Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-11-12

y
at the Haunted mere?" inquired Mr..
Allingham presently.
mo I-er-the fact isl have not
yet had time TO 60 and look at it"
''True. You have been very much
occupied with the house itself. And Mr..
Allingham nodded approvingly. "And
your work is admirable-quite admira-
bic. But I should suggest your visiting
the mere before the foliage quite falls
I fancy you will find it well worth your
study"
81 win 60 tomorrow" sid Fame.
And on the morrow be went. He
started carly in the morning, one of the
gardeners directing him rs to which
path to follow. When he came in full
sight Of the glittering sheet of water, he
could scarcely refrain from uttering a
cry Of rapture. 1t was. so mystically
beautiful The deep solitude surround
ing it was so intense and unbroken that
he no longer wondered at the reputation
it had Of being haunted Grand old
willow trees, with gnarled trunks and
knotty stems bent above its CLASSY sur
face, and beyond it in the distance the
land rolled away in gentle undulations
of green and brown, relieved here and
there with clump Of stately elms or q
tangle of bright yellow furze. The place
was so still that not even the twitter Of
a bird broke the breathless calm, and,
powerfully impressed by the whole
scene, Fame took rapid pencil sketch
in outline to begin with, his ultimate
intention being to make a large picture
Of it, with view 10 exhibition in one
of tho London galleries. Returning
rapidly to the house, to finish what he
had commenced tie previous day, he
met Mrs Allingham walking slowly to
and fro on the terrace.
''Have you been to the Haunted
mere?" she asked, smiling.
For moment he could not speak.
The pathos If her young face, the ia
tiguc Of her soft eyes, the listless ex-
preston Of her very figure, all this went
to his heart ard made him pity her as
he had never pitied any woman. He
felt her to bo no more than little tired
ont child-a child, longing to be taken
up in tender arms and gently carried
home. There was slight tromble in
his voice as he answered with an effort
at playfulncss;
"Yes, | have seen the mere, but not
the ghost. Do you know, Mrs. Alling-
ham, l begin to think you must be the
ghost. You look like one this morning"
''Do l? I'm sorry. hate to be i'll.
My husband doesn't like it. 1 wish I
could get strong more quickly"
"Are you feeling worse then today?"
asked Fame, with touch Of real anxiety
in his tone, which made her look at him
in grateful wonder.
"Oh, no." she said. 81 am only a
little run down. as the doctor says,
and weak. Harold declares it is all
woman's nonsense and thinks l don't
exert myself to get we'll; but indeed I
do. 1t is very kind of you to take so
much interest,"
"Kindp' echoed Fame, almost irrita-
bly,. Then, looking about him to make
sure there was no one in sight, he ap-
preached her more closely. Look here,
Mrs. Allingham. Do forgive me if L
seem officious or impertinent, but can't
help asking you this one question-are
you quite happy?"
She glanced up at him almost af-
frightedly, and meeting his friendly
eyes her own filled with sudden tears.
"No, I am not" she faltered. ''But
it is wicked of me to say SO, because
you sec it is quite my own fault. I
ought to be happy. I have everything I
want.
"Except-lovep' said Fame, in half
whisper, struggling mentally with the
insane desire that had suddenly seized
him to take this pale little child woman
in his arms and show her what the ten
derness of love could be.
She looked at him almost reproach-
fully.
81 think you mistake" she said
gently, with q curiously sad little old
world air of dignity. "Harold loves me
very much in--his own way. He is not
Of o demonstrative nature"
Fame was silent. Presently she re-
Sumed in the same gentle accents:
1T is not his fault; indeed it is no.
body's fault that do not feel as happy
as ought to do. 1t is something in my
own temperament. I fancy that perhaps
l am too young to be married; not in
years mean, but in feeling and educa-
tiCn. You see, being quite small and
slight as am, 1 have always been treated
as more OF less of child. Even when l
came home from being presented at the
queens drawing room and tainted
away all in heap on the stairs my
mother called me Door baby You
remember what I told you at the Gutsch
how I had always imagined that mar
ried women must be big and fat and
important? Well, really they are. as a
rule, and I am so differentl All the
married ladies in this neighborhood, for
instance. look upon me as quite an ab-
surdity."
"Then they are very impudent and
i'll Bred" said Fame hotly.
"Oh. no. they're not" And she
laughed little "They come and call
on regular days and ask me if I am
equal to the management of such large
house-doI not find the servants great
trial-have strong constitution.
One lady always surveys me mournfully
through her pince nez and says: "You
are very young to have secured such a
magnificent establishment And that is
quite truel Dunscombe Hall is magnifi'
cent-don't you think so?"
They paused on the terrace just at
point which faced the extensive left
wing of the grand old pile Carved
escutcheons, flying buttresses and her
aldic devices were oil thrown up into
sharp prominence by the mellow rays
of the autumnal MONDAY sun, and i'm
a Il L. L.