The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-08-22
VOL. 25, NO.34

| Que ulu nOb speak agalD. DuJ III every
line of her kneeling figure was love
and sorrow rnutterable.
She KIN t on until the sound of the
front door bell startled her suddenly TO
her feet. She stood for moment
listening intently with her breath COM
ing quick and short and her eyes
glowing with strange deep light.
Then she drew the curtain once more
over the picture, and crossing to the
fireplace seated herself just as Calton
Leigh entered the room,
| He gave a quick glance round as he
came in aud said eagerly: "This is
very nice. was afraid it might be
too soon"
She looked up at him with a smile,
which made her face wonderfully fas-
cinsting. She did not hold out her
hand, but as they had met so recently
that perhaps was unnecessary.
"Too soon p she said.
eyes. mean l was afraid you
might not be alone"
She laughed low, musical laugh,
still with her beautiful shining eyes
fixed upon him, aud as he looked upon
her his own eyes seemed to grow deep
aud wild with feeling he could hardly
control. He whitened slightly, and,
turning away his face with an obvious
effort, sat down near her.
For few moments there was 81.
lenoe. She sat watching him With a
strangely expectant expression on her
face, and he, though he seemed to be
always conscious of her gaze, never
looked round at her. At last she
said with another low laugh.
"Have you nothing to say, Mr..
Leigh, now you are here?"
He started as though he had been
shot. and turned to her sharply, rising
to his feet as he did so
"To sayl" he began vaguely. "To
say" Then he broke off and stood
looking at her, as if he could never
turn his eyes away again. She did
rot turn her head from him, only her
face was deadly white, and her eyes
unnsturslly dark aud bright, as she
smiled that wonderful smile right into
his eyes again. Then, suddenly, with
a low hoarse cry, he fell on his knees
beside her, and caught her hands in
both his own.
"To say!' he cried again. "Kathe-
rine! Katherine! you know what it is
must say. love you. My life is
nothing to me without you! think OF
Iyou day and night, long for you; l
hunger and starve for you, with every
breath l draw. Katherine, come to
me, come into my life and satisfy me,
my love, my love. l cannot live with
out you-come!'
II As he touched her, she turned a.
J cold as death, and a strange film
: clouded her eyes, but she never turned
her face from his burning, passionate
: eyes. She had made no effort to re
} sist him, to release herself from his
} touch, aud as he ended
"Yes, will come" she said.
, CHAPTER II.
vi Two months had passed away anC
i Miss .Grahame was alone in her drawing
:, room evidently expecting something
a or someone. 1t had been on. of those
!. strange and terrible days, when Lon
y don is enshrouded in a wierd and in
o explicable darkness. There had beel
o no fog to speak of and yet it had bee
d dark dark as night almost. Owe
= Miss Grahame's beautiful house a
e day the heavy shadow had broode:
# the pretty CHEEKY rooms had locke,
d gloomy and mysterious, and the sci
o wants had gone about with that dc
O pressed, almost awe-struck manne
j. which is the Inevitable result of s
: unnatural state of things. No on
+ had called of course; Miss Graham
y had hardly left the drawing room, ha
spoken scarcely word all day. Owe
d all the house deadly quiet had restet
h But now at half-past eight the lamp
n we're lighted and the natural darl
,t ness which all of US know an
Iv which to all of us comes sometimes {
d a longed for friend had succeeded Il
I'd unnatural darkness, which we q
,d vaguely dread. And Miss Graham
ID had apparently passed after the qui
r. of the day into state of strange e,
if citement. She was walking up al
Ut down the long drawing room, up ar
III down, up and down and her pa
as cheeks burned with the crimson flu
en- and her eyes were bright and glittt
ia ing. The past two months hi
,s- wrought several slight changes in h
ne appearance. Her face was thinner
40 though that flush had burned the
a often of late and worn the chee
~ away with its hot fire. Her eyes loo
40 ed larger and slightly hollow, as wi
re some long continued strain, and the
To was strange never changing expr,
be sion of incessant watchfulness and c
M. pectation. She was dressed in lo
"a velvet gown, slightly open at I
NO throat-blaok-always black.
nd At last there came a ring at t
er front door bell. She did not start
I'd. the sound, only she stopped sudder
We in her walk and curious thrill see
lg. ed to run through all her frame.
nc- leap from her eyes at last in flash
is burning light that seemed for the n
let ment absolutely to trans6gure h
iss Then it died suddenly away, and !
. face and manner were very still a
ed quiet as she stood there waiting W
ra- her watchful eyes fixed on the d.
lad until it was opened by Calton Leigh
all There are some faces-and they
bis long to men quite as often as
i'd women-on which every passing STR
lse gle, mental or physical, every passi
be good or evil, leaves its record in lii
in which no time may ever wear O
Cation Leigh's was such a face, q
nal the two months that had left tn
ak. slight traces on Miss Grahame
he made such terrible marks on him
a many times the number of years sho
no not have done. His dark, clear
ave features were won and haggard,
,as. cheeks hollow, the forhead lined
les though with terrible suffering. Ror
Ira- the rather unpleasant mouth-the le
il refined feature in a face which
arw too emotional expres siye, too unc