The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-27
90 @G
: : QUEENIE : !
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of criticism. should doubtless have ex-
pressed the same view; l should GER
tainly have said such a fellow was only
nj for Earlswood or Colney Hatch. And
so. judged by. the purely rational stan
dard, dare say / was. For / was just
in that mood i'm which the dictates Of
reason and what are called practical
considerations had not feathers
weight with me. i was under spell.
The moment 1 set eyes on Queenies
grave the spell had fallen. l knew it.
! felt IL. ! was conscious OF my bond-
age. l was conscious also that / did
not wish 10 be released.
Such was the fact. 1 just state it. 1
do not try TO explain. You smile. | am
telling you the simple truth. You have
heard of love at first sight; you have
heard of a man suddenly meeting his
fate Well, the moment / stood there
at Queenie's grave, her image rose be-
fore me. Just as have depicted IL; not
blurred nor vague nor shadowy. but
clear. present. real. And / loved her
at first sight: and I knew that in her
i had met my fate. In her
IA ghost, a phantom--a mere creature
of my own imaginings? Aye, in her.
For somehow. this Queenie, rising thus
before me, her sweet gentle yisage en-
craving itself instantly. yet indelibly,
on my heart, was infinitely more real
TO me than any living woman ] had ev-
er seen. And L knew-aye, knew-with
"A knowledge above reason, Incapable OF
being defined. that ] should never for
get sweet Qpeenie's sorrowful face
never, never And that II, by miracle.
she were brought again TO life. and |
were to meet her, I'm some place least
expected. in however vast crowd, my
eyes would light on her with instant.
loving recognition.
Such were the sensations (as we'll as
| can describe them) which possessed
your humble servant, the writer. on
that memorable Sunday. But 1 came
10 myself next day. / felt ashamed of
my sentimental faneies? ! realized
what an idiot had been? No. my
friend. j did nothing OF the kind. That
was the strange part or H. The impress
sion made upon me became strength
ened, rather than weakened, with
time. So much So in fact, that IL was
not long ere / became an almost daily
visitant OF Queenie's grave. Not In the
daytime when people were about, but
mostly after dusk. when | could steal
into the churchyard unnoticed and lin
ger there undisturbed. And sometimes,
in the deepening gloom, i would kneel
at the little marble cross, and. stopping
low, would reverently kiss the letters
that spelt my Queenie's name.
And every time + went seemed
drawn closer To the dead by these
strange. mysterious ties; and there was
a feeling coming over me that my eyes,
hitherto closed. were opening wider
wider wider, yet ve-y gradually. as
though they were gathering strength
TO see, undazzled. the dawn of the
clearer day of whose silent. sure ap-
proactsI was subtly conscious. Subtly.
aye. But none the less distinctly. For
i knew that the time was near when,
not as in picture. however vivid, but
living. moving. speaking face 10 face,
l should meet my Queenie.
l met her. / VIII tellyou how IL was
That was q summers night. The moon
was full. 1t had not long risen. The
tombstones on which il fell showed up
white and clear. The shadows they
threw lay long and dark. | came to
Queenie's grave. And 10. From the
black shadow OF her marble cross she
rose and stood before me! The moon
was full upon her. ] saw her herself
The sweet face, so true, so tender so
sad, The unshed tears sparkling in her
brown eyes. TIE pale forehead. The
crown OF dark hair. The little CULVER
ing mouth. The girlish figure, clad in
simple white. ] was not startled. j
felt no surprise. only sense of in
describable ecstasy. possessed by which
/ stood. entranced. regarding her.
Her eyes met mine in one long, deep,
melancholy look. She turned: she
moved away Ny eyes followed her
white, ethereal form, until ii seemed
TO meet the moonbeams, and so. bend
ing itself with them. to fade and lose
itself i'm their pure light She was gone.
That was the first time i saw Queenie.
But saw her again. 1t was two nights
afterwards. | stood at her grave. Again
the sweet vision rose out of the shadow
of the cross.
This time ! spoke::
"Queenie."