Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-23

W oai6Ok sooh SuedNiou me, ana SAID tx
4 Henry: -
H''This is all an internal piece of hum
i bug, my boy, and must and will be al
the bottom of It,"
| Weproceeded to the house and intoi it,
and into the library, where all was silent
as we had quilted it.
| I lit the gas. Henry's first act was tc
survey his mothers portrait. Then he
made search for the mysterious paper.
| s4t is gone. said he, In awed tones.
| proposed that we should adjourn till
morning, SO that we could have daylight
4 upon the subject.
Immediately after breakfast Henry
made for the library. and followed
him.
just then we heard the piano struck
by expert fingers in an adjoining room.
and rich, low voice sing the notes of
an air which I had never heard before
l felt that I could not listen to 1t and
stand, so strangely did the melody float
and hnger, and futter and die away.
Meantime Henry was wandering about
| the room.
| "What Can have come over that poem.
wonderp" I heard him say as he lifted
an ink bottle, book. q decanter, and
looked under them all In turn
"Wait moment for me-" said to
him as ] slipped out Of the room and
Joined the musician.
1t was his sister, of course, and 1
| Joined her just as she concluded the In
fernal or supernal melody, and know
ing not what better to do requested
her to favor me by repeating it.
@Do you like it?' she quickly asked. +
ut is wonderful thing" returned.
"May ask whose are the verses and
who is the composers"
'sThe verses are my mothers and the
music is my own"
l was stupefed.
"Do you possess a written copy of
themr' s.,
NO; but I could not forget them.
feel so sorry sometimes, for have lost
the mannscrips in her own handwrit-
ing" ~
Excuse me for asking, Miss Todd;
but have You aeopy of those verses in
your own handWritingfs
Il have not, Mr.. WinsIow. I sing
them from memory"
"This is very extraordinary. l cer-
tainly read those verses in manuscript
last evening""
"Indeedl" she exclaimed, looking at
me curiously. 'sMost likely you heard
me sing them late, and that may have
cheated you into the idea. played and
sung them last night
My first proceeding when reached
my bedroom that night was to drink a
glass OF brandy, my next to unite a
packet of fine starch powder, with which
had armed myself some hours before.
A little later, when not q sound was
heard in the house, you might have seen
me slip of my slippers, take up the pow
der, cautiously invade the hall and sow
the entire area of it with powder.
When entered the library | shut out |
the moonlight, which was playing the
mischief with my fancy, and lit the gas.
then seated myself in the chair which
faced the hanging portrait Of Henry's |
mother. and l could see my own refiec.
tion plainly IN Its glass front.
Presently detected series of slight |
sounds In the distance, as Of some one
astir. While my heated imagination
was busily forging fetters for my judg-
ment the library door opened slowly
and the moving image of the portrait.
draped in white veil, made straight for
the curtained window, leaving in its
wake at every step the white impress of
IN unmiStakabla realitv
saw at once, of course. that It was
Miss Todd who stood before me, but
had planet been at stake could not
have moved or spoken.
She opened the window shutter very
deliberately and the moonlight streamed
nto the room, transforming everything
Ind tmperting to her features and her
igure an indistinct and shadowy beauty,
which was altogether spiritual and un-
'estured of decay.
saw her take from fold of her thick
ell paper, which she read over in the
uh Light. could see her eyes--that
hey wore look as if they saw nothing
learer than the land Of darkness. Her
ace was like the face of one who had
'een dead.
/ was trembling like leaf when the
gure moved straight toward me, and
Gliding forth the paper said, In a
trange, far off pleasantness Of voice:
lis it NOT very beautiful You may
AXE copy from 1t If you like. but do
OF lose it again"
l started to my feet, and to nv as
'nishmens I did not startie the beauti-
II sfeeper, who had strobe away as
'ateiy as she had come, leaving In nv
and the simple manuscript. which / !,
cid fast. as If 1t might take wing.
When went down stairs before >
reakfast ! found Henry making a pug g
ed scrutiny Of mysterious footprints, y
% unaccountable thing being that up- 3 3
. the steps there were shown the foot
fnts ofea man and a woman, and with :, 3
the library the evidence OF feminine
yasion only.
The light I was enabled to throw upon q
Q matter. brought a smile to the I,
untenapce of my friend that broaden =
presently Into laugh.-B. P. In New =
ork News.