Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1890-01-02
MedMntown Frederick County, Maryland Thursday hmay|2 $780,

IL nlu QOne Oh Cne previous IlSuC
From that time forward, wherever I
might be, il was in the room with look
ing glass, saw every evening from to a
quarter of 0, for the next month to come, the
house in the mirror. Sometimes it met my
view in the looking glass on cottage wall,
where was tending a poor patient, some-
times In the pier glass of fine ladys apart
ments, sometimes in the mirror of a friends
dining room as l sat at dinner.
There was never the faintest change in the
vision; it was always marked by exactly the
same features. | cannot say but that this
perpetual haunting of my life by so mysteri-
GUS al apparition did make vaguely unconl-
Portable and painful impression on my mind.
But by strength of WILL and by clinging reso-
lutely and ceaselessly to all nly active duties,
| prevented its having a morbid unhealthy
! effect upon me. Irevealed the circumstances
to no one, but appeared to the outer world as
If there was no strange page iii my common
place story.
| When, however, q month or 50 had passed
by, there came n great, sudden, real sorrow,
which most effectively thrust aside al inclina-
:i.w to brood over gloomy, shadowy, fanci!ul
troubles. One morning there arrived q tele-
gram from Lecco, on the Lake Como, in north
Italy, saying that my sister, on her way home
| from lnula llul lullhH utllpcIbtlSlJ III there,
and calling me at once to her side knew
that Lottics health had been delicate ever
since her baby was born and that she was
about to return to England for the sake of Il
cooler climate and the best medical advice. |
knew, too that she meant to return through
Italy, but was hardly aware that she had,
as yet, started from Bombay, and | had not
the faintcst notion that he. disease might
possibly take such dangerous turn. No
wonder, then, that the tidings were Il severe
blow
I.Ottie was far more to me than sisters gen
orally are to their brothers. She was sew
eral years younger than was, and she had
been first my plaything, then my pupil; and
had experienced Il pang of real jealousy on
that day when, sitting on Il stool at my feet,
with her sweet face hidden on my knees, she
confessed to me there was one who was more
to her than was, one who was more TO hcr
than all the world besides This foolish feel
ing, Of course quickly passed away, and |
r.joiced to see her happy BRIDE; yet Lpttie
was still my pet, my pride and my darling.
Will not dwell upon the hurried journey,
with Fear sitting at my side, nor the long
! ninhts and days of drcary, anxious wat"h-
| inG. 1t sulliCes to say G,lc that my sweet
girl was 1T length given back to my arms,
after, through long weeks, my medical care
ard shll had battled with death for her.
| Durin, the whole of this period the house in
the mirror never again appeared to El", and,
indeed, in my absorbing anxiety and trouble,
tie remembrance of it even hardly entered
my mind.
Ono lovely evening in early spring, when
Lotto was much better, but not strong
enough yet to be moved, had been taking Il
| long "ambe into the lovely country that sur
rounds Lake Como and on my return had
lost my way. The sun had set, Che moon had
risen, anl was bathing the world in a silver
! sea had reached path by the Gio and
WAS causing to consider III which direction
Lccco lar. The scene around was ell ono
! glory Of stiffness and of brightness \ breeze
| just stirred the waters softly with Il kiss; tho
outline, Of the distant hills were soft and
tender, as if drawn by an artist angels pen
Gil; here aud there among them there was
white glinlucr which told of q hamlet or
homestead; hard by Il nightingale just struck
a single golden note, and then was silent
again. as il he feared TO break the calm spell
Of the moon.
All at once | started, ana q low .Hclamu-
| ton broke from my lips. Ny eyes Were rest
| Ing on The gurrAco OF tho lake. and thero, mir
rurei in IT. cIca. waters, buDcid exactly the
s,.,.le house aui garden which had 50 often
before | cto England met my view III such a
strange mysterious way. Disturbed, aston
ished unable to believe my own sen e.,
glanced round behind me, and there Oh a lit
tie rising grou'l above tAc lake, saw n
| house which corr2sponGel to the reflection
below, aill which was in every respect the
realization Of my Vi ion. just then the clock
OF some distant church up among the hills
struck eight
| The Wiiuie circumstances ana coincidence
were 50 singular that | could net help beng
| impressed aud startled by it. AntaGonistic
| though my Whole nature was to ali ina! !inary
| fears aul beliefs, | approached TIE gate OF
| the garden, and noted h"N, ~ every smallest
! particular, even to the star like flowers OF
the crceIcr on the wall, even the fre|co Of
! the Old woman with the basket OF oranges ut
her feet, even to tie slightly opened window
with tho ray OF light gliding through ii, it
was the complete Likeness of the house which
| had so often mot My view i'll the mirror. The
very name OF the villa filled me- NitA a
strange eere feeling: LA Casa dcilo Spec
! CHA 1t had evidently been so named frum
| the peculiarly clear and beautiful rejection
which it had produced i'll the waters of the
| lake.
The complex thoughts and feeling which
! tho sight Of the villa and its name called up
caused me to linger hear it for some little
time until began to fear that my mind was
! going to take a morbid sickiv turn, and re-
! solved to leave the spot at once. just as |
! had turned to go, however, q gOi,t seal which
| had belonged to my father, and which, there
fore, was much valued by me, happened to
fall from my watch chain, and spent some
time IN looking for it, for it had rolled down
the hill into the grass.
I had at length found the SEAL and was moy-
ing away when the same distant clock struck
IL quarter to nine Scarcely had the sound
died Oh the house when long, shrill cry
came ringing out of the house into the night,
apparently through the partially opeu Win
dow After that 7 cannot describe the mo-
tives which mpele,l me. | only know that
led by what was moro like instinct than
anything else, ! rushed across the Garden
and entered the door of the lonely house.
There tho first thing | bcheld in tic en-
trance hail was a girl, with a fair English
face in u state of evident great terror and
agitation.
"What is the matter?' asked. II heard
your cry. am an l'nglishman, and | am
here to give you any help and service l cam
MY father, who is lying i'll, has just swal-
lowed poison by mistake" she answered at
once, for grief il never surprised. II could
not help crying out when discovered it, All
our servants happen to be out, and have 10
one to send to Como for q doctor"
IL am onc," said land with Gods help, l
will save your father"
1t so happened ttnr that day | had been
! i, ;,,tn ,ii. l,,,lrr md