The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-06-19
ogain, just as I had found rest and

expression came over his
face that she knew Of old.
"No, no, not here" warned Sister:
Tabitha, casting an apprehensive
glance in the direction of her fellow.
workers.
Then meet me in the orchard to-.
night, just at the edge, by the herb
garden. There is no moon, but I can
signal you with these,' said he, touch.
ing his case of cigar lighters. With
q reluctant assent she left him.
It was easy to evade her room
mate, who always slept soundly, and
with light footsteps she passed down
the stairs and out the unlocked door.
'Do not reproach me-" implored (,
Van Dyne; "you could not, you would
not, if you knew how a foolish, boy
ish mistake blighted my young life.
It is true that the woman who shat-l
tered our dream of happiness was my
lawful wife, but I swear I thought
she was dead when 7 married you.
She was years older than and scores
of years older in worldly wisdom
when I was trapped by her iles.
Then came the rude awakening. 7
found her cold and calculating and
destitute Of refinement. She was de-.
termined to change my purposes in
life. She sneered at art and tried
to force me to abandon my ambition
and shape my course according to,
her ideas. Finally I broke away from
her and went abroad to study. I sent
her all could possibly spare of my,
pitiful income. Then for some rea-
son of her own she caused me to be-
leve that she was dead. ] forgive
her now, for she died in a few weeks.
after she went to Italy. Since then
I have searched for you far and wide.
''Oh, Edith continued he, "do you
remember that glorious day when we
met? Italy's skies we're never so
blue. The sea never sang SO sweet
song. Oh, my love, my love, I viii
never take your hand in mine until
you give me permission, but you must
say you forgive me-" and the strong
man shook with sobs.
She was silent for moment. st
will forgive you, but it is hard for
woman to forgive wrong like this"
replied she, in a constrained voice.
"How can I ever forget that awful
day? You did not, you could not,
deny the truth of that woman's asser-
tions, and what could I do? I had
but one thought, and that was to go
away from what had been Paradise
to me the day before. I crossed the
sea and came back to the city where
I had passed a few years of my child
hood. You know I was alone in the
world. III health almost exhausted
my small inheritance. I remembered
these good people and came here. I,
was at peace and almost happy until
I saw you again. Go, now, John.
Our lives are in different paths, far,
far apart"
"You must not leave me so. Say
you viii come again. shall be here
tomorrow night. I have so much
more to say to you
Sister Tabitha turned and feetly
passed through the garden to the
house.
There were aged sisters afflicted
with the sleeplessness Of old age who
saw in the small hours of the night
mysterious signals, the little flashes
of light and sometimes the heat
lightning, or the moonlight revealed
Sister Tabitha fastening to meet the
black-robed figure whom they de-
clared must be an emissary of the
Evil One. This story spread through
the community. The elder sister be-
gan an investigation. :;
Sister Tabitha's roommate was
questioned, who unhesitatingly de-
clared that Sister Tabitha had never
left the chamber in the night, and,
ignoring her own physical inirmity,.
declared further that it would have
been an impossibility without her
knowledge. Some of the sisters tss-
titled that they had heard strange
sounds and had seen ghostly shadows
fitting through the halls, but had rec
ognized no one. There were some
highly colored stories that the elder
sister put aside as being merely the
fiction of an excited imagination.
The aged sisters insisted that they
were pot mistaken, and the wrath
like, elusive appearance with which
they were now familiar was, without
doubt, Sister Tabitha.
Brother Israel was detailed to
watch for the appearance of the dis
turber, who was reported to make
his visitations almost nightly. This
brother was growing old and the
task was not altogether to his taste.
Everything in the way of the super
natural was so familiar to his mind,
if not in actual experience, he was
not sufficiently excited to keep awake.
After comfortably seating himself un-
der an apple tree and leaning against
it's huge trunk he fell into q pro-
found fit of meditation, and after.
awhile lapsed into a peaceful slun-
Der, from which he awoke with a,
start, remembering his responsibility
as a watchman, as the intruder was
making signals with his little lights.
Brother Israel rose slowly with ]
much laborious putting, and the 6gg-,.
ure, seeing the sentinel, slipped be-
hind q tree.
The brother reported that black
-obed figure with fiery eyes was Visi-.
BILE for a moment and then vanished
into thin air. The mystery deepened!
and more active measures were about;
to be taken for it's solution, when one
morning Sister Tabitha was missing.
The aged sisters shook their heads
ominously and gave utterance to their:
belief that Sister Tabitha had been
spirited away by the Prince Of the
bower of the air, and many were the
tales they related which they had
been told in their youth Of myste-i-
o,,s 6isappearances by that agency;