Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-11-03

''Oh. then" said l. 1T is possible to
determine the day and the very hour
when my birth toc& place"
See the good of book -learningr' re-
piled she. When you work it out
just let me know, iy dear, that may
remember it,
That / will"
silence of some moments followed.
Margaret resumed:
Il am afraid you will laugh at my
foolish fancies. Duncan; but in think
ing over all these things, as you may
suppose | often do, lying awake in my
lonely bed. the notion sometimes
comes TO me: What If my Duncan be
the youth whom his wicked brother
hurled into the ravine, come again in
a new body. to live out his life on the
earth, cut short by his brothers hat
redt If so. his persecution of you,
and of your mother for your sake, is
easy to understand. And If so you
will never be able 10 rest till you find
your fere, wherever she may have
been born on the face of the earth.
For born she must be, long ere now,
for you to find. l misdoubt me much,
however,, IL you will find her without
great conflict and suffering between,
FOR the Powers OF Darkness will be
against you; though have good hope
that you will overcome at last You
must forgive the fancies of a foolish
old woman, my dear"
| viii not try to describe the strange
feelings, almost sensations, that arose
in me while listening to these extra
ordinary utterances, lest 1t should be
supposed | was ready to believe all
that Margaret narrated or concluded.
j could not help doubling her sanity;
but no more could help feeling very
peculiarly moved by her narrative.
l went out into the midst of the
storm, into the alternating throbs OF
blackness and radiance; now the pos
SCISSOR of no more room than what my
body filed, and now isolated in world
wide space. And the thunder seemed
to follow me, believing after me as
went.
Absorbed in the story I had heard,
took my way, as l thought, home
ward, The whole country was well
known TO me. l should have said, be-
fore that night, that could have gone
home blindfold. Whether the light
ming bewildered me and made me take
false turn, l cannot tell. But after
wandering for some time, plunged In
meditation, and with no warning
whatever of the presence of inimical
powers, II brilliant lightning flash
showed me that ut least i was not
near home. The light was prolonged
for a second on two by a slight cleo
tric pulsation; and by that I distin-
guished a wide space of blackness on
the ground In front Of me. Once more
wrapped In the folds of thick dark
ness, l dared not move. Suddenly 1t
occurred to me what the blackness
was, and whittier / had wandered. 1t
was huge quarry, of great depth,
long disused, and half filled with wa.
ter l knew the place perfectly. A
few more steps would have carried
Ing for the next flash, that I might
be quite sure Of the way was about
to take before ventured to move.
While l stood, / fancied I heard n
single hollow plunge In the black wa
| ter far below. When the lightning
came, | turned, and took my path I'm
another direction.
After walking for some time across
the heath, fell. The fall became n
roll, and down steep decliyity I
went, over and over, arriving at the
bottom uninjured.
Another flash soon showed me where
i was,-in the hollow valley, within
n couple of hundred yards from nurses
cottage. / made my way toward II.
There was no light In II, except the
feeblest glow from the embers of her
peat fire. "She is In bed" I said to
myself, "and / will not disturb her."
Yet something drew me toward the
little window. l looked In. At first
could see nothing. At length, as
kept gazing, / saw something indis-
tinct in the darkness, like an out
stretched human form.
BY this time the storm had lulled.
The moon had been up for some time,
but had been concealed by tempestu-
GUS clouds. Now, however, they had
begun to break up; and, while ] stood
looking into the cottage. they scat
tered away from the face OF the moon,
and faint vapory CLEAN of her light,
entering the cottage through window
opposite that Mt which stood, fell d.
rectly on the face OF my old nurse, as
she lay on her back, outstretched upon
chairs, pale as death. and with her
eyes closed. The light fell nowhere
but on her face. A stranger to her
habits would have thought she was
dead; but she had so much the ap-
pearance she had had on n former
occasion. that l concluded at once sho
was In one OF her frances. But, hay
Ing often heard that persons In such
n condition ought not TO be disturbed,
and feeling quite sure she knew best
how TO manage herself, 1 turned
though reluctantly, and left the lone
cottage behind me In the night. with
the dcath-llke woman lying motionless
In the midst of It.
! found my way home without any
further difficulty; and went TO bed,
where l soon fell asleep, thoroughly
wearled. more by the mental excite
mcnt | had been experiencing, than
by the amount OF bodily exercise
had gone through.
My sleep was tormentcd with awful
dreams; yet strange TO say, l awoke
In the morning refreshed and fearless.
The sun was shining through the
chlnks In my shutters. which had been
closed because of tho storm, and was
making streaks and bands OF golden
brllllancy upon the wall. / had
dressed and completed my prepara-
tions long before | heard the steps OF
the servant who came to call me.
(To he CoNTINUED.)
phlILosoPHlc BREviTiES.
Temptation Is SPY upon our virtue.