Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1895-07-12
Miscellaneous.
HER SECRET.

death. No longer was it the abode of
laughter, for tears had taken its place,
and real sorrow had usurped seeming
joy. Carriages still drove up, but II
was over the straw covered road they
came, and their occupants only tarried
for inquiry.
The mistress of the house lay sick
unto death, she who was SO beautiful
and so glad. Strange that she should
be summoned when there were others,
sorrow marked and stricken in years,
who waited for the call and prayed it
might come quickly, yet waited and
prayed in vain. There were others too,
not old or gray before their time, who
might have slipped away into unknown
almost unnoticed, while this woman had
so many ties to bind her to earth-her
husband, her child, her relations, her
legion of friends.
1t was hard she should be called away
so early from the rich banquet that lay
spread before her.
Yet the angel of death was expected.
His emissares had arrived and told Of
his approach, which may not be staid--
nay, nor even long delay
The doctor, who knew too well the
signs of these fateful ENJOYS, shook his
head gravely in reply to the anxious
queries Of those who loved her best
her sisters, her mother, her husband
but he gave no CLEAN of hope, for she
lay in deadly lethargy from which it
had been impossible TO rouse her. In
vain her mother spoke to her as she
bad done in days long gone by when
she was yet child. In vain her hus-
band stood by her side and took her
hand and called her by every endear-
ment she knew 80 we'll In vain her
child clutched her breast and cried for
her mother to look and talk to her
again.
Surely if it wero possible to bring her
back from the edge Of the grave these
dear ones could do it, But there she
lay, stonily impassive, with her great
eyes staring into space, cold and un-
needing asIthe sphinx She gave no
sign of life, and the hours fraught with
hope sped slowl y on, and each one reg
istered a step nearer the grave.
One by one they withdrew from the
chamber of death, the husband being
the last to obey the DOCTORS orders, and
now none was left in the room but the
physician and tho nurse---her old ser
want; the one upon whose knee she had
climbed 90 years and more ago
How slowly the hours passed for the
watchers, and yet surely !hoy passed too
quickly-just 80 many hundred more
vibrations of the pendulum, just few
strikings of the hour, and all would be
over for her 80 richly endowed with all
that should make life worth living
The doctor never left her side. He
sat there with bis keen. obseryant eye
fixed upon her, ready to note any change,
but there she lay impasslve, and the
watcher could scarcely sec that she
breathed.
Her beauty seemed even more per-
feet now than he had thought it.
Absolutely faultlcss was the chiseling
of those clear cut features. Her dark
hair waved loosely round her Grecian
brow and trailed across her shoulders, Is
fit setting for the marvellous Wilderness
Of her face. The great violet eyes
her chief glory-were wide open, start
ing with terrible fixity into nothingness,
or was it into the something beyond ?
Her lips had lost their vivid color, but
this was scarcely fault; her hands
were outside the coverlet, white mar
BILE family marked with blue, her wed
ding ring the one discordant note.
For long there had been no sound in
the room save the cracking Of the fire
and the faint ticking Of the clock
Suddenly the doctor bent eagerly for
ward. Her lips moved. With eager
ness he listened. "Linley," she scarcely
more than whispered. Then all was
silence again.
The nurse rose burriedly from her
chair by the fire. She had only heard
a sound.
The doctor raised bis hand, and she
resumed her seat Long, long he wait
ca, hopiuB ior anotnoT bVuhu VI io'"'"
ing consciousness, but none came.
At last he came over TO the nurse.
"Did you hear her p
"What did she say, sir ?"
"Only one word--'Linley.
The nurse suppressed an involuntary
exclamation.
"Wbat did il mean, nurse p
But the woman only shook her head
"Strange," muttered the doctor, as
with knitted eyebrows be reflected and
strove to catch some clew Then he re-
turned to the bedside. There she lay
as impassive as before.
Linley! Linley p he kept repeat
ing "What did she mean p
The nurse made no reply, but sat
looking into the fire
"Norse, tell me-" be said at length,