Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-01-07

l was spending a few days in the
valley of the Naugatuck, jaunting
about the highways and the byways in
tiivver, with only dog and a cam
era for company. One morning. on a
lonely bit of road that rims the river.
1 came upon an old garden-a garden
run to weed, where few roses of AN
earlier day still struggled for their
share of the sun. At the entrance to
grass grown path that led to ~ old
house. there stood two ancient ash
trees
| sat down upon the wide stone door
way, and it, too, was covered with
wild, green thingS-creeping tendrils
from fallen vine that lay twisted on
the ground like a huge brown snake.
In the tall, waving grass l saw the
tip of my dogs white tail moving stiff
ly, He was stalking some wild crea-
ture. l sat very silent.
"Who built this house and who made
this garden, and why are they allowed
to run to ruin?" These and other
questions drifted into my mind as l
sat there under the indefnable spell Of
this old place.
Suddenly my meditations were inter
rupted by the yelping of my dog. He
was tiercely disputing the right of
tall, white-hared man to enter the
garden. As quickly as l could | made
my way through TIE weeds and bram-
bieS again. The dog, his sense Of duty
satisfied, wagged welcome. The old
gentleman Che looked like a country
doctor) cupped his hand behind his
ear and shouted: Are YOU one of the
Randals-the New York Randals2"
NO I'm not" l shouted back. rs
this their placer"
Yes, this is the old Randall house.
l was driving past and saw you sit
ting in the doorway and thought thnt
that you might be one of Miss Abby
RandaPs relatives from New York"
And then, with the loquacity of the
nged, he told me this:
ABBY Randall, very beautiful wom-
an, the last mistress of the old place.
was born there about 40 years ago.
When she was a girl Of nineteen or
twenty she was engaged to a young
man named Nelson-Peter Nelson of
NaugatuCk. Nelson was fond of horses
and he rode a fine saddle horse. 1t
was his custom to ride out from Nau-
gatuck to the old Randall place every
evening.
zone evening, the eve of his wed
ding day, his horse came dashing into
the Randall yard riderless and covered
with foam. Abby, sensing that some
thing had happened to her lover, hasti-
ly saddled her own horse and started
out toward Naugatuck about half way
she found Nelson lying in the road.
cut and bleeding, but conscious.
Help was summoned and the in
jured man was carried to Miss Ran
dals home.
Throughout the night Abby Randall
never left his side, ana the next morn
ing, ut the request of the dying man.
she became his wife At nightfall she
was a widow.
"The girl-widow, dry-eyed and silent
shut herself In her ro0m-she wanted
to be alone.
in the morning the girl lay crum-
pied upon the floor. sleeping as peace
fully as a little child. Kindly hands
helped her into bed. ana all day the
girl lay in profound sleep. And when
toward evening, she awoke. she seemed
to have lost all memory Of what had
befallen her. She complained of a
headache, and of having had a fright
full dream-that was all.
an few days she was busy about
her accustomed tasks, not exactly the
same as Of old, but doing things in a
dreamy, automatic way She never
spoke Of Nelson, and her family and
friends avoided mention Of his name
She seemed happiest when working
alone among the flowers in the garden
Five years went by, her mother
died and Abby Randall lived on In the
old place with only an aged servant
for company.
NELSON had been dead about ten
years when one morning Abby RAN
dal's memory came back-part Of it
came back.
"She had come down to breakfast.
and when old Mary brought in the
coffee Miss Randall said: I'm going
away today, Mary. My husband. Mr..
Nelson, came back. He wns here this
morning, and he is coming again this