The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-08-04

~ ~ ceO NA6 AatO
evening as we were seated blythe bright
hickory fire whose rudy flames leaped
cheefily up the wide-mouthed chimney,
shedding q cheerful light upon the
old-fashioned furniture OF my grand
mothers room, and casting nickering
shadows upon the ceiling, when crazy
Nell was young and fair as any girl ia
all Westfeld. Yes, young and beauti-
fnl--you would hardly believe it now,
would you, child? But, deary me,
time and sorrow make sad changes!'
, And my grandmother passed her hand
slowly Owe her forehead, and absently
let fall her knitting, and l knew by the
kindling of her faded eye that her
thoughts were wandering back to that
past whom her own youth was fair and
bright.
1t was showing fast without--a wild
storm-and the driving wind sifted the
white fakes against the window panes,
into every crevice OF the shinged,
gabled roof and sometimes o sudden
gust whirled down the chimney and
sent u shower OF sparks out all oven the
nicely swept hearth.
II had come down to grandma's to
spend my short winter vacation, with
my seventeen-yoar-old head filled with
boarding school romance; and the pros
poet OF q story, where the heroine
promised to be young and beautiful, y
seemed very delightful. Crazy Nell
seemed at once invested with an in
terest which, an hour before, / had not
thought 1t possible the poor village
wanderer could have inspired. Al
ready Imagination had converted her
matted hair, wild eyes and bent figure
into q vision of youth-her faded gown
and crooked bonnet, which be fore l had
regarded as antiquities worthy of a
museum, into relics Of better days and
fallen fortune.
ooh, tell me the story, grandma!" I
exclaimed eagerly, drawing my chair
nearer her own, and disturbing her
favorite tabby cat at her feet, who
purred a decided negative to such ad-
vances what! Did you know her
you are so kind to her, and always set
apart food for her? For l had noticed
ever since l had been at grandma's, u
nicely filed basket set out at dusk or
the platform of the old we'll at the
back door, which the strange woman
came and took away, creeping back in
the winter mornings twilight to re-
place the basket where she had found
it. And grandma had told me in an
swer to my queries regarding her, that
she had never crossed any threshold,
oaNo hC' wv UuIuolS-uOWh III Wy LILO
rivers side, for many years.
"Tell mt the story-do, grandma ?'
swell Isabel, child, commenced my
grandma, "it is near to thirty years
now since Crazy Nell first came to our
town. Then the boys would follow her
through the streets, calling after her
and yexing her, for such a sSraggler
vas before unknown in our village. !
was walking over from the store one
day when l first saw her. A crowd OF
boys we're standing by the wall where
she had sat down to rest. / stopped
and looked at her too, for there was a
familiar look In her face; but it was a
long time before 1 could bring myself
to believe the poor creature was one
whom l known in my youthful days
Nelly Simpson, the beauty of .our vii.
lage. And when l had looked at an
old faded miniature which she held,
gazing steadily on it, while the boys
stood by in wonder, then remembered
something which / had heard since |
was married and left ~home-that Nelly
Simpson had gone crazy and been shut
up in q mad-housc. The picture she
was the face of Edward Carey, a hand.
some young man who had come to on,
village ono winter to keep singing.
school in the old school house at the
Point.
EDWARD Carey had not been in town
u week before he was u favorite with
every one-and, singing-schOol nights
the old school house was crowded with
young folks from far and near, the
country round. Right pleasant it was,
child, on moonlight nights to hear the
~sleigh-bells jingling, and by-and-b the
good old-fashiohed tunes ringing out
from tho old school house.
cat first the Q singing-school.
master seemed shy and bashful-though
all along there was a wicked, hidden
look about him which | nevor liked,
and your grandfather, dear, who then
first began seeing me home, used to say
that Edward Gary was q good singer,
but l could never get him to Say any.
thing better in his favor. | declare,
child, 1t makes me young again to think
of it," And my grandmother's checks
kindled with the crimson flush OF
youth.
"Well, all the winter Edward Carey
went round with Nelly Simpson-and
one evening she came to a party with
his picture around her neck-the same
which | saw her looking at that day,
sitting by the wall. Well, by-and-by
they were married by old Parson Alb.
bott, and Carey took Nelly off to q dis.
tant city, where he said his father and
mother lived, and where she should
have q beautiful home of her own.
"About that time your grandfather
and [ were married, dear, and moved
over to Greenwood, where we have
lived together for SO many years
About q year after, the strangest story
came out about Carey. Somebody read
it in a paper, thaS some people had
come from the South and arrested him
fer bigamy! Nobody could believe il
till one day poor Nelly came back with
her baby Ia her arms, pale and broken.
hearted. Her mother had died that
year, and Farmer Simpson was d
changed man, and his health was fail.
ing fast, when Nelly came home q poor,
betrayed woman. She went about the
houee pale and melancholy, stunning
the neighbors who anne in to see her,
and q smile was never seen upon her
face. The doctors said she was in a
hopeless state Of despair-and days'and
weeks went by yet she was no better,
"Then the baby, a little wan crea'
ture who lay and moaned all day long,
died. Then poor Nell went ~crazy-the
blow was too much for her failing mind,
and DIR. Williams said IL would be ne.
cessary to send her owe 10 the asylum.
Five years passed before [ again heard
from Nell, when somebody from West
field told me that she had come home
to livs with her old father; that tn
doctors said her mind was gone forever,