Year: 1864

amiabIe friend, Mrs. Dennison, as the
b. heroine of such a tale as she related Il


me one evening in the autumnal twilight


Yet she, timid, sentimental old lady


bad really been in position of extraor'
binary trial and had come nobly out of il
s And she told the adventure with an ut,
ter unconsciousness of anything heroic
4 10 her conduct, which added a strange
charm to her recital


When was about seventeen or eigh


teen (she said) my father took me fol
change of air, after slight illness, to the
- seaside. I was romantic; moreover,
had been notherless from my infancy
and my dreamy fancies had received no
check from the dull routine Of my school
life, nor from my association with girl.
as silly as myself


l Shortly after mJ arrival at the water
ing place, was struck by the appear
ance Of three people, who were often to
be seer together of an evening en- the
sands. One was a very handsome wo-
man of about forty-fve the others ap-
peared to be her son and daughter. The
son was one Of the most interesting per
sons l ever saw. The daughter was
about my own age, was very pretty. The
mother was cripple. She was drawn
nearly every day 10 The same spot on the
sands, and sat there watching the setting
SON, while her children occupied them
selves with gathering shells, Occasional
y we met the brother and sister riding,
and my father declared that he had never
seen 50 good a horsewoman as the young
lady.


One evening, as was sitting on a low
black rock or stone near her chair, the
elder lady spoke to ne with a civil apol,
ogy for troubling stranger. She ask
ed me il I could distinguish whether her
son and daughter were on the beach.
/ Her sight was 100 bad for her to see her
self ! looked, and replied in the mega
! tive. she seemed anxious and uneasy,
and kept turning her eyes in the dircc-
lion from whence she expected them.
| asked if she required anything? She
thanked me, but replied that she wanted
nothing; only she was anxious for her
daughters appearance; she feared acci-
dents when they were late home.


Il should think you could have no
cause for fear said your daughter rides
so we'll


She assented with a sigh.


Il dare say she added, Il am foolishly
nervous, but my life is a trying and mon
otunous one, and affords time for idle
fears.'


was sorry for her; it was very sad
to be helpless and crippled at her age,
and with her apparent health, so we grad
ually fell into conversation. Mrs. Delo-
raine--I remember what a charming
name | thought twas not very lady
like, still she was not vulgar. l could see
she was not highly bred person, never
theless, she was interesting and clever,
and had very fascinating way of her
own. After time the son and daush-
ter returned they thanked me for my
kind attentions to their mother, and were
so pleasant and agreeable that was en-
chauted with them.


When I returned home teased my
father to call on the Deloraines. He de-
murred at first we knew nothing of these
people, he said; it was not wise to pick
mp acquaintances as one would pick up
shells but was urgent and be seldom
refused request made by his motheress
girl. He made few enquiries ascer-
tained that Mrs. Deloraine and her child |
ren lived a quiet, secluded, blameless life /
in lonely cottage, on the outskirts Of
the town; place which the librarian |
told him had the reputation of being
haunted, and was let at low rent; that
they paid their bills. and were apparent>
ly respectable, good people. Then he
consented to call on them.


We approached the Deloraines, dwell
ing through an orchard and pine-grove.
so gloomy in appearance that did not
wonder at its ghostly repute. The cot.
tage itself was an old one, built partly of
wood and partly of brick. A very i'll
looking man servant opened the door, and
ushered us into the drawing>room, where
we found Mrs. Delorane and her daueh-
ter.


The former was lying on sofa placed
against the folding door. She could no.
rise to receive US, but she greeted nv
father and me very warmly, and seemed
delighted to make our acquaintance. He
thought her manners Theatrical, and
studied buf sbc ,,o,,-oI ,t