy, would you grant Miriam
any thing she could ask Of you; would you
give her any thing from the Hall she might
send to you for if you knew where she
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