The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-21

I
! in the summer at quiet Long beach.
am not superstitious woman.
had laughed at Will for his own dread
of the supernatural, and his belief III 2
prophecy; but We had not been parted
whole month when something very
curious happened. Will had writer
to me every day; such dear, sweet let
tiers that they did my heart good
kept it alive, in fact.
But for those letters I would have
given up my hold upon hope, and
would have succumbed to despair.
But one day no letter came, telt a
strange sinking at the heart-an awful
sense of oppression; darkness gathered
over my life. Suspense-hope defer
red; these are the two emotions whlcn
serve to kill the human heart, to dark
en- and blight existence. That night l
went out on the little gallery. where
We had passed 50 many happy hours.
The moon was bright and one star
shone in the blue vault above my head
one that Will had long ago design
ated "Our star My heart was
crushed and heavy.
I stood leaning against one OF the
columns which supported the gallery,
the scent of the roses that he loved
floating all around Eme. And as l
stood there, somethlng-a light touch
-fel! upon my shoulder; a cold breeze
crept over my cheek, like a breath
from the grave.
I turned my eyes, and there before
me in the cold moonlight stood Will
my husband.
With a wild incredulous cry of de.
light and rapture, l flung my arms
about him-only to grasp empty air!
No one was there. Will was gone!
fell to the gallery floor, and ley
there like dead woman.
When I opened my eyes, the moon
was shining down upon me just as
calm, and cold and imperial as-ever:
I struggled to sitting posture, aud
glared wildly about me. What did it
mean? I was not at all superstitious,
yet, felt that I had seen my husband
that nj ght, Just as truly as had ever
ceheld his face in my life.
The next day-no., letter, and the
next, still no letter. Oh, the anguish
of hope deferred!
The time had come now for me to go
to Long Beach, as I had promised him.
l would keep my word-no matter how
hard it might be, I would go there. If
he-if that hideous prophecy had really
come true-at all events, I would keep
my promise-my last promise to him.
So went. Oh, the long, dreary, in-
terminable days, with only the mono
tonous waters before me; the blue, blue
sky and golden sunshine always the
same; it made my heart faint and SICK.
I had written and written letter after
letter; still no response. I felt that he
was dead. And no one could tell me,
because how could his friends in the
far distant North know aught Of the
Southern woman whom he had secretly
welded? AND 50, the dreary endless
days dragged by, and I still lived
heart broken and hopeless! l will never
more laugh at superstition-never.
Last night saw him again. l had
gone down to the beach in the moon
light and walked slowly and sadly up
and down the white stretch Of sand at
the waters edge. All at once l saw
another shadow mingle with my own
upon the moonlit beach; came to
halt and saw at my side Will.
With a wild cry ATTEMPTED to grasp
his arm; but there was no one there.
Invent back to the house and passed
the night in pacing up and down the
floor like mad woman.
To-day is his thirtieth birthday, or
would have been, but / feel that my
darling is, no more; that the visions l
have seen were warnings sent me OF
his fate. Would Will have ceased to
write meme, his beloved one, if he
were alive? I believe that shall see
the phantom once again, and then
then, l shall 60, too. For l feel thai:
it is his spirit that has come back TO
me.