Middletown transcript., 1892-05-26


our second start was half an hour
late. We reached Norton safely, gay,
exhilarated. Desire was like star.
tingling when the rest of US were but
numbly and stupidity cold, and fash
ling like an opal when we could only
listen to her and return a laugh rs
our best answer. At the hotel, where
! we ran for warmth before going back,
she was wildly impatient. No other
guests were in the little parlor, and
Desire sat down and sung to US
ballads that made the heart
ache. Then she broke into
{" Come Ger the stream, Charlie. " gay
ly, with abandon. I could not look at
Gretchen. She knew as well as |
that this had been the call and signal
between Desire and her husband.
Long ago, in their days of courtship,
he had whistled it at the gate, and she
had run down 60 meet him in the dew
and starlight. I have seen him q hum
dred times drop his book or his sem
tence and hurry to find her when he
heard her voice in that song. Had
she forgottenf Was Chello becoming
. memory ?-less than memory,-a
shadow
"Come, Herr Stiege. it is time to
go. is it not I" she said, rapidly going
up to him. After nine now, and an
hour and half to go home. That
will make it half-past ten certainly.
Oh, we must Co." She gave US no
peace until we started. She lifted in
the children while Herr Stiege was
settling his wife and me on the back
seat, and had the reins in her own
hands ready for him.
Drive fast r she cried. II is
such beautiful night! Make the
fences spin by usl make the trees
waltz Oh. 60 fast !"
Halfway to town the horses sheer
ell out, and we went softly over into
the snow. No accident could have
been more harmless. The horses
trotted on few PAGES and stopped.
Herr Stiege righted the sleigh. and
we packed in again, laughing. Only
Desire did not laugh: She was al-
most raging with impatience. This
time she was not satisfied till he, had
worked the horses too into feyer-heat.
| Where the time was lost. / never
knew. Possibly it had taken more
minutes at the hotel than we had ex-
pected; !; possibly the catastrophe in
| the snow was longer than it seemed.
When we were two miles from home,
/ Desire took out her watch and stud.
led its face by moonlight. Ten min
utes of eleven |" she cried, in sharp
voice. "Oh, drive fast drive fast p
| No one spoke now. Desire sat like
a pillar, looking straight before her.:
Gretchen and I felt the commotion in
the air, and could only be silent. We
came to the Nest, to lind the great
gate closed. Herr Stiege prepared to
get out and open it, but Desire sprang
from the other side of the sleigh.
"I shall save time r. she called
back to US. as she ran through the
foot.path into the shrubbery.
"Follow her" said Gretchen. "Oh,
follow her, and hurry"
When I reached the house, Desire
was pacing, almost running, up and
down the long piazza, ringing the bell
every other instant. A clock struck
in the town.
My God eleven r she cried, and
then began 10 call wildly
"Let me in oh, let me in! Some
body comel"
Somebody had come. I heard q
running together of servants, then DIR.
Solomon's voice close to the door !:
$50 back, every one of you. I'll let
them in. I said I would. Go back u
The steps retreated, but the door
was not opened. Desire sank down
on the threshold and kept on calling.
Now it was in dreadful voice, full Of
despair. Some one ran down the
stairs, some one else was hurled aside,
against the wall, it would seem,-
and the door was thrown wide open.
It was the priest; no. it was the man,
grown in stature with his indignation,
softened in tenderness by love. Tie
stopped to lift Desire, but she escaped
his arms and ran like the wind to her
own room. I followed, and reached
the door in time to hear the key turn
in the lock.
I leaned against the wall and watt
ed. I dared not knock. She was
talking hurriedly, then calling in a
voice little above a whisper, but
sharply penetrating. Then she seem-
ed to plead, to demonstrate. l fancied
I heard her praying.
A figure stole up the stairs ,-Dr.
Solomon. "Listening?" he asked,
evidently not to insult me, but with
eager curiosity. "Can you hear any
thing?'
"Go down." said, moving toward
him. "If you come step farther,