Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1909-04-01
The Moorehouse Tragedy
by MIS-. Jane q. IAustin.

old place belonging to my grand
father, far from town or village,
called Moorhouse; thither l resolved
to go.
The next day l set my affairs in
order, dismissed my ancient cousin
for while, as l told her; forever,
as l Notwithstanding my serv-
ants, who were hired (for my grand
father had manumitted all his
slaves at his death), and after night
fall | left the city with Esther, my
faithful nurse, and Paul, the mid
dle-aged man-servant who had TAX
en- Andrews place about my grand
father, on the death of his favorite
valet
Maurice Burton had haunted the
house all the day; but l would nei-
Their see him nor answer his mes
sage nor billets. l knew his brave
and noble heart SO well that / did
not for moment doubt his love;
but doubted myself. | must wait
nature was to develop out of the
chaos into which this great shock
had cast my former self. Beside,
hardly cared for him then Grief,
shame, and rage so possessed my
heart that love fled affrighted from
their furious battle field. All my
wish was. to be alone, to escape
from every one.
So we came to Moorhouse, and to
the black midnight that found me
pacing that ghostly Chamber to the
East, worn out, spent with the emo
ton that for hours l had INDUCED
in freest utterance.
high upon the mouldy hearth had
gone down, and l had not replen-
ished it; but | do not need its light,
lid beams through the wide panes of
the bay window, and made the little
room almost as bright as day.
Quite exhausted, at length, with
the violence of my emotions,
wrapped myself in my thick trav-
cling shawl, and, throwing myself
For it is one of the blessings of
youth that our passions rage until
they are sent, and give us time to
rest. Later in life grief visits us
less acutely; but it makes our
hearts its home, brooding remorse-
lessly over every moment, and cry
ing to sleep as to joy, Away! this
hour is minel
entity with a duh chill creeping
through my veins, sick feeling of
their causing the hair to rise upon
my head, the heart to shudder in
my breast. At the same time
vague consciousness of some great
sorrow in the air, my own, yet not
my own, came over me. Some one
seemed sobbing at my side, and yet
my strained ear failed to catch the
faintest sound. Slowly, and with
great effort, opened my eyes, and
looked out into the room. The
moon rising higher in the heavens
threw less light into the apartment
than when / went to sleep; but
there was still sufficient to distinct
ly show me every feature in the face
of her who had broken my slum-
bers with the oppressive conscious
ness of her grief.
She was a fair young girl, slight
and graceful, and bore the same re-
semblance to her picture hanging
over the work table that the wan
image in a darksome pool bears to
the living face hanging over it, She
was clad in a long night dress, with
her fair hair flowing over it, and
she hovered--wringing her hands,
and sobbing in that piteous, maud
ible way-over the dark stain dis
coloring the floor and carpet. =
At first she did not notice me, and
after a moment | softly raised my
self upon my elbow, that might see
more distinctly Then she slowly
turned, and, putting back the hair
on her forehead fixed on me the far
away, solemn gaze of those still
eyes. l essayed to speak; but no
sound came from my dry lips and
parched throat, and, turning from
me, the form moved in an irregular,
wavy manner=not touching the
floor, but floating just above ito
a great black case of drawers stand