The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-09-26
! An Old WOnaan'S Romance.
BY HERO STRONG.

Countess of Huntly. She was a gay,
beautiful woman, about my own age.
and her husband-an easy-going sort
OF man-owned a house in London,
a manor house down in Dorsetshire,
quite near the coast. l had been
there on two occasions with the
COUNTESS for a weeks rusticating, and
most delightfully."- weird and mys-
terious old house was Huntly Manor.
When was invited there to Wit
! ness the nuptials OF my lady's only
brother, Lord Albert Trevelyan, OF
course l was immensely delighted
with the idea. About Lord Albert
there had always seemed to me some
thing very strange and interesting,
not that 1 had ever seen him, but 1
heard his sister tell so much about
him. An only son, born to q peerage,
handsome and accomplished as Apollo
himself, he had preferred the wilds
of Asia to civilized England, for the
past three years and more; but now
he had come home, and was going to
| marry and settle down like a Chris
tian. The bride elect was the woman
his father, now dead. had selected for
him-the Lady Christine McDougal,
Scottish beauty OF immense wealth
and surprising beauty, but Lady
Huntly whispered to me that she had
dreadful temper
Lady Christine's parents being
dead, Lady Huntly had proffered her
own house for the nuptial festivities,
and the offer had been accepted
Lord Albert was now in Ireland, with
a party of gentlemen friends, hunting
and fishing, for it was hard for him
to give up his adventurous habits.
1t was very early in June that we
went down to Huntly Manor. My
husband was of the party, and Lord
Huntly came down in a day or two.
A week before the wedding day Lady
Christine arrived. A very handsome,
stately woman she was indeed; but IL
Lord Albert had been a friend of
mine 1 should have shuddered for
his life with her for companion.
| think she hated me from the
first, though she could not probably
have given a reason for it. But there
are some very strange and mysterious
things in this world; and when all
was made clear by time, understood
why it was that Lady Christine and
l were so strongly antagonistic.
Lord Albert delayed his coming to
the last moment. His sister was an
noyed with him for being so dilatory,
and Lady Christine's steel blue eyes
took on an ominous glitter as day
after day passed and still he fingered.
| Two days before the wedding, just
before sunset, l was sitting in my
chamber, which fronted the English
| Channel, looking out on the glitter
ing waste of water The day had
been calm and bright, and the sun
was going down in a wilderness OF
golden and crimson clouds.
Suddenly, as gazed, mist seemed
to come before my eyes. | felt cold
and numb, an icy wind blew full in
my face, and the placid waters grew
white with foam and sprayl Clearly
out against the red sunset line / saw
the outline of yacht, tossing help
lessly on the crest of the pillows; at
her helm was the figure of tall man.
Nearer and nearer came the frail
craft. l saw distinctly the face of
the helmsman-and it was Richard
Earle! Only moment saw 1t, and
then laundering roll OF foamy water
shut It from my view, and crashing
on the rocky shore came the lost
yacht, and up from her crew rose one
wild, last wall of agonyl And high
above 1t all heard his voice calling:
Elizabeth! Elizabeth My love!
my love!"
/ shrleked out In my wild alright
and my Lord Newbury rushed In from
the adjoining room In alarmed haste
And when looked out upon the sea
again 1t was calm as glass, and not Q
sail In sight
! excused myself to my husband as
best l might-for I would not tell
him what l had seen-what l knew
: | had seen-for he would have
deemed me insane. But all night
long lay awake, trying to reason out
the strange Vision; and morning
found me no nearer a solution thar
before.
All the forenoon was restless ant
uneasy. The bright morning changed
to day OF drizzle and rain-the wint
blew sullenly, and howled plteousl,
. through the long. lonesome corridors
OF the manor, and shieked like dis
tressed human being down the black
throated chimneys.
Toward night It increased to a gale
J and the rain ceased falling. through
great inky thunder clouds rolled II
t from the sea and enveloped every
thing In midnight blackness. Morn
J ing broke at last, wild and stormy
Never had seen the channel in sucl
a swirl of foam.
Fascinated. yet full of dreary an
foreboding horror. / wrapped mysel
3 in a cloak and went out on the rocks
Many others were there before me
: among them Lady Christine McDou
{, gal! Her face was white with som
J. suppressed feeling. and her grea
D blue eyes were turned seawart
0 watching tiny white sail far out O
s the horizon--a mere speck OF ligh
s in the darkness.
:, Then remembered that her pron
9 ised husband was to come from owe
the water, and I knew why her chez