Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-03-16

easier il you are within call. respond
ed his aunt.
An hour later the house was praupe
in the silence OF night. and il il
mates in the mantle Of slumbe-. som
time in the night Leila was awakene.
from a sound s,umber by the caution
movement of q hand searching for he
own. Her eyes were wide open in al
instant, while a nameless thrill @
terror swep, over her from head t.
foot.
VIVA, vas it, What terrible thin.
WI, about 10 happen?
The curtain was Hoped lack iron
the window. and "a si.gery line o.
moonlight lay athwart the floor. fo.
the storm was over. and the moor
lodged in and out among the clouds.
In the dim light she saw q white figure
by her bed, and when he first ,pasu
OF terror was past she realized that her
engagcmen.-riug was gone,
Then the white form began TO fade
away. and Leila was fully aroused at
once, Her frs, impulse was to call
Ralph; her next. TO follow her mys.
FERROUS ]yisitaut She obeyed this last
impulse, though her limbs trembled
and her teeth chartered with fright
Ont into the ,hadowy hall where the
night-lanp was turned low. down its
entire length, and then Leila realized
that they were about to enter the room
where Miss Llcindn's father had died.
and which had not been used since.
The white, ghostly thing in advance.
went straight tothe window and looped
back the curtain. The moon. Just Is.
Gaping a cloud, sent q food Of .oftened
light into the room, and then Leila
discovered that the white figure out
lined in the moonlight was none other
than Miss Lucinda, own self.
She knelt before "a large. old,fash.
Toned bureau, and drew from the very
bottom OF it a hidden drawer. A. she
vas about TO add Le.ia's own pretty
ring 70 the treasure. already concealed
the girl laid her hand on Miss
Lucindas shoulder and spoke her
lame. With a start Of surprise the
woman awoke, and for a moment wa.
frightened and bewildered at her pc.
situation.
Whoever captures the robber shall
all that has not been spent Of the
money. You all heard her say it. 0
ella YOU are quite an heire-s." ey-
'-aimed Dora the next morning a.
hey stood in Grandpa Weston's'
Dom looking over the articles and
money that Aunt Lucinda had been
away in that drawer for Years.
You don't think she really meant
t, or that would take It II she did. ! .
returned Leila, hoping that
liss Lucinda had not overheard Dora's
h~oughtle-s words.
But she had heard, and. turning TO
he young girl with a grateful look,
he said:
Il did mean it, Leila. have quite
nough for my wants while | live. and
will belong to my brothers chill
rem when | need it no longer. This
1uching the package Of money-"shall
{ yours now to buy and furnish the
tile nest. | came near depriying you
7 your ring, dear, and now you shall
ave the home"
But how did you come to do it?'
1estioncd Ralph. Il should think
Oh would have been hiding thing,
ere on other nights than the 10th Of
at was on the 10Th Of March that
.ther died. said Aunt Lucinda. So
and "A little before his death
e told me Of the existence Of this
and said that | would find his
aportant papers in it,"
My first loss" She continued, ..was
rs dress; '%lifting its shiny, yellow
Ids from its long rc,ting-place and ,
.uching it with rcycrential tender
Il wa, nearly crazed with
'ief at my loss, and when the 10th Of !
arch came, | spent the whole even. ,
z weeping for the dead father and !
e dead lover. | remember that / ,
I'D my useless wedding-dress and ,
'opped tears into its snowy folds :
hey We're pure white then, and my !
ilr was yellow. See how the two !
we changed colors in the passage Of !
went TO sleep thinking of ,
y losses, and that night | hid my /
ess in the secret drawer. After that n
was natural | should think of these =
ings on that particular night; but | y
pc that the spell is broken now p
The fresh young faces clustered
out her with loving sympathy in Z
cir fearful eyes. Having folded the 4,
lg-loat wedding dress, they replaced p
in the secret drawer, and, after kiss. p
: her, took Lelia's fortune and went 7
elk TO the coy sitting-room, while \
liza and Ralph fingered behind the q
lers. in the dimness of the long hall, q
have a few sweet words concern h
the home-nest that was now posi-
Hose Hartwick Thorpe, in Demo $
't's Monthly. 4