Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-03-30

UUu enough lANttcI Oh ltitt 81 tA tAtN
place TO hold at ay a natural and ~
10 means exaggerated ycarAlu- Tor ac-
cupation ard diversion.
| fell asleep still revolving in my
mind the possibilities in the ,a>e.
The next morning was as d.rrreut
from the afternoon that preceded II as
it is possible for two days at the Sane
season of the year 10 BE-. Whereas
the evening had been cold. bleak dud
dteary. suggestive OF the de>al9-jun
and abomiuation Of winter, the dawn
was balmy. mild and pleasant. indica-
tive of spring and all things vernal
and joyous.
| made haSty toilet with my wind
ow thrown wide open 90 the pure coun-
try air. which was delicIously invigor-
atiug TO my city-hred lungs. Then |
went out into the long corridor on
which my rooms opened. and which
led to the large upper hall which |
have already described Having gain
ed this. ! paused at the balustfade. al
miring its caryen Ieauties ana gazing
down into the hall beneath. Teasing
my eyes upon the harmonious picture
of still-life the spleadid apartment pre-
scented.
afternoon had been too brief ana the
light too insufficient for me 10 discover
half its beauties: but now they stool
in the brilliant morning sunshine, fully
revealed TO my admirinE eyes. Es-
pecially did the sunlight bring into
prominence a stained-glass window of
enormous proportions, which made a
glowing bit of mural decoration oi the
further end of che hall. 1t had for sub
ject Christ Ind the repentant Mag
dalen and WIS "A masterpiece OF design
and effective coloring. About the walls
ran low book cases of dark mahogany,
filed TO overflowing with books in
costly bindings. suggesting the thought
that formerly one of the uses of the
place had ueen that of library. The
shelves which topped these cases were
covered with beautiful vases, curios,
ornaments of modern and antique de-
sign: and above these pictures lined the
spaces, extending way up the vast
stretches of the walls until they minSl-
ed with the gallery above.
While | stood thus. enjoying TO the
full its rare feast of delight, | hea.d
weak uncertain footStep behind me.
1t never crossed my mind that it could
be Madam Despite her blindness,
there was no faltcring or INDIGESTION IN
any OF her movements. | turned,
therefore. expecting TO confront some
servant. and such, indeed. proved to
be the case But the servant was of a
type far different from any | had ever
been acquainted with.
The woman who had approached me
so silently that until she stood within
arms length ] had been unaware Of
her presence was of so strange and
singular an appearance that involun-
tarily shrauk from nearer association.
with recoil of my person of which ]
was at once ashamed. She was IA
creature so inharmonious of aspect, of
such woeful incongruity of design and
fulflment. so evidently an embodi-
ment of living grief, that one instinc-
lively Stunned contact with so un-
mistaken an abstraction of despair.
Have you ever seen garden so fair
and gracious of appearance that TO
gaze upon ii satisfies every aesthetic
craving Of your nature; n garden whose
form and design seem absolutely per-
feet. whose flowers are of the rarest
specics and most exquisite develop
mcnt. In which the sun loves to linger
like a lover. and over whose pleasant
paths and veruure the blue skies brood
tenderly and pcacefullyf Have you,
later, beheld this scene of natural and
cultivated lovliness after it has been
devastated and laid waste by some
monstrous cataclysm. after it has been
swept and ravaged by ruthless winds,
and all it's gentle features have been
marred and distorted by stress and
storm?
That is the only parallel | can think
of TO the impression this woman pro-
duced upon my mind ut first sight.
Later | came to pity her, TO tolerate
her presence without shrinking, to en-
ueavor to cheer and comfort her even,
but It took mighty effort to conquer
my natural reluctance to approach
within the circumference of that de
pressing atmosphere which she eX-
hailed. All the buoyancy of my young
spirit shrank from the contagion OF her
misery.
She had been probably in youth
somewhat above medium height, but
her spare form had so yielded to the
crushing weight of adversely that she
was bowed and bent almost to de-
fOrmity. one would have taken her
for n dwarf AT a casual glance. Her
face still preserved traces of once
marvellous comeliness, and this very
suggestion of former beauty, dis
figured and despoiled as it was, marred
her counternance far more deeply than
native uglness would have done. Her
featurcs were as small and regular
as those of a French doll; her eyes,
originally blue, were now, through
constant weeping, quite devoid of
color. Her checks. of ghastly white
ness. had so long been the mere water
courses of her tears that they were
ploughed with lines worse than the
wrinkles of extreme age. All this was
rppelleut enough but the most repuls-
i've feature OF her personality was the
strange incongruty that existed be
tween her SCARED and pallid counten-
ancc aud the glorious mass of golden
hair that rippled riotously back from
her scanned brow. ] have never I'm my
life seen. I'm color or texture. the like
of her hair 1t was like a food of sun
shine falling upon n desOlate, devastat-
ed ruin. There was not a grey thread
i'm II. 1t had not faded i'm any degree,
nor had It lost any of its rich abund-
ance. ON the head of a girl, accom-
panied 10y the bloom and freshness Of
youth. il would have aroused the ad-
miration Of the beholdcr. On the head
of this faded, wan. miserable woman il
iarred upon the sight. It's inharmOny
smote upon ones sensibilities as might
the introduction of waltz motif into
n funeral march.
She addressed me as | turned to con.
front her. / have unconsciously en-
dowed her with gentle, perhaps plain
tive, intonatiou; instead OF which there
issued from her drawn lips harsh,
raucous whisper, which increased the
repugnancc with which she inspired
me.
'This is Miss Lothrop2' she asked.
| bowed
81 am Mrs. Mayberry, Madam .
housckceper." she continued. MADAM
tells me you are TO become her com
panion."
Again I bowed assent
You will not allow yourself to be
discouraged or dissuadcd by the drcar-
incss of this placeT"
II think not"
As uttered this commonplace
phrase, imagine my surprise at seeing
this curious creature fling herself up
on her knees beside me. seize q fold of
my gown in her thin, claw-lkc fingers.
and lift pleading, beseeching face t.
mine, while she cried. in a very agony
Of entreaty:
"Ah. do not do not! | have seen, this
morning upon my mistress's face the
first ray Of brightness that has crossed
IL Siurp-O Cod since whpu-siupp