The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-05-23

would not think of those maddoning
events and hero they were rushing pcll
NELL through my brain. tossed the
book into coraer, with q curse after it,
] lighted cigar, and gazing into tho
fire. now gray and half dead, this is
what snw:
Ten years before had been youth,
Minimum Fortunatus, the only son of
wealthy man, strong, we'll favored,
we'll educated and, above all, beloved
The Mainwarings were old family
friends. From childhood Eunice and !
had been comrades; from childhood 1
had loved her. At this time we were
aff1anced, and I was visiting at their
coy, comfortable, old fashioned home
at Grafton. There were but three In the
household besides the servants-the ia
ther, the mother, the daughter. Mr..
Malnwaring was q bluff, hearty man,
arrogant from success and incredulous
Of ills which he had never personally
known. Mrs. Mainwaring was ON in
valid, confined to her room by one Of
those chronic nervous diseases which
the lacking in sympathy are apt to pooh
pooh Eunice was devoted daughter
truly. AS for Mr.. Mainwaring, 1t was
generally: ''You are looking much bet
ter today, my dear. Well. so long,"
with him. But Mrs. Mainwaring did
not crave for company. She was strong
woman, fully as eccentric as she was
sick. fond Of her own society and of
polishing and arranging lot Of trump
cry gems and coins and curios to which
rumor had given an inordinate value
On this particular night which WIS
now perforce recalling, Mr.. Mainwaring
was away in town on "business''-his
business perhaps that Is pleasure Mrs
Mainwaring was of course, in her room
and alone by express desire, Eunice and
had passed charming hours together
in the quaint, shadowy drawing room.
at first at the wheezy old piano and
then planning that impossible future
which seems so probable to all lovers
GOOD night, dear" she had said on
parting. The night is good, since it
SMILES on our love"
And indeed the night was glorious In
its lucent tranquility. 1 stood at the
window for awhile and looked out on
the simmer and the glitter of the
heavens Glorious, truly, but was it
sympathetic? Was there not something
derisive in its smiles, as if human af-
fairs, when considered at all, must be
condemned? turned away with sigh
vaguely apprehenstve I stopped in the
library and took book by chance 1t
was "Jane Eyre" Then 1 went to the
wing where my room was situated b.
meath it was the great dining hall;
above it, the suit devoted to Mrs Main
waring; adjacent to it, vacant guest
chambers 1t was still early; so, lighting
cigar. sat before the glowing crate
and read, as tonight I have sat and
smoked and read
AS my reading progressed and my in
terest deepened, so, too, did that vague
apprehension settle and solidify. I have
ever been susceptible to influences little
regarded by the world in general can
feel the gathering Of storm and the
break of a cloud can catch the whi1n-
steal thought of n companion before it is
uttered am moved by the spirit that
has moved an author in writing certain
passages 1 am happy in the provision Of
prosperity and detected by the forebod-
ing of evil. Without realizing it, for
some time had been CHANGING uneasily
from my page about the room My
hands, usually hot, gradually grew cold
and damp. got up from my scat and
looked in the mirror. My face was livid,
my lips were wan, and my eyes glowered
deep in their sockets What malign
thing had come upon me? Something.
could not tell. would not yieldl was
interested in the book would persist
i'll its reading! did despite my fdgets.
L read OH and on until came to that
scene where Jane was so terrified by that
weird. horrid scream Then, when had
grasped its details by titful comprehen-
sivo glimpses, in an inthralling panic
sprang to my feet hurried off my cloth
ing, blew out the light, and jumping into
bed pulled the covcrlids over my head
Oh. how cold was, and how frighten-
ed! How anxious TO speak to some one
and how ashamed of myself! How con
scious of my full 2 years of manhood,
yet Of my undeniable babyish sensibil-
ityi could have cried from rage to think
that was like to cry from terror
Well. trcmblcd in body and shivered
in spirit until at length I grew warm
and drowsy from very exhaustion, and
at last slept. How long my slumbers
continued | know not, but it must have
been the BLACKLIST hour of the night when
1 awakened as if from touch or at a
call | was lying on my pillow, with
the clothes at their normal height, and
my first thought was how idiotic 1 had
bnan tn cf, sh al yoy, h11rr Oh l.,
really was. But III al instant that cud-
ding sensation disappeared, for out from
the inwrapping silence and obscurity