The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-01-23
MAN-SIZE IN MARBLE.

But when We got away from friend.
and house agents, on our honeymoon,
our wits grew clear again, and We
knew a pretty cottage when at last we
saw one. 1t was a Benzett-a little
village set on a hill over against the
Southern marshes. We had gone there
from the seaside village where we were
STAYING, to see the church, and two
fields from the church we found this
cottage. 1t stood quite by itself, about
two miles from the village. 1t was q
long, low building, with rooms stick
ing out in unexpected places. After a
brief examination we took il, for il
was absurdly cheap. The rest of our
honeymoon we spent in grubhing abou;
in secondhand shops in the country
town, picking up bits of old oak and
Chippindale chairs for our furnishing.
Soon the low-beamed, lattice-window-
ed rooms began to seem quite home
like. We were as happy as the sum-
mer was glorious, and settled down in
20 work sooner than we ourselves ex-
peeted.
We got a tall old peasant woman as
servant. Her face and figure were
good, though her cooking was of the
homeliest.
We had three months Of married
happiness, and did not have single
quarrel. One October evening | had
been down to smoke a pipe with the
doctor-our only neighbor-a pleasant
Young Irishnlan. Laura had stayed al
home to finish a comic sketch of a VIII
lage episode for the monthly Naypiot.
lefl her laughing oyer her own jokes,
and came in to find her crumpled
heap weeping OF tho window seat,
"Good heavens. my darling, whats
the matter?'' / cried.
ats Mrs. Dornan," she sobbed.
''She says she must go before the end
of the month, and she says her niece is
i'll, but | don't believe that's tine rea-
son, because her niece is always i'll. /
believe some one has been setting her
against Us, Her manner was so very
queer
'sNever mind, dear" I said; what
ever you 90, don't cry. I'll speak to
Mrs. Dorman and see if | can't come
to terms with her. Perhaps she wants
a raise in her wages. 1t will be al
right. Let Us take walk up to the
church,
The church was a large and lonely
one, and we loved TO go there, especial
ly upon bright nights. 4 large, low
porch let one Into the building by a
Norman doorway and heavy oak
door studied with iron. Inside the
arches rose into darkness, and between
them the reticulated windows, which
stood out quite in the moonlight. In
the chancel, the windows were of rich
glass, which showed in faint light theiI
noble coloring and made the black oak
of the choir pews hardly more solid
than the shadows. But on each side
of the altar lay a gray marble figure OF
q knight in full armor plate lying upon
4 slab, with hands held up in everiast-
ing prayer, and these figures oddly
enough, were always TO be seen if there
was any g!immer Of light in the
church. Their names were lost, but
the peasants told of them that they
had been fierce and wicked men, ma
rauders by land and sea, who had
been the scourge of their time and had
been guilty of deeds 50 foul that the
house they had lived in-the big house
by the way, that had stood on the site
of our cotJage-had been stricken by
and tie vengeance OF heav-
en-.
We walked to the chancel and look
ed at the sleeping warriors.-Fhen We
rested some time on the stone seat in
the porch. and at last wandered home
ward.
Mrs. DOTman had come back from
the village, and | said, when | had
gotten her into my painting room,
whats all this about you not staying
with Us? Are your wages not high
"No, sir; gets quite enough"
"Fhen Why pot stay?"
"Fd rather n9."-With sanse hesita-
iion-"my niece Is ILL.,.
"But your niece has been Ill ever
since we came. Can you not stay for
inother month"; asked.
'No, sir; I'm bound to go by Thurs
lay"
And this was Monday.
well, | must say | think you
night have left us known before.
Why must you go this week? Come,
,ut with it,"
Mrs. Dorman drew the little shawl,
which she always wore, tightly across
her bosom, a though she were cold.
Then she said with 2 sort of effort
They say, sir, ~ this was big house
n Catholic times, and there was many
leeds done here"
"Tell me all about it, Mrs. Dorman,"
said; ''yoa needn't mind about tell
ng me. I'm not like the yoang peo-
lie who make fun of such things"
"Well, sir'-she lowered her voice
you may have seen in the church, be-
ide the altar, two shapes. | mean
hem two bodies, drawed ont man-size
n marble" she returned, and / had to
dnlit that her description was thous-
nd Iimes more graphic than mine.
They do say, - on All Saints Eve
hem two bsdies sits uF eD their slabs,
nd gets off Of them, and then walks
own the aisle, in their marble, and as
he clock strikes eleven they walk out
f the church door, aud over the bier
-alk, and if it's wet night they
ONES back here to their home, sir, and
anyone meets them
"Well, what then?r / asked.
But no-not another word could |
ct from her. | eQqld get nothing bat
earnings.
Whatever yoa do, sir, lock the door
lrly on All Saints Eve, and make |
ne cross sign over the doorstep and on
ne windows. And I'm sorry TO in