The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-25

/ forgot myself. Il don't believe it,
l said. 1T does not seem to me that
that portrait could have been good
likeness of the real woman"
You may know more about art than /
do, Sir" said he. 1T has always been
considered II fine picture; but of course
she lived before my time. AS / was
saying, she died here in this hall. She
was coming down stairs on Christmas
eve; there were lot of people here in
the hall waiting to meet her. She
stepped on something on one of the top
stcps-a child's toy, perhaps-and LOST
her footing She fell to the bottom and
was instantly killed-killed in the midst
of youth. health and beauty"
And her husband" | remarked, was
he"
oh. he was dead.' interrupted Mr..
Marchmay. "He died when his daughter
was but a mere baby. By-thc-way," said
the old gentleman, 1T seems rather fun
ny that the painting over there-that old
lady with the gray ha-r--is the portrait
of that child. 1t is the only one there is,
| suppose"
] did not attend to these last words
My face must nave gl0wcd with delight
as / thought that l had not spoken to
her as 1 should not If ] had known
Der TO be real. | might have said every
thing which / had said to the vision of
what she had been.
The old man went on talking about
the family. That sort of thing interest
ed him very much, and he said that, as
| owned the house, / ought to know
everything about the people who former
ly lived there. The HeathcrtOns had
not been fortunate. They had lost II
great deal Of money, and some thirty
years before, the estate had passed out
of their hands and had been bought by
Mr.. Kennard, Il distant connection of
the family. who, with his wife, had lived
there until recently. 1t was to a nephew
and niece of old Mr.. Kennard that the
property had descended. The Heather
tons had nothing more to do with it.
Are there any members of the family
left?' 1 asked.
"Oh, yesr' said Mr.. Marchmay do
you see that portrait of girl with a
feather in her hat? She is Il grand
daughter of that Evelyn Heatherton up
there. She is an old woman now, and
a widow, and she it was who sold the
place to the Kennards. When the mort
cages were paid she did not have much
left, but she manages to live on it. But
/ tell YOU what you ought to do, sir;
you ought to 20 and see her. She can
tell you lots of stories of this place, for
she knows more about the HeathertonS
than any one living. She married a
distant cousin who had the family name;
but he was Il poor sort of fellow. and he
died some fifteen years ago. She has
talked TO me about your having the old
house and she said that she hoped that
you would not make changes and tear
down things. But of course she would
not say anything like that to you; she
is lady who attends to her own bust
ness"
'Where does she liver l asked. IL
should like. above all things, to go and
talk TO her"
1T is the third house beyond the
church." said Mr.. Marchmay. II am
sure that she wifi be glad to see you.
! If you can make up your mind to listen
to long stories about the Heathertons
you VIII give her pleasure"
The next day / made the call. The
house was neat, but small and UMPIRE
tentious-a great drop from the fine hall
which | now possessed.
The servant informed me that Mrs.
Heatherton was at home, and ] was
shown into the little parlor-light, warm
and pleasantly furnished. In few
minutes the door opened, and arose.
but no old lady entered.
Struck dumb by breathless amaze
ment behld Evelyn Heatherton coming
into the room!
/ could not understands; my thoughts
ran wild. Had some one been masquar-
ssAding? Had / dreamed on Christmas
eve, or was / dreaming now? Had my
/ passionate desire been granted? Had
the vision become real?
j was instantly convinced that what
/ saw before me was true and real, for
the lady advanced toward me and held
out her hand. l took it, and it was
the hand of an actual woman.
Her mother She said, begged l would
excuse her; that she was not well and
was lying down. Mr.. Marchmay had
told them that i was coming, and that
! wanted to know something about the
old house; perhaps she might be able to
give me little in formation.
Almost speeches., sat down, and she
took Il chair not far from me. Her po-
sition was exactly that which had been
taken by the vision of her great-grand-
| mother on Christmas eve. Her hands
were crossed in her lap, and her large
blue eyes were slightly appraised to mine.
She was not dressed i'm robe of olden
days. nor was her hair piled up high ON
her head in by-gone fashion, but she was
Evelyn Heatherton III form and feature
and in quiet grace. She was some
years younger, and she lacked the digni-
ty of a woman who had been married,
but she was no stranger to me; | had
seen her before.
Encouraged by my rapt attention, she
! told me stories of the old house where
her mother had been born, and all that
she knew of her great-grandmother she
related with an interest that was almost
akin to mine. People tell me, she said,
that I am growing to look like her,
and / am glad of it, for my mother gave
me her name"
| sat and listened to the voice of this
beautiful girl as l had listened to the
words which had been spoken to me by
the vision of her ancestress. If | had
not known that she was real, and that
there was no reason why she should
vanish when the clock should strike, |
might have spoken as l spoke to her
great-grandmothcr. / remained en-
tranced enraptured, and it was only