Nevada County picayune., 1889-12-04

the structure. It looked like a house with history. The familiar "hello!' of the section brought tC the door q comedy old gentleman who upon recognizing my uncle has tened to give Us q cordial welcome 1 On my being introduced to him he spoke to me very pleasantly, saying that he had seen my mother, and re. membered her as the beauty of the countryside twenty-five years ago After entering the house and tidy ing ourselves up blt' from the dust of the journey. we were introduced to our hosts two daughters, who with himself composed the white members of the household. The i elder was brunette, of rather slight figure and bright vivacious face that you recognize at once as ar l old acquaintance. The Other-how shall l describe her. A queenly | blonde, q face as fair as the rosy morning. great liquid blue eyes that seemed to mirror soul escaped from Heaven, a wealth of golden hair, coiled like a coronet about her shape ly head-one glance was enough to win q heart. Withal there was an indescribable something about her, q look of mystery in those soulful eyes l could not define
 After partaklng of palatable sup per we were invited into the family sitting room, where my uncle and his old friend lived again their boyhood days over a glass of "toddy," while the young ladies amused me by play ing the piano and singing some old time ballads that were remarkably sweet and musical. Annie, the cider of the sisters, was much the livelier of the two, while Zulimc, the young CT, at times seemed preoccupied and given to moods of reserve Every time I looked at her. which 1 confess was quite often, l felt the influence of that "eyrie' look, the conscious ness of something ''uncanny" about her.
 When the hour for retiring arrived my uncle and myeelf were shown to room upstairs, at the head of a long flight of steps. It was used by the young ladies as an afternoon sit t,ng room, and work basket, skein of silk, bit of embroidery here and there. and numerous other evidences of the constant presence of women were seen about the room. Before going to bed my uncle smoked a parting pipe, during the progress of which he informed me that the house was popularly reported to be haunted. Every old house must have a ghost you know to be in the least respecta- ble The family was an old one and had lived here for generations. As the story ran, one of the daughters of the house, q prototype of the fair Zulime, had 'Ioved not wisely but too we'll, " and to hide her shame and forget her sorrow had sought obliv- ion beneath the dark waters of the mill-pond. The negroes about the place averred that at night at twelve olock she visited the room in which we were sitting and arrayed herself in the bridal bravery she never wore.
 Of course l believed my part of this story, and when my uncle sug- gestcd that if wished to verify it l could sit up and see the mysterious visitant, l laughingly told him that l was too much fatigued to watch for ''spooks." He took might cap" from a brandy flask and went to bed. I was not long following him.
 The night was beautiful one. The full harvest moon shone in ats the window and made the room as light as day. The strangeness of the place. the new scenes l had encoun- tered, the starry eyes of the gentle Zulime, the legend my uncle had re- lated, kept me from falling asleep as quickly as l had anticipated, and long after my companions deep breathing proclaimed him locked in the arms of Morpheus, was turning from side to side, unable to sleep. l was in fit of insomania. tried ev- cry experiment of which had ever heard to induce sleep. l counted a hundred backwards, repeated poetry by the yard, rolled my eyes in their sockets, and as last eXpedient be- gan counting the ticks of the great clock downstairs, which could he