Hutchinson gazette., 1900-04-19

II can't say, He's been away at
school and | don't know where elaa.
80 haven't seen him In long time"
In return for your news I'll tell you
a story, The sun Is settlngi come out
on the yeranda,"
She went bareheaded In spite OF her
cold so II Is safe to infer that she
coughed four times the next morning.
Before you begin" said Mr.. Haver-
leigh, tell me how you came In that
room"
"Oh! Bluebeard doesn't like to have
the Blue Chamber invaded" laughed
Floy my dear sir, when you have
French windows and leave them un-
fastened, Of what avail Is locking the
door? | thought I'd End skeleton or
a horrible confession, at least, hut I
didn't Now, II you're satisfied ~ so
on with my story, It's one that my
old Florentne nurse told ne, cum
pose you know that ! was born In
Florence the Fair, and that IL why
they named me 80,
"0ncc upon a time there lived near
| Florence certain Count de MareldI,
who had one daughter named Viola,
In his castle was m antique harp
which was known as the doath-harp,
| from tradition that whoever played
on II three times would die, II per-
son once touched II, he had no re9t un-
| MI he repeated the net; so the Count
had II put into q small, unused room,
/ lighted by single window OF blue
4 glass, You know what pale, cold
/ light falls through glass Of that color
! The strings had not been touched Co"
generations; but ono day Lady Vlo'os
nurse missed hor, and Fong 10 lo'F FOR
/ her honrd n burst Of wild melody
Thcrc was no regular air, for the chill
was only three or four years old and
! knew nothing Of music II was such n
thrill Of sound az m .Tollan harp gives
She rushed mp to the room and snotrhed
| the child away, resolving not to let her
30 beyond her sight AGAIN She feore !
the Counts dlspleasure II she told
him, but Viola strayod to the room
again and this time he heard the mu-
sic, He demanded Of the nurse whoth-
or II had occurred before, and sho was
Obliged to confess, He ordered the
door Of the room to he walled up and
went away with his daughter hoping
that time and change Of scene would
drive the affair rrom hor memory,
"Many years after he returned with
the Lady Viola now Young lady, She
seemed TO have forgotten everything
connected with her former home, but
soon noticed tho wnlled-up chamber
and was irrcsIstibly drawn toward t.,
BY her orders servant opened tho
door, and she entcre1, Soon the fam
ily was alarmed by the strains Of the
dogth-harp, ond all with one impulse
ran to the fatal room There lay the
LndvVlola, with thellvid light from the
window making her pale, white face
almost unearthly The harp-strings
still Qulvercd, and the broken sounds
sweled into dlrge as the Count fell
dead beside his daughter And so
ended the house Of de Mareldi
"Margarita showed me the rock
where the old castle stood, all grown
over with vlolets now, but In the heart
Of the rock stlll sits the Lady Viola
|
inG over the deAth-harp"
"Very well done, for story said
Mr. Haverlelgh. "Do you suppose
Margarita had heard It, or only In
vented ~"
ooh, she believed IT," answered Floy
"and so would II ! could, It's toe
pretty not to be true"
you will hear pretter stories some
time that you can believe"
Floy coughed. "It's growing cold
she said, and fitted into the house
Turning on the threshold. 81 wish that
Mr. Archer would stay at home; he's
Just coming to spoil my stories, for
won't tell any more then"
SO she left him. and he sat there In
the moonlight and half wishod with
her that that Mr. Archer would stay
at home"
He came, though, In defiance Of those
wishes, and before he had been there
n day they had both changed theil
minds. "He is just like Gertrude
was Mr.. Haverlelgh's opinion, "HC
isn't half as nice as Mr. Haverlelgh
but he does very we'll" was Floy's,
Some how or other Mr. HayerleIgh
was very busy that summer, and Floy
and Fred were Obliged to entertain
each other as best they might
The summer days, and weeks, and
months, rolled on; suddenly Mr., IIev-
erloigh awole to the consciousness That
Floy would be with him only one
month longer Could he r'vo hor up?
She had come to hll the vacant place
that her mother had left, and now
only one more month, He would sec
her and ask her to stay with him al
ways. They were coming up the gray
el walk now, she and Fred.
"Floy," he said, as they approached
him, next month you are OF age how
shall we celebrate the occasion?"
Floy came and laid her rosy face on
his shoulder, and said nothing,
"If you have no objections we will
have wedding party" answered Fred
Herman Haverleigh sank back In his
chair
"You must give me time to think,
he said hurrledly; you have taken me
by surprise"
He left them and locked himself NJ
in his study, and paced the floor rest.
lossly. trying to reconcile himself tc
this new revelation He heard Floy
coming singing softly to herself, HC
opeped the door and called her She
,amn gn,illnp and blushing and looked