The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-01


let and crimson blossoms. In the open
spaces OF the pool flashed gold and blue and
silver fish. A delica;ely fashioned bronze
fountain IN the center rained dazzling dew
OF Embellishments and amethysts, and
rubies, and changing opals. and fiery car
buncles-agsinst the gorgeous tulips, against
golden catarac,s OF the lGburnum and pyra-
mids of lilac bloom.
How long strolled about do not know.
All at once I became aware Of something
lacking in this paradise. Something had
been left out, / could not tell what. | was
standing by the great pond when discov-
cred the want. / leaned against a tree that
bent over ire water, and, fixing my ewes
on the glitteriug depths, tried to determine
what the garden needed. Suddenly | started
back with amazement. In the pool found
no reflection OF the tree against which |
| leaned, or OF me who leaned against it,
With distracted eyes 1 glanced round the
enchanting pleassnce. There was no shadow
| anywherel The leaves shone in the sun, but
no brown or violet shades fell upon the
| paths or grass
Then. with shudder, caused by knew
not what, l remembered that only ten
| minutes had been allowed for .he filing of
the bath. FASTENED back to the versnda.
l approached the curtained door through
which ! had issued. ! regarded the room in
which had sat while ago.
| 4
in the bath room seemed exactly as when /
left it. Everything looked exactly as had
| left it-but one.
As L stood upon the curtained threshold
| OF that door, everything in there looked as
| 1t would have looked to another when | sat
in the chair with eyes fixed upon the door
way. Everything there looked now az it
had been then. Everything, including
merciful heavens including-ths figure Of
myself sitting in that chair, and staring as
| | had stared at the open doorway when
discovered it was no mirror!
Such horror as / then felt exceeded the
| strength Of human flesh to bear.
Human flesh was no longer flesh
was no longer human. Sitting in that chair
before me now was my living, human,
feshy self
1 dArted back into the daylight Of the
| veranda | looked down upon the tes-
selated marble pavement Great powersl
had caught the Infection from the trees and
shrubs of that accursed garden l cast no
shadow! Like the garden itself. was under
some hideous ban
l surveyed myself To myself l was
| visible and ponderable | could see my
hands, my feet, my clothes. The hands and
| feet aud clothes saw were identical with
those had just seen IN the figure on the
chair
| thrust my hands into my pockets, and
| pulled out my purse and watch. The purse
and watch were identical with those l had
taken with me from home the day before,
| when setting ont on the expedition Of which
| this was the terrifying goal
snstched from my bosom the morocco
| case In which bore with me always the
| miniatures OF my two darling [ opened
the case with feverish. palsiei hands Yes,
there were the portraits of my lost Agnes
and our lovely babe. My Agnes My child
| My lost darling! My darling babe! / kissed
| them wildly, and pressed them to my heart.
Then, feeling treasured and encouraged,
| looked round ma aud laughed aloud To
| think that man OF intellectual gifts like
mine-a man of culture and knowledge and
experience-should be deceived, startled by
paltry trick of the fancy working on an
overwrought mind in a body exhausted by
grief and fatigue The thing was prepos-
ferrous. BY-and-by little Ethel and should
laugh at this monstrous, odious dream. We
should laugh at it on some breezy mountain
hight, where no flowers doomed ia or out
Of season. We should laugh at 1t in the
deep shadow OF giant rocks hard by the
rolling, sounding sea. We should laugh at
IT, and lislen for the echo Of our laughter
cast back from the hills or ciffs-but not
very soon. | should not tell hsr of it for
many a long dsy-not ultil she was grown
| up, and had quite recovered, almost for
gotten the horror of this hour.
Now that this dream was over | would go
back TO the room, ind the chair empty, Of
course, and emerging from this hateful
| place hasten home to my child, my Ethel,
my little darling baby.
With head erect and confident step l
! strobe to the curtained door
! l should NOT oven look toward the chair
| In my present state Of physical weakness
and mental excitement the sight Of the mere
chair might have an injurious effect on my
| miad or my fancy.
Once more | entered that archaeological
chamber. l kept my eyes fixed upon tie
! thick, dim carpet. | listened with all my
power OF hearing but could catch no sound
whatever Even the thin trickle OF the
| water set running into the bath by me had
ceased. Either it had stopped by at auto
| matte coutrivance when the bath was fuIl
or the attendant had come in and turned il
off during my absence.
l would steal to the door by which had
entered and slip away would stea! for
fear Of waking, rousing somethlng
10 my inexpressible relief | found the
door. got to it by skirting the walls to
my right. | caught the brass knob and
tried TO turn It. The door would not yiel l.
try it as | mi yht
became franc. ] ca ei out and stormsi
and kicked at the Panels, | meds noise
enough to wake the dead. But there was
no response Of any kind from any qua.ter
tnaue enough noise to wake the dead
and met with no response from 0HV quarter
w hat consolation there was ia this fact.
For If there had been "a figure, a living
figure in that chair. that figure would have
heard tbs noise I'd come for ward to my aid
or would have protested against the up.
roar was creating. | had heard nothing
but tie disturbance made at the closed
door
Therefore the chair was vacant 0. ioy
intolerable The chair was vacant!
No cry Of "a sail! to starving mariners
on boundless ocean ever told OF such de-
liverancel No cry CT The welsf" to the
Arab furnishing Of thirst on the illimitable
burning sand ever inspired such gretitldel
clasped my hands aud raised them above
my head, and fell upon my knees in aban-
donment to specifies prayer. My heart
could find no words. / simply knelt and
gazed upward in an ecstasy OF Thanksgiving.
All that the world could now give me
seemed as nothing compared to what had
been already vouchsafed.
Now that awful doubt was gone forever.
The odious thing had been exercised, and |
was henceforth free 20 devote my days to
the society Of wholesome. cheerful man.
and to garner in my arms the bounteous
harvest Of time which heaven had bestowed
on me in the person of my baby, Ethel, my
angel child, rich relique left to me by Agnes,
my only love,
Never hal felt thaukfulness as 1t flowed