The Arm Chair Library No. 79: The Haunted Homestead — page 62: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

'68 CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. to me, while she dragged Chester into the room with the tae **are justin time, and Vv welcome. ou were our groomsman, ent now you shall be theirs!” ‘Am Tin a dreain, or ‘ clothed in my right mind,’ Augusta ¢” murmured my friend, as she drew hii into the full blaze of the chandelier’s splende>, Ye did not look at his visitors\-his gaze was on his wife’s face; but he seemed transfigured by a new glory, as his pale face shone upon hers, She little guessed of the full weight of that question. Shethought him only slightly mys- t fied, and laughed in her girlish way, as she answered: ** You may be in your right mind, but you are certainly not ‘ clothed ’—that is, app! opri- ate tothe occasion. Who has been eluptying the water pitcher over ey ¢ Ah, Ralph, you have been ill! You s sell frijrhtfully of chloro- form. Has your head been so very bad ?” ** Yes, it has; but it is quite well now, ” ** We were so afraid y«.u would not like it ! Promise you will nut scold a bit, Come, Annie, [ ought to compel you to tell your own story, The truth is, Ralpb, Iam giving shelter torun- aways.” Then Anvie came forward, shy and blushing, and kissed her brother-in-law’s cheek, and was presented to me, and Lieuten- ant Reade went through a similar ceremony with Chester. Z “* Has not Annie changed much in a year, Ralph? I don’t wonder you mistock her for me when yousaw ber before the Fifth Avenue. They say she is sean, he bemy image. We had a narrow escape that time, Annie. TI be- lieve my lord actually suspected I was telling | sis him a fib. Confess, now—did you nct, sir ?” ‘** But you were actually out yesterday with Lieutenant Reade,” gasped Chester. ** Yes, indeed. @ had to go shopping with Annie. I did not know it when I told you in the morning that [ should not go out. You see, she ran away without her trunks: and the dress-makers kept her all day yest. iday,so that I had to attend tothe purchase of the ring and all that.” ‘* What are you talking about, Augusta 7” ** Only that we are to have a wedding here to-night, It’sa run-away affair, and Annie was so afraid you would sm rove and tele- graph to father that she wou d not permit me in the next car. She went with her party to the Fifth Avenue, and was just leaving it for my house when you mistook her for me. I was altogether surprised at her appearance, and had quite a trial to a pear asif nothing had happened when yeu followed so directly in her track. She was so tired and agitated that she begged me to allow her to stay ip ber room and not to tell you of her arrival. I nearly made up my m'nd to confide all to you omenuay morning, but concluded to have a ittle secret from you foronce. You remen- ber when I purchased my green silk [ sent oue like it to Annie, and she chanced to wear it when you mistook her for me, There’stie bell now! Annie, it’s the pastor, ’m certain. Do run upstairs, Ralph, and change that wet linen. Bein haste, for all is ready except your Chester obeyed her in a mechanical sort of way, which showed me he had not yet recov- ered the full use of his faculties, As for me, | was reflecting too busily on the curious result of accidental appearances to render much aid to Mrs, Chester in her duty of entertaining the pastor, and beguiling the agitation of the youthful guilty parties who sat awaiting hia Services, I knew the family well enough to under- stand everything without further explanation. Mrs. Chester’s people was Philadelphians. I[t was in tuatcity she had been married. Annie was then a very lovely girl of eighteen, whom I could scarcely believe had rip-ned into the beautiful and willful creature whom I now saw before me, Her resemblance to her oléer ter, as far as height, complexion, and the color of hair and eyes went, wasratuer re- markable. Their father—a kind, indulgent parent—had yet very fixed opinions about some things. He would not listen to the folly of a girl of nineteen marrying a young officer in active service, and only home on a mont!i’s furlough, and so the rash pair had taken flight for Chester’s, The wedding ceremony . Was followed by a delicious dinner, at whieh the minister and myself were the only guests apart from the bridal pair. The marriage was to be kept secret for the present, their father sup posing that Annie had gune to New York with no other object than to visit her sister. When I left the ouse at ten o’clock Chester to tell you until too late for you to do harm, | foll Henry came home on a furlough, and wanted Annie to marry him;but father called it ‘ non- sense,’ and forbid any such consummation un- vil ths war should be over. Now, Annie isa ood girl, but she is just as obstinate as.father, @he thought she should be 36. Lp a3 Henry’s | ‘ wife, whether he lived or died: and as some of our friends were coming on to New York, she ~~ herself under their protection and came pay meé a visit, with the lieutenant innocent- | the ly accompanying her, but keeping ont of sight ollowed me out upon the steps to wring my d. His aa too full for speech, but I guessed at whut he would have said, ‘‘* Let the past bury its dea 1?” was my single remark, and to that we tacitly agreed. tis many years now since the tragedy of Circumstantial Evidence” was turned into amelodrama, ‘The lieutenant and Annie were pron by the father, but between Chester myself silence has been preserved upon events of the two days preceding their EComicboo