People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-02-21

man. DUAlNdAs Alg IVY NNlA hONAlhS
and do your duty
A grasp of the hand was all the good
bye l could make. and l was soon rat
Ting away TO meet the coach for Ed
inburgh and London.
| reached London in safety, and |
slept at the house of an old friend Of |
my father. who treated me with great |
kindness and seemed altogether to take |
4 liking to me. Before | left he held |
out hope of being able. some day or
other, TO procure for me what l 50
much deSired-a commission in the
army.
After spending a day or two with
him and seeing something of London.
| climbed once more on the roof of the
coach; and. late in the afternoon, was
set down at the great gate Of Hilton
Hall. walked up the broad avenue,
through the final arch Of which, a.
though a huge Gothic window, l saw
the hall in the distance. Everything
about me looked strange, rich and love
ly. Accustomed to the Scanty flowers
and diminutive wood of my own cOun-
try, what now saw gave me feeling
of majestic plenty, which | can recall
at will. but which | have never expe-
rienced again. Behind the trees which
formed the avenue | saw q Shrubbery;
composed entirely Of Towering plants
almost all unknown to me. Issuing
from the avenue | found myself amid
open. wide, lawny spaces. in which
the flOwerbedS lay like islands of color
A statue on Il pedestal, the only white
thing in the surrounding green. caugh,
my eye. | had scarcely seen any Sculp
ture, and this, attracting my attention
by a favOrite contrast Of color, retained
by its own beauty. 1t was Dryad,
or some nymph Of the woods, who had
Just glided from the solitude of the
trees behind. and had sprung upon the
pedestal TO look wonderingly around
her.
At the same moment, from the base
of the pedestal rose Il figure in white.
graceful as the Dryad above, and
neither running. nor appearing to walk
quickly, yet feet as a ghost, glided
past me at a few PAGES distance, and,
keeping in a straight line for the main
entrance Of the hall, entered by it and
vanished.
| followed in the direction Of the
mansion, which was large. and of sew
eral styles and ages. One wing ap-
peared especially ancient. 1t was neg
lected and out of repair, and had in con-
sequence a ceSOlate, almost Sepulchral
look; an expression heightened by the
number of large expresses which grew
along its line. went up to the central
door and knocked. 1t was opened by
grave, elderly butler. passed under its
fiat arch, as If into the midst Of the
waiting events of my story. For, as !
glanced around the hall, my conscious
ness was suddenly saturated, if may
be allowed the expression with the
strange feeling-knOwn TO everyone,
and yet so sTange-that | had seen it
before; that, in fact, | knew it per-
fectly. But what was yet more strange
and far more uncommon, was that, al.
though the feeling with regard TO the
hall faded and vanished instantly, and
although | could not in the least sur
mise the appearance of any of the re-
giOnS into which | was about to be
ushered, | yet followed the butler with
a kind of indefnable expectation OF
seeing something which had seen be-
fore; and every room or passage in
that mansion affected me. on entering
it for the first time, with the same SEN
SatiOn Of previous acquaintance which
| had experienced with regard to the
hall.
| was received by the hOusekeeper,
little, prim, benevolent old lady, with
cOlOrleSS face and antique headdreJs,
who led me to the room prepared for
me. TO my surprise | found a large
wood fire burning on the hearth; but
the feeling of the place revealed at once
the necessity for it: and | scarcely
needed to be informed that the room
| W ulCI was uDOu luC NlOuliu uOOls sliu
looked out upon little, solitary, grass
grown and ivy-mantled court, had not
been sudef or years, and therefore re-
quired to be thus prepared for an in
mate. Ny bedroom was few PAGES
down a passage to the right.
Left alone l proceeded to make q
more critical survey of the room. Its
look of ancient mystery was to me in
cOmparably more attractive, than any
show of elegance or comfort could have
been. 1t was large and low, paneled
throughout in oak, black with age, and
worm eaten in many parts-otherwise
entire. Both of the windows looked
into the court or yard before mention
ed. All the heavier furniture Of the
room was likewise Of black oak, but
the chairs and cOuches were covered
with faded tapestry and furnished
gliding, apparently the superannuated
members of the general household Of
seats.