Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-07-14
BGSsiG'S Mystery

W. pa y - RAFVa
staring by the stair. Never had he
seen ier sweeter than when now anent
the room she shot glances barbed with
poison, feather-shafted deep with
| gloom. Hide and seek her dimples
dancing. peek-a-boo her dart.ng eyes,
shook the spirit Of her lover, like a
| cyclone made of signs.
What's the matter, Bessie Owens?"
he demanded, daft with pain. Whats
| the matter, Bessie owens" had worn
to a weird refrain. She had answered
with a fiutter of her handkerchief OF
| silk, diving into it her features, like a
swan dives into milk. Mattered never,
| never, never what. he did or thought
| or said, II he ever came a-near her,
promptly she turned away her head.
| All the sweet Dad through the wood
land on the way to Host Maroon's,
| she'd her white face turned to heaven.
| as If seeking stray balloons. Or she'd
stare Ger her left shoulder at the
| ~irefies in the musk, or at biunder-
headed beetles humping daftly through
I the dusk. She who once had layed her
| spirit in his spirits inner deeps,
turned her gaze from his souls win
dows, taking moi the smallest peeps.
"Oh, my cousin, shallow hearted"
| quoted he from Locksley Hall. 'Tis
a poem Bessie worships; but she shud-
dered, that was all. Tell me, tell me,
Bessie Owens, look at me and tell me
| true, has some fatal word been uttered
that has poisoned me for your
| Shrugged her shoulders like a French
man; but she uttered not a word; and
no sign or token told him what the
shoulder shrug inferred. Then he
! tried to be facetious; told the driving
| horse that Bess was a riddle he would
| give a bag of oats to guess. "Can you
| guess herr" then the pony whinnied
| high a carol gay. do you notice"
poor Jack murmured, he has prompt
ly answered height" But the maiden
never Uttered; like Egyptian Sphynx
sat she, while POOR Jack in falling ca
dence whispered; That's a horse on
me-"
Then he thought his sudden sum-
mons for her company that night,
needed explanation, and he sought to
set the matter right. This Maroon
surprise was got up very late this
afternoon. Twas remembered they
were welded on the 21st of June. Was
no time for preparation; 80 /
found twas up TO me, To either go
without you, or to drive round after
tea. Talk to me; for women talk
more CT this day than any other. It's
the longest, Bessie Owen, ask your ia
ther, ask your mother"
But she got her from the buggy at
the door OF the Maroons, silent as the
spectral burglar when he "burgles''
after spoons. Twas the same when
driving homeward: sat she with her
back askew. while the dark abyss be-
tween them yawned the deeper, wider
grew. Poor Jack made some futile eff
fort to perk up and prattle gay; twas
like laughter in q graveyard, twas
like grinning when we pray. So at
last, in feebler spasms, as we've seen
green-appled kids succumb to pare
goric, s~traighten out and close their
lids, so Jack reached spasmodic ST.
lence, and. With eyes suffused With
tears, sat ahd stared at startled Night
time, aud his horses Wobbling ears.
'Oh, my heart is breaking, Bessie!"
said he as he helped her light, TO her
| ooiled back hair he said it, coiled so
silent, dark and tight. Look out, Bes-
sic, baolng backwards you've undone
your tresses' pins, and a miscue on
the lender made you scrape your shape
ly shins." Haughtily she lowered
| and heightened, like an empress o'eI
a slave; "shins are plebeian, they are
something no true ladies ever have"
Then a Shrek hysteric, haunting,
| scared the owls and bats; she fell,
laughing, crying like a spirit half in
half in hell, Jack" she cried, "avant.
| don't aid me, keep your distance; tell
| must, or my heart will burst and
| Stay me, knowing of your love and
| trust. Jack Adair, come not anigh me,
I'm unfit for your rue arms!"
"Anotherl l will Stay him." said
| Adalr, with vague alarms. Tell me,
Bessie, tell me truly, has another WOn
your heart? Though it kills me. then
forever, here beneath the trees we
part. Trees whose leaves have whis-
| pered Ger us, million voiced, about our
love, while like echoes of our passion,
sobbei the FURNISHED turtle dove"
Nay, by my soul / swear it, none
usurps your IMAGE there!" and, with
hand on heart She stood there, in the
attitude OF pra.er.
Then by the ereat horned spoon
that ted Mahomet,' said poor Jack,
you've the s~w.tehkeys, please to shunt
me on the right and proper track.
Link the syllab,es explaining from the
tank 70 the caboose!' and the railroad
man stood waiting, staring at the lit,
tie goose.
well you came Just after supper,