The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-09-30
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Only a few hours; ago she had been
singing to her harp in what wrctchcd-
ness She laughed softly to herself
The quiet night was full OF his voice:
81 love y0u | want nothing but you!"
How her pitiful error had tortured
and wrung them both, But tomorrow
he, too. would Know that all was we'll
\ clear sound chimcd across the
distancc-~the bell OF the courthouse
clock striking midnight Ono
Two! How oftcn lately it had
run discordantly across her mood:
now il seemed 4 claimant watcher
tollinG JOY, Three! Four!
Five! Perhaps he was
sSccpcss, listening, too. Was he in
the old library, thinking Of her?
Six! Seven! Eight!
Nine! If she could only
send her message to him on the bells!
Ten! 1t swclled moro loudly
nov, more deliberate. Eleven!
Another day was almost gone
Twelve! joy cometh in tho
morning"-ran the whisper across her
Thought, 1t was morning now.
Thirtccn!
ono caught q sharp breath. Her
ear had not deceived hcr-thc vibra-
ton still palpitatcd on the air like
heart Of sound. 1t had struck thir
teen! A little Gerry touch crcpt along
her nerves ana a cool dampncss broke
on her skin, for she seemed to hear
Quavorins through the wondering 81
lcnce the voice Of Mad Anthony, as
1T had luavcrCd to her ear on tho
doorstep OF the negro cabin, With the
wellswcep throwing its long curved
shadow across the group OF laughing
faces:
".Ah secs yo' gwine ter him. All
heahs de co'ot-house clock a.strlkin'
in de night--cn yo' gwinc.
Don wait, don wait, lii mistis, er
dc trouble-cloud gwine kyah him
erway f'om yo' When de clock
strike thuhtcen-whcn de clock strike
lthuhteen-''
She dropped the lowered curtain
land drew back. A weird fancy had
begun to press on her brain. Had not
Mad Anthony forctold truly what had
gone before? What If there were
some cryptic meaning in this, too? TO
lgo to him, at midnight, by a lonely
country roadside, a girl? Incrediblc!
Yet her mind had opened to vague
sgrowing fear that was swiftly mount
ling TO thriving anxiety. That innate
superstition, secretly cherished while
deridcd, which is the heritage OF the
'Southron-born bred from centuries OF
eontact with q mystical race, had her
in it's grip. Yet all the while her
sober actual common-sense was crying
out upon hcr-and crying in vain.
Unknown appetencos that had lain
'darkling in her blood, come down to
her from long generations, were sud
denly compelling her. Tho curtain
began to wave in little wind that
whispered in the silk and somewhere
lin the yard below she could hear Sc
ilim nipping the clover.
She was to go or the trouble cloud"
would carry him away!
A strange expression of mingled
fright and resolve grew on her face.
,She ran on tiptoe to her wardrobe
and with frantic haste dragged out
rough cloak that fell over her soft
,house,gown, covering it to the feet. 1t
had a peaked hood falling from It's
collar and into this she thrust the
rescntful masses Of her hair. Every
few seconds she caught her breath in
ia short gasp. and once she paused
with nm annrchcneivo pIoncn o,io, ho,.
shouldcr ana sbiverod Cbo .ooroo,,,
knew what sbo aid nor dd .ho ,ci,
herself what might no tho ontcomo NJ
such an absurd adventure Sho moi.
thcr knew nor cared She was svont
off her feet and wbjrlod aw,v into
some outlondisb limbo of .h,dou.y