Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-11-24

nellntr OF us VIII be H4Isseu ''''iN
morning"
| looked at her in renewed surprise.
the decision of her invention. She
yered her face. as she seldom did
.pw. but went on:
We can go to London. where You
on easily find something to do. Men
avs can there. And when | come
age
Alice. how old are you:" l inter
rupted.
Nineteen" she answered. BY the
way. she resumed, when | think or
it-how pointing 10 the
date on the paper-''is the very month
in which l, too. was born"
was too much surprised to inter
rupt her. and she continued:
Il never think about my age without
recalling one thing about my birth
which nurse often refers to. She was
going up the stair TO my mothers room
when she happened To notice a br-ht
star. not far from the new moon. AS
she crossed the room with me III hef
arms. just after | was born. she saw
the same star almost on the tip OF me
opposite horn. My mother died week
after. Who knows how different l
might have been if she had lived.
1t was long before | spoke. The
awful and mysterious thoughts reused
in my mind by the revelations OF the
day, held me silent. At length | said.
half thinking aloud;
Then you and l, Alice. We're born
the same hour and our mothers died
together,'
Receiving no answer. | looked at her
She was fast asleep, and breathing
gentle. full breaths. She had been sit
ting for some time with her head ly-
ing on my shoulder and my arm
around her. | could not bear 10 wake
her.
We had been in this position perhaps
FOR half an hour. when suddenly cold
shiver ran through me. and all ut
once | became aware of the far-off
! gallon of a horse 1t drew nearer. On
| and on it came-nearer and nearer.
| Then came the clank of the broken
| shoe.
| At The same moment Alice started
I from ueE steep. anu. SIlIiliSiIS ~ A'i
! feet stood an instant listening. Then
| CRYING out, IT, an agonized whisper,
'sThe horse with the clanking shoe"
! she flung her arms around me. Her
| face was as white as the spectral moon
| which. the moment | put the candle
| out. looked in through pane beside
| us; and she gaZed tearfully yet wildly
! defiant. toward the door. We clung
to each other We heard the sound
| come nearer and nearer. till it thun-
dered right up to the very door of the
| room terribly loud. 1t ceased. But
| the door was flung open, and Lord
| Hilton entered, followed by servants
with lights.
| have but a very confused remem-
brance of what followed. | heard a
vile word from the lips of Lord>flil-
! ton; l felt my fingers on his throat;
I received blow on the head: and
seem to remember cry of agony
| from Alice as | fell. What happened
next / do not know.
| When | came to myself | was lying
| on a wide moor. with the night wind
| blowing about me. | presume that
| had wandered thither in a state of I'M
| consciousness, after being turned out
| of the hall. and that | had at last
| tainted from loss of blood | was I'M
| able % move for a long time. At
| length the morning broke and found
| myself not far from the hall | crept
| back, n mile or two to the gates. and
| having succeeded in rousing Alice's
| old nurse, was taken in with many Ia
| mentations. ana mt TO bed in the
| lodge ! had a violent fever; and it
| was all the poor wtman could do to
| keep my presence secret, from the
| family at the Hall.
| When ] began 10 mend my first
| ouestion was about Alice | learned
| though with some diiliculty-fOr my
| kind attendant was evidently unwil-
ling TO tell me all the truth-that Alice.
| too had been very IL; and that, week
| before. they had removed her. But
she either would not, or could not tell
me where they had taken her. | be-
lieved she could not. Nor do | know
for certain to this day.
Mrs. Blakesley offered me the loan
] of some o. her savings to get me to
/ London. / received 1t with gratitude
| and as soon as | was fit to travel made
nv way thther Afraid for my rea-
son. If | had no employment to keep
nv thoughts from brooding on my
| helplessness, and 50 increasing my de
spair. and determiUeI likewise that my
| failure should not make me buruen-
| 7 In, ho
Scotch Grays, before letting any of
my friends know where l was.
Through the help OF one already men
| TONED in my story, / soon obtained n
commission. From the field of Wa
terloo rode into Brussels with bro
ken arm and a sabre cut in the head.
AS we passed along one Of the streets
through all the clang of lron-shod
hoofs on the stones around me,
heard the ominous clank. At the
same moment ! heard cry. II was
the voice of my Alice. looked up.
Al n barred window / saw her face,
but It was terrlbl, changed. / drop
ned from my horse AS soon as ! was
able to move from he hospital ] went
TO the place and fo nd it was a luna
tic asylum. | was permitted to see
the inmates. but di, overed no one re-
sembling her. | dc not now believe
that she was ever mere. But ! may
be wrong. Nor II | trouble my
reader with the ibrories on which !
sought to account r the vision. They
will occur to himse readily enough.
For years and ,ears | knew not
whether she was alive or dead. L
sought her far and near. / wandered
over England, Fra cc and Germany,
hopelcssly searchr -; listening at Ia
bles d'hote, lurking ibout mad houses
haunting theatres and churchcs' OFTEN,
In wild regions, beg ging my way from
house to house: | d Il not find her.
Once | visited Hilton Hall. | found
It all but deserted. learned that Mrs.
Wilson was dead. and that there were
only two or three servants in the
! place. | mana Il gct into the house
a.: seen ana made II way to The haun-
ted chamber My feelings were not
so keen rs | had anticipated, for they
n"I bccn dullcd hy ong suffering. But
AGAIN / saw The noon shine through
those windows of stained glass. Again
ncr beams were crowded with ghosts
She WAS not amouct them. MY lost
lover | cried; aud hen, rebulllng my
self. NO: she is not lost They say
| 81 ..Nf 1T