Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-08

them not. tneY were l0O1u6reQt TO the vicar
murmured regrets and fears.
"Poor fools, poor foolsl What sorrows fol
themselves are they heaping on their heads
What wanton disregard for the philosophy
that teaches all things are possible"
To have asked him to tie the nuptial kno
would have been vain, so, as had been pre-
viously arranged, the Clarefo ord family fe
turned to the tiny West Kensington house
and Hugo took up his quarters in a LondoI
hotel till the necessary preliminaries should
be arranged forIthe marriage.
A month from the day on which they had
paid their visit to the vicarage by the Weir,
they were man and wife, and whatever that
dread curse would bring to them of evil,
they must henceforth suffer conformity.
Still. Annie had no fear; while, as fol-
Hugo, though there were moments when he
was depressed beyond words to explain. yet
her trusting confidence in the good that
must await them if they kept themselves
"unspotted from the world, prevented him
from wholly abandoning himself to the
depths of despair.
On the fiery Colonel. too, her faith had
also told, though he could not wholly dis
embarrass himself of dread.
1t was q crisp October day when they
started for the Riviera on their honeymoon
trip, announcing they would be at the abb
bey by Christmas, when they hoped to en-
tertain their friends and relations.
Till then Annie would tain have forgotten
that the abbey and its curse existed.
If she could only chase all memory of
them both from her beloved Hugo's mind,
how much happier would she be!
But he could not rid himself of the feeling
that, tempted by his strong love, he had al
lowed Annie to sacrifice herself, and, even
as the moth flies round and round the
lighted candle, to dare the flame.
He watched her with such intense anxiety
that it became quite painful to her, though
she tried to laugh at him, and asked him,
smiling: "What is it you are afraid OF,
Hugo? You seem to fancy you already see
me lying dead at your feet. assure you
feel quite we'll and-to use thoroughly
mundane phraSe-very jolly"
''Oh, Annie, love, do not jest on such a
serious subject. 1 have had letter from
the vicar to-day, still regretting, for your
sweet sake, that have been SO daring
'Tell me, Hugo; the vicar has the reputs-
tion of being a learned man, an absolute
bookworm. Has much learning made him
mad, or how can he give way to such super
stitious nonsense? How can q curse that
some angry men have chosen to pronounce
hundreds Of years ago have any effect on us
now?''
as have, some of the Iolios in the wears
possession, you would see it followed out
see how these curses have been fulfilled; not
only in one case, but in many, have they
overtaken the inmates of this accused abb
bey, even down to this generation"
"These are condolences, I should imagine.
Does the vicar attempt to account for them?"
NAY, my Annie, if you wish to go in for
what the vicar calls the philosophy of this
matter you must argue it out with him."
''But surely you can tell me what he pre-
tends"
'Well, the vicar has investigated and in
vestigated till he has brought himself to be-
lleve in spiritual agencies. The theory is
that those who uttered the curse have be-
come lost souls, demons, in fact, and that
having power to work mischief they are re-
lentless. They suffer horribly tor their
want of forgiveness and charity. They are,
in fact in hell, but from thence they can
torment US poor human beings-even as
good spirits can and do assist us"
Annie's eyes opened very wide. Such
philosophy was beyond her comprehension,
and of the agency of an Unseen World, save
of fAe Omnipotent Power of God the Father,
she 4 ew naught, and in very truth she had
no wiA to perplex her mind with such un-
cannv and abstruse problems.
"I,et usN sNdo the work that is set before us
to do withon ntcounting the cost" she said,
after minute ortwo, during which she had
appareutly been thinking hard, land leave
demoniacal agencies Ia tight out the battle
o, darkness. God must c8nquer evil In the
end"
s'Then you believe that COED is more pow pow
erful than evil?"
''Most assuredly I do"
Still, for all Annie could sav, Hugo Law
under the ban of the curse
Life was very bright by the Riviera, but
the sunshine only seemed to mock his fears,
and each succeeding day, though it dawred
rlch in the gifts of prosperity, Hugo grew
thinner and thinner, from the suffering pro-
duced by the dread of an impending doom.
''The curse on the abbey had never
failed;" so old lore, represented by the
vicar, had taught him. Why should be and
his race be exempt?
As possessor of these old church domains,
he was not to be smitten save through those
he loved; and he did love Annie very dearly
so dearly that his love for her was a posi-
tive fear and pain.
Nevertheless, to all outward appearance
the young newly married couple were dis
porting themselves merrilY. Annie insisted
on going everywhere. She would not let
Hugo nope over these morbid tancies If she
succeeded each other, he seemed to become
more and more anxious, and never opened
his ewes after an hour or two of disturbed
agitated sleep without suffering from the
haunting dread that some terrible calamity
would happen before nightfalL.
"Could the curse be developing in a new
form, and was madness to be his doom2" he
asked.
Annie laughed at the supposition, and her
persistent fearlessness still helped to give
Hugo strength.
Christmas was approaching, and with it
the time when they had promised their re-
lations they would be ready to receive them
at the abbey. To Hugo the idea of going
home brought no pleasure, beautiful though
the abbey and its surroundings were. Since
he had known of the curse that was one of
the heirlooms, he regarded the place in the
light of doomed dungeon, and told Annie
he would only be too glad if be never saw it
again.
She would not, however, let him off the
work he ought to do as owner of this large
property, and said they must go back to it.
Every preparation was made for the de-
parture, when, the English post having Just
arrived, Annie came into the room where
Hugo was with an open letter in her hand.
"Your wish is fulfilled, Hugo. You can
never 90 back to the abbey"
"Ahl How SOP"
"It has been totally destroyed BY fire.
This letter from my father, who was sent
for, announces it, and bids me break it to
you gently"
But Hugo never for a moment deplored
the destruction of the beautiful old abbey
he shouted aloud and absolutely capered for
joy.
Fire, pestilence or water" be cried.
"Fire has done Its work; let us be thankful,