The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-02-08

must see the portrait unaJ nlgnu. Lie
story of her love affair worked on my
imagination too vividly for me to wait
and l resolved to go down to the draw
ing room as soon as the house was quiet.
So, after an hour, I took light and tip
toed down stairs. l found my way
easily enough, opened the door and en-
tered the room.
The iull moon had cast prism of
light through the loaded window, stem
cling the patterns of its sash upon the
parquetry and blazoning the floor with
the cross outlets of the Seton arms. Be-
yond this the room showed duly There
was little furniture, so that the pictures
showed conspicuously upon the closely
paneled wainscot I lighted lamp and
a candelabrum upon the table, gave a
quick look around the apartment for
the portrait and then my eyes met it as
if I had suddenly come opposite mir
rOr.
Becky Seton had been as beautiful as
they said, surely stood studying her
point for point as if she were my rival.
I had her hair and her hands, if not all
the piquancy Of her face and that old
time modelling one sees so seldom now
adays. She had fascinating little scar,
like soft shadow or deep dimple, on
the side of her chin that I envied more
than anything else. There was much
else in her face that fancied under
stood, and I went on to looking glass
for confirmation. By many evidences l
was sure had her temperament and
was bound by subtle sympathy to her.
Well, my life had not been quite so
interesting as hers, but these were diff
ferent times! I sat down in the win
dow where I had good view of the
portrait and fell into wandering mood.
7 tried to imagine the ball in this room,
so long ago, but somehow I could not
help putting Paul in the place of that
ancestor Of mine who had hurried this
maid $50 like me) out Of the chamber
and into his coach outside. If men were
as gallant as that nowadays, thought,
one could decide more easily. And then
I must have fallen asleep.
Something seemed to be moving in
the chamber, something which ap-
preached and became recognizable as
two figures, a man and woman, in
seventeenth century costume They
slowly promenaded the circuit of the
apartment, with look at each other
now and again, as if in discussion
without words. Their faces were al
ways turned from me, but the old por-
traits prompted me with hints Of cos
tune, and I knew that these were Sir
Melville Seton and his wife.
AS they passed the window and dis
appeared in the moonlight, which SEEM
ed to dissolve their forms. I saw that
there were others in the room. Some
were no more distinct than waving
shadows, diaphanous in the flare of the
candles and achieving q greater con-
gruity in the darker parts of the room,
as if clad in phosphorescence. They
came and went to no purpose that l
could see, and seemed to disregard each
other as beings of different generations
Indeed the whole scene was phantasma-
goric and elusive, like the shifting of a
half focused lantern slide or a dissolv-
ing view, till I saw the hall door slowly
opening and new face peered in.
The last conner showed more distinct
ly than the rest, so much SO that l could
hardly tell whether it was human being
or spirit. He was young man in peri
wig and small clothes of the latter part
of the last century. His face was mar
row and lighted with boyish, eager
expression His eyebrows, drawn in two
whimsical dark curves under the white
hair Of his wig, accented the alertness
of his aspect and the deliberation of his
movements.
There was that in his bearing which
forbade terror, and my only fear was
that he should notice me and disappear
before his errand was accomplished for
that he was on some more definite mis-
sion than the other phantoms l was
sure. Nothing could be stranger than
his demeanor, passing among the other
figures, his eyes questing to right
and left, but seeing nothing. He came
up to the window and stood in the shaft
of moonlight, listening. If he had seen
me, it would not have been so dreadful,
but he gazed vacantly in my direction.
Then something caused. him to change
his mind, and he crossed the room rap
idly.
There was row Of bcokshelves
against the wall before which he stop
ped. He gaze quick glance over his
shoulder and then took note from one
of The books and turned in my direc-
ton, with sudden smile on his face.
Involuntarily, I turned my eyes for
moment in embarrassment.
When I looked up again, the room
was empty and in the hall outside the
clock whirred and struck g. The candies
were low in their sockets I must have
been asleep longer time than l had
thought. 1 arose, bewildered and agi-
tated by my vision, and crossed to the
bookcase with my light. My eyes fell
Immediately upon Becky's old Bible,
which had been returned to its place,
and 1 opened it with great excitement.
Surely there had been love letters, too,
if my dream were true, and the old BIZ
BILE must have been the lovers postofice !!
The book was somewhat crudely
bound in leather, dry and cracked by
time. The end papers had curled away
from where the covers were sewed to
u 1.,l oLo,,;rc, tho ctitchec r11n-