The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-10

which swayed and lashed above the
streets and homes Of quaint old Dent.
vile, huddling sleepily and comfortably
beneath.
All this day and all tho day and night
before, With the bltt0r BLAST had come
the stingipg sleet Il had sheeted The
walls Of stone winding along the high
ways and lanes and between the tiny
farms, until they shone like polished
marble, II bad pointed the stubble In
the fields until Il stood Ike myriad
barbs Of steel. Il had armored the out.
living shocks OF corn until they paled
aud flashed like ghostIy sentinels at
their posts, and bad rnantled the peaked
stacks beside the tarmsteads along the
hill.sides until they seemedlik gigantic
cowls OF huddled monks at prayer.
From end TO end Of Dentvllle its
broad rooled homes lay silvered, Ice.
bound and cIu tched as In remorseless
iron hand; and as with 1.-The and cruel
rods OF steel the fierce swirl, Of broken
Ice prisms, cones and clfclets. swept
from the tossing limbs above, had
scourged the village folk from struggling
streets to homes.
II the dominating spirits OF such ele'
mental hours have conGctousness. as tho
day wore on they could not but have
noticed that the storms power seemed
to have greatest force aud fury At four
separate points within aud about the
little village.
One OF those was where o mass OF
stately larches threateningly twisted
around and over great stone mansion,
at the highest and most exposed por.
ton OF the principal village street, aud
where q hard-faced old man stood at the
broad windows Of his ample home, look
ing with unrelenting and almost tri-
umphant face into the deserted street
below.
Another was where great elms, in a
protecting hollow square, came between
the village church, aud entirely around,
the pretty village parsonage. The struc-
turo was set back little from the street,
and was reached from the roadway
through rows OF box and lilac where, In
summer, birds must have come and
built and sung; and at the dainty lat
ticed window Of this parsonage mans
sad and thoughtful face was pressed. In
mute seeming that It's possessors heart
was troubled for the hurts which winter
ever brings.
Still another, was just at the village
edge, In the middle Of stony field; a
long, low, rambling structure, cherries
as the storm-swept. oututting rocks
around it; comiortless as the ghostly
hills which made its pitiless horizon;
lightless as the shuddering night which
was closing In upon it; more hopeless
to its inmatel than 10y storms, granite
rocks or even death; for here WIS one
OF those sublimate antitypes OF New
England Christian charity, the village
poor house; the very starveling trees
around it beating Its Icy shingles as II
in bitter taunt and menace at the hall
starved wretches beneath. And well
it was for the peace OF Dentvi!le that
what faces, II any, peered from these
rattling windows. were safely hidden by
distance from village eyes below.
The last, was where q half dozen
gigantic silver poplars whipped aud
moaned above the village tavern.
Though 1t stood in o little hollow, over
against the village post-ottice and gen.
eral storo; though 1t was surrounded and
projected by rising ground on the one
side and fiue old out buildings on the
other; though the elms aud the naples
opposite should have broken the force
OF the blast, aud this place OF all places
in Dentville have been quiet and hush.
full in tho fercest OF storm, 1t seemed
that the clements now combined IN
most furious pranks and antics about II.
It's ancient sign swung wildly and
groaued dismally. Its great chimneys
gave out hoarse murmurings. Its dimin'
utiye windows ratified and trembled as
though every succeeding blast would
beat them in. Its tiny shutters were
torn from their fastenings. Tho .poplars
above 1t seemed writhing and bending
as If about to crash through the warped
and slivered roof.
And as il in keeping with the inten.
sity Of the elemental struggles around
and above this old Red Lion Inn OF
Dentyille, the most pitilul and des-
perate face that had ever been seen in
the village-a woman's face from which
the last CLEAN OF hope had been efaced
as though by this very storm-was now
and then pressed against Its icy window
paneh
II, too, such relentless forces OF nature
could DO conscious aud all-observant, II
would have been noticed that ut least
three OF tho wild storu.contors In Dent
Vile had their corresponding surgings
OF troublous human emotion housed
beneath them.
More unaccountable still, tho three
faces at the three separate windows,
that OF tho chief mansion oil the vii.
lage, the village parsonage and the
village inn, we're all looking with deep
intentness at tho same object in the
now dimly.lighted village postoffce
window.
This object was q miserable placard
In dingy black and white, telling the
pitiful old legend upon which countless
ambitions and hopes had before been
broken, how a certain Grand Star Com
blnation, appealing to the cultured APP
preciatIon OF Dentville, had, after re.
peated urgent requests, turned aside
from Its victorious route through the
chief cities in the country to present in
Dentville Hall, for three nights only.
its matchless conditions OF shakspercan
tragedy.
Ponsonby Addington, itproclaimedin
its hugest and most notified block-type
letters, before whom even kings and
emperors had bowed in iervor OF his.
trionic admiration, had ,consented to ap.
pear in the leading roles. The queen Of
tho tragic stage, Letitta AddinGton, had
been secured to deliniate Shakespeare's
marvellous heroines; and these ronown.
ed stars would have tho able support OF
the highest talent proCurablc in the
dramatic cOntcrs OF the east.
tNka Costumes xpnra haFnl1aI ma bril-.