“Being so completely prostrated by the great mountain of grief that pressed heavily on my sad heart, I failed to notice the condition of Harry Wallingford, whose upturned face had put on a death-like expression. It was after several minutes had elapsed that I happened to look at him; I was considerably frightened when I beheld the ghost-like features. I ascertained, upon examination, that he had fainted; and also discovered a stream of blood flowing from his left temple, that came from an ugly wound caused by striking his head against the sharp corner of the seat as he fell. I dashed some cold water in his face, then lifted him from the floor and laid him on the seat, watching eagerly for signs of returning life, which I was gratified to see very soon. Fixing his eyes on me with a wild, restless expression, he said:

“‘Is is true that Lottie is dead? How can you gaze on me with such a look of affection, Ed, when you know that by your kindness you are heaping coals of living fire on my unworthy head? If you would abuse me, curse me, spit on me, spurn me, or do anything to show that you despise me—I could bear it; but to receive disinterested kindness from one that I have so deeply wronged is a greater punishment than humanity can endure. You must remember that I have murdered Lottie, yes, I have closed those pretty blue eyes forever; I have pushed her fair body into the grave; I have invited the worms to banquet on her queenly form; I slapped you in the face, I drove Viola to desperation, and caused her to murder her little brother, and yet I am unhung, and you can look kindly on me! What kind of man are you? what sort of a heart is yours? why do you not plunge a dagger into my breast? Well, I suppose you think that you can kill me with kindness as well as any other way; and in that you are very correct. When I am dead, I want you to continue your kindness until you see my remains deposited by the side of my murdered sister. I know I don’t deserve such honor, but I may rely on your goodness to have my last request complied with.’

“The strangeness of his conduct, the mystery of his language, had a tendency to add to the great waves of misery that were rolling over me, for I inferred that he was contemplating suicide. For full thirty minutes he continued to rave about innumerable blunders that he accused himself of having committed, and I positively assert that no prosecuting attorney could have given such an offensive coloring to willful and malicious murder as he gave to the cause of Lottie’s death, all of which he declared had been produced by himself. I ventured to discuss the matter with him as soon as I regained sufficient self-command to enable me to do it, hoping to lead his mind away from the subject of Lottie’s death; but it was like the blind trying to lead the blind. While I was endeavoring to console Harry Wallingford, I stood as much in need of it as he did; nevertheless, I put forth my utmost efforts to soothe him.

“I was somewhat surprised when the train came to a sudden halt in front of the Hernando Station. Mr. Steelbrim thrust his smutty head into the front door and said:

“‘By jing! we made the best time on record; the old gal is in a splendid humor to-night—made a mile a minit from Sardis here, and I bet she could distance a streak of greased lightning from here to Memphis. If I had a track from here to the moon, I could make the old gal climb the grade in time to make the connection. We are now three minits ahead of time, and according to orders, we must not move a peg till time is up.’ Then he turned round and addressed the fireman:

“‘Feed the old gal a little, Mr. Smutty, and ile her j’ints good, for I’m gwine to let her rip from here to Memphis; she’ll make it in twenty-five minits like a top. The old gal knows me, and she allers makes up her mind for business when this chap holds the throttle. Tom Scratchler undertook to manage her t’other day, but she took the dumps and wouldn’t run worth a cent; but it takes me to hold her down to work.’

“‘Wait a moment, Mr. Steelbrim,’ said the telegraph operator, ‘a dispatch is coming for Edward Demar.’

“‘All hunkadory,’ replied the eccentric little engineer, ‘plenty of time, and if necessary, I can persuade the old gal to put in a few extra licks.’

“The rain had ceased, and the dark clouds began to move rapidly northward; the moon, that had been obscured, emerged from behind them, casting a bright, cheerful light over the earth.

“‘Here we are, Demar,’ exclaimed Mr. Steelbrim, as he came in and handed me the telegram.

“I tossed it down on the seat, not caring to read any news since Lottie was dead. In fact, I felt a peculiar hatred against all telegraph lines, and more especially against the one that had brought me the fatal news. Mr. Steelbrim started his engine forward with such a sudden plunge that it threw me to the third seat behind where I was standing, pitching me head foremost against the stove-pipe, slightly bruising my head. I think the effect of the shock was beneficial, for it seemed to relieve the smothering sensation which had afflicted me for some time. Seating myself where I could watch Wallingford—for I was afraid he meditated self-murder—I began to conjecture in regard to the contents of the envelope that lay on the seat just in front of me, and as is usual in such cases, never guessed anywhere near the truth. I might have gone on conjecturing for a hundred years, and I dare say I never would have made the right guess as to the purport of the message. After taxing my mind in that way for five minutes:

“‘I have hit the mark at last,’ I muttered to myself: ‘The sheriff will let Miss Bramlett attend Lottie’s funeral.’

“Having satisfied myself that I had at last made the proper guess, I took the envelope, tore it open and held it carelessly for some time before I commenced reading it. I have that particular telegram here in my bosom; and I have no doubt my friends would like to hear it read. I had often heard men say that the danger of death being caused by good news was equal to that produced by bad; but I never did credit any such notions until after I received that dispatch. I am now a full believer in the idea that death could be, and doubtless has often been, produced by the sudden shock occasioned by the reception of unexpected good news; but let me read you the telegram:

“Perhaps a man possessed of a vivid imagination might work his mind up to a point where he could make a pretty fair guess as to the joy that came to my crushed heart when I read that dispatch; but I know that no eloquent writer could set down anything approaching a correct description of it. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I was for a moment paralyzed with the excess of joy. I did not shout, scream, or move, but stood like one who had been stunned by a heavy blow, while I held my hand over my heart, pressing it very hard in order to still its violent throbbing. As soon as I recovered sufficiently to enable me to speak calmly I called to Wallingford, who was sitting there with his eyes closed, looking more like a block of white marble than a man.

“‘Are you asleep, Harry?’ I inquired, as I laid my hand on his shoulder.

“He gave a sudden start, then gazed a moment at me.

“‘How can I sleep when the hot flames of torment are blazing in my bosom? Never shall I sleep any more; I have “murdered sleep,” and my sweet sister, too. My career will soon be closed, and the world will be rid of the vilest wretch that ever dwelt in it!’

“‘Harry, do you believe that any man could be killed with good news?’

“‘No, of course not; but why do you ask me such a question?’

“‘Because it is in my power to impart to you some of the best news that ever was poured into the ears of mortal man!’

“‘Edward,’ he groaned, ‘you must not try to console me with false hopes; you had better leave me to endure my just punishment; it is the will of God that I should suffer, and I do not complain. You could not tell me anything in the shape of news that would relieve me, except it was to let me know that my darling sister lived, and the guilt of murder was not on my wicked soul.’

“‘That is the very thing I am prepared to assert.’

“‘What in Heaven’s name do you mean?’

“‘Be perfectly quiet and I will explain. Could you calmly listen to the news of Lottie being alive?’

“‘Certainly I could, because it would not be true; and I must request you not to torture me in this manner.’

“‘Did you ever hear of a person being in a trance, when the friends thought it was death?’

“‘Yes, very often; Doctor Plaxico told me that such things frequently occurred; he mentioned two cases that had come under his observation.’

“‘Then why might we not hope that such was Lottie’s condition when Doctor Dodson telegraphed us that she was dead?’

“‘Edward, pray tell me what you mean!’

“‘Exactly what I say. Now stop, Harry; don’t lose control of yourself.’

“‘Edward, you must not trifle with my feelings.’

“‘I do not mean to trifle with your feelings, but I must request you to control them. Do you think you can do it?’

“‘Yes! yes! pray go on.’

“‘Well, in the first place, Lottie is not dead; and in the second place, she is much better; and in the third place, she is going to recover. Now, come, you promised to be calm; remember I hold you to your promise. I will read you the telegram if you will sit down and be perfectly quiet; if you do not, I shall not let you see or hear it.’

“‘What are you talking about? Am I not calm? You don’t expect me not to tremble, do you?’

“‘There, now, just sit perfectly still and hear the good news.’

“He at last fell back on the seat and listened to the reading of the telegram, while his eyes were closed and his hands tightly clasped across his breast. When I had finished reading, I knelt down by his seat and whispered:

“‘Kneel down, Harry; now is the very time to offer thanks.’

“He fell on his knees in an instant, and remained there a long time; and when he got up there was a look of inexpressible joy on his countenance. I was satisfied that he was safe, and then I was happy, too.

“‘Eddie,’ he said, after remaining silent for a few minutes, apparently soliloquizing, ‘if God spares Lottie’s life, I will love and worship Him as long as I live.’

“‘Indeed, we should feel very grateful to Him for such a great blessing,’ I replied.

“‘What is the time?’ he inquired, as he saw me looking at the watch.

“‘11:10,’ was the reply. ‘We will soon see our darling, but we must remember Doctor Dodson’s instructions. Do you think you will be able to command your feelings?’

“‘I believe I will, but it will cost a desperate effort.’

“‘We must remember what is at stake, and not forget ourselves when the critical moment arrives.’

“‘I think you may depend on me now. You know how much misery has resulted from my rashness, and I have had a severe, but I hope a useful, lesson.’

“‘Harry, I have always believed that experiential lessons were the only ones of much value.’

“‘I dare say you are correct in that belief; I have reasons to hope that the sad lessons taught me by experience will make a better man of me.’

“The shriek of the locomotive announced our arrival as the train dashed into the station at Memphis. We found the carriage waiting for us when we stepped on the platform.

“‘How is she?’ I inquired eagerly as I grasped the hand of the old negro coachman.

“‘Better, much better, sir, thank God; we hope she will recover now.’

“‘Go as fast as you can,’ I said, as we entered the carriage.

“The faithful old negro seemed to appreciate the situation, for he took us over the road at the rate of twenty miles an hour. The few pedestrians who were on the streets at that late hour stopped and stared at the carriage as it whirled past them as if they thought the horses were running away.

“‘Some one will be killed certain!’ said a man who stood gazing with wonder as we dashed by him. Many heads were thrust out of the windows; the owners of said heads seemed to have been startled from pleasant dreams by the rattling of the wheels on the pavement.

“Within two minutes from the time we started from the depot I was in the arms of Mrs. Dodson, my good mother. She had been watching at the front gate for our arrival. She kissed my lips, my cheeks, my brow, my temples, and did not slight my nose.

“‘Ah, ha! Here we come, my boy!’ exclaimed Doctor Dodson, as he snatched me from his wife’s arms. ‘Get out of my way, Dolly; ah, ha! don’t smother the boy; don’t you see how he is panting for breath? Stand back, old ’oman; don’t you think I want to hug the boy, too? Ah, ha! here we come.’ Then he made a grab at my body and jerked me against his breast and squeezed me as hard as a polar bear could have done. ‘Ah, ha! my boy, “all’s well that ends well,” you know. Yes, we will all be happy yet; but don’t construe this as an expression of my opinion, by any means. I don’t express my opinion on any subject now.’

“While Doctor and Mrs. Dodson were paying their respects to me, Mrs. Rockland was weeping on Harry’s breast, and Mr. Rockland, who rarely ever suffered anything to disturb his equanimity, was jumping around, trying to get hold of Harry.

“‘How is my darling?’ I inquired, as soon as I could release myself from Doctor Dodson’s embrace.

“‘Better, much better, my boy, thank Heaven!’

“‘Let me see her instantly; I cannot wait a moment longer; I am dying to hold her in my arms!’

“We were at the front gate, some distance from the house.

“‘Ah, ha! my boy, be calm; Lottie is asleep; can’t let you see her now; crisis not passed yet—life hangs by brittle threads—patience, my boy, patience! Keep cool; ah, ha! keep cool, my boy. Give me another hug. There now; ah, ha! that’s like old times. Plaxico is with Lottie; will consult with him; if he thinks there is no risk, you shall see her! ah, ha! that you shall, my boy! Let her sleep, though; she must not be disturbed until she awakes. Take your boots off when you get to the house, my boy—Dolly will get you a pair of slippers. Caution, my boy, caution, you see the necessity of it, don’t you, my boy? Yes, of course you do. Ah, ha! here we come!’

“In pursuance of instructions, I took off my boots and thrust my feet into a pair of cloth slippers which Mrs. Dodson handed to me as we entered the front portico. Mrs. Rockland furnished Harry with a pair of the same sort, and the cat-like movements of all showed how they loved the angelic creature whose life was trembling in the balance. Doctor Dodson whispered a few words to me, then went into Lottie’s room, and soon returned, accompanied by Doctor Plaxico.

“‘How is she now, doctor?’ I inquired.

“‘Oh, she is all right now, sir; I think she will come round handsomely. She is sleeping quite soundly—pulse greatly improved—respiration regular.’

“‘Can we see her now?’ I eagerly demanded.

“‘Yes, certainly, provided you obey instructions to the very letter. Only one of you can go in at a time, and you must not speak to or touch her; but if you have the slightest doubt as to your ability to control your feelings, you had better not go in.’

“‘You go in first,’ said I to Harry.

“‘No, Edward, I yield to you—it is your privilege to see her first. Go in and give me time to get my feelings under control.’

“It was his generous heart that prompted him to give me the preference.

“‘Come with me,’ said Plaxico, as he took hold of my arm, ‘I cannot trust you alone, when so much depends on your actions.’

“As soon as I passed through the half open door I encountered the same sweet scent of flowers that had so strangely come into the coach between Sardis and Grenada. I recognized it instantly; there was no mistaking the delicious fragrance; the carpet was covered with fresh flowers; the mantel was loaded with them. Two large bouquets lay on the snow-white cover of the bed. There lay my darling, pale but beautiful still. Her eyes and lips were closed, and the long, pretty lashes fell over her eyes, concealing them from my view. I approached the bedside silently and fell on my knees near the beautiful patient. I could hear the gentle breathing, and see the regular rise and fall of her bosom, as her sweet breath fanned my cheeks, and it taxed my strength to its utmost capacity to keep from touching her. Doctor Plaxico, doubtless fearing that I might be unable to control myself, stood on the opposite side of the bed, so as to be in front of me, with his finger raised, by way of cautioning me to be quiet. The bed on which the pretty sleeper reposed was near the center of the room, a low French bedstead, and her arms were resting above the white counterpane that covered it. Occasionally a sweet smile would light up her pale, beautiful face, and I could hear her whispering my name.

“‘She is dreaming about you now, Demar,’ whispered Plaxico, as he put his mouth close to my ear. ‘She appears to be thinking of you all the time, both when asleep and awake; she holds your picture in her hand constantly, and I do not believe any one could steal it from her without awaking her.’

“Placing my ear close to her lips, in order to hear what she was saying, my long whiskers happened to touch her chin, when her body instantly began to tremble violently.

“‘Edward is coming home to-night, mother,’ she whispered.

“Was it a sin to worship that charming girl, who dreamed of me while asleep, and loved and prayed for me when awake? If it was, then you may set me down as a very great sinner, for I did worship her with a devotion as fervent and sincere as that with which any heathen ever worshiped his god.

“‘You must retire now, Demar,’ whispered the doctor, ‘as I think there is danger of her being disturbed, for you do not seem to have control of your feelings. Refreshing sleep is what she needs most just now; it is the best restorative in cases of this sort, and it would be very unfortunate if you should happen to disturb her.’

“I reluctantly obeyed his command and withdrew to the parlor, accompanied by him.

“‘How is my dear sister now, doctor?’ eagerly exclaimed Harry, as he met us at the door.

“‘Every symptom appears to be favorable,’ the physician replied. ‘She is sleeping quite soundly, and her fever is entirely gone; pulse greatly improved; but we must be extremely cautious not to give her a sudden shock when she awakes.’

“‘When can I see her?’

“‘I will let you go in any moment when you are sure that you can govern yourself completely, for you shall promise me not to touch or speak to your sister.’

“‘I make the promise now, and beg you to let me see her.’

“Plaxico took his arm and led him into Lottie’s room; and at the end of five minutes he returned, and, sinking down on the sofa, buried his face in his mother’s bosom and burst into tears.

“‘Weep, my dear son,’ said Mrs. Rockland, as she pressed him to her heart, ‘it will do you good; I often find relief in tears when sorrow weighs heavily upon me.’

“‘My dear, good mother,’ he exclaimed, as he threw his arms around her neck, ‘can you ever love me again after I have caused you so many hours of sorrow?’

“‘Love you, my son! Nothing could deprive you of my love; you have erred, but you were deceived by a combination of circumstances that would have misled any one.’

“‘Mother, can you forgive me?’

“‘There is nothing to pardon, my son; you thought your sister was betrayed, and that it was your duty to defend her; you acted upon what appeared to be proof, and not from an evil motive.’

“Doctor Plaxico took a seat near me, and requested Mrs. Rockland to go into Lottie’s room and keep watch until the patient should wake. I then gave the doctor a detailed history of the strange events that happened on the train, and requested him to give me the benefit of his opinion on the subject.

“‘Ah! Demar,’ said he, ‘if you follow the profession as long as I have, you will encounter many curious things. This is the third case of the same sort that I have treated. I was not here when Dodson telegraphed you that she was dead; of course I should have prevented it. Dodson’s heart is too large—it gets away with his judgment. Miss Wallingford was merely in a short trance—a fortunate thing, too, by the by. That was one of nature’s scientific plans adopted to cure the patient; and I think it has succeeded. The authorities differ as to the causes of such a condition, and many different theories have been advanced on the subject; but I am sorry to say that nothing satisfactory has been developed. I am decidedly inclined to the views of the minority, who think that the soul for the time being is absolutely out of the body. You say that Miss Wallingford was with you on the train at exactly 9:20. I believe it, too, for that was the very moment when she fell into the trance. Now if the soul was temporarily released from the body, where would it be most likely to go? Of course to where her affections led—to the man of whom she had been thinking all the time. If my theory is not correct, your imagination was at fault, and you were mistaken in your belief. The fact is, Demar, the more we study and theorize on this subject, the more complicated it seems. I often rack my brain about the matter until it all ends in confusion. God was the Artist who made the wonderful machine called man, and he crammed him full of mystery, eccentricities and unaccountable things. Well, Demar, the best way to secure true happiness is to fear God and keep His commandments; and let Him run the machine in his own way. What is, is, and that’s all we know about it. We don’t know the cause of things; and the less we puzzle our brains about it the better for us. But let me tell you, Demar, you ought to worship God day and night, as long as you live. What have you ever done for Him, by way of compensation for what He has done for you? He made Miss Wallingford; she is the paragon of beauty and loveliness—an angel in disposition; and then He made her fall in love with you. That is more than you deserve—more than any sinner deserves.’

“‘I know it, doctor, and I acknowledge my obligation, and have resolved never to forget it.’

“‘Excuse me, Demar, I must now go and see my patient; I will return presently.’

“After Lottie had slept three hours Doctor Plaxico consented for me to go into her room again.

“‘I think she will wake very soon,’ said he, ‘and you had better be present then; you must be very cautious and not exhibit any unusual emotion. Remember she is in a critical condition, and the slightest shock might prove fatal, and govern yourself accordingly. At first I thought that probably it would be better to let some one break the news of your arrival to her, before letting her see you; but upon second thought I have concluded to allow you to be present when she awakes. Place yourself near the bed, take hold of her hand, press it gently, and remain very quiet; be sure you do not make any demonstrations when you see her eyes open.’

“This was a hard command, but I made up my mind to obey it, believing, as I did, that it was wisely given. Kneeling down near the bed, I took her left hand in mine, pressing it gently to my lips, when she instantly commenced to roll her head from one side to the other.

“‘Let go her hand, quick!’ the doctor whispered.

“I obeyed instantly, but was puzzled to know his reasons for giving such an order. Plaxico stood with his finger on his mouth, which I understood to be a command for me to maintain silence. Any one might have heard the throbbing of my heart across the room, while every nerve in my body was quivering violently.

“‘Now take hold of her hand again, and be careful to remain quiet.’

“The very instant my hand touched hers she again began to tremble; raising her other hand, she commenced to pass it round, as if searching for something, while her lips were continually moving; and every now and then I distinctly heard my name pronounced. I was informed by the doctor that she was under the influence of a very strong opiate, which I suppose accounted for the apparent uneasiness of her slumber. Five minutes, perhaps, had elapsed after I took hold of her hand the second time when she touched my cheek; then running her fingers among my whiskers, she began to pat me on the face. At length her eyes flew open; and after gazing at me for a moment in a bewildered way, she laid her right arm around my neck, drew my head down on the pillow, close to her cheek, and whispered in my ear many sweet expressions of affection. There were no evidences of violent emotion or extravagant outbursts of excitement, but her voice sounded like the cooing of a dove. My face was moistened with the tears that streamed from her eyes; but they were tears of unmixed joy.

“‘I thought they had killed my noble-hearted hero,’ she whispered, as she drew her arm closer about my neck. ‘I have been very unjust to my poor brother, but I thought he and Heartsell had murdered you; and you must bring him here, so I can ask him to pardon me. I was with you and my brother on the train last night, and tried to speak to you, but could not make you hear me. Our mother was with me, and she says that she is our guardian angel, commissioned to watch over us—she was such a beautiful angel, too; I never beheld anything so pretty.’

“‘Miss Wallingford,’ said Doctor Plaxico, ‘I think it would be very imprudent for you to talk any more just now.’

“‘I would not venture to disobey a peremptory order of yours, doctor, but I believe that a conversation with Harry and Edward would do me more good now than any medicine you could give me. Let me see my dear brother immediately, and then you may demand silence.’

“‘I had better grant your request than to raise a row by refusing,’ observed the doctor, as he went to bring Wallingford in.

“When Harry entered the room, I could see that he was making a vigorous effort to restrain his great emotions; sinking down on the opposite side of the bed, he allowed his sister to embrace him.

“‘Brother dear,’ whispered Lottie, ‘can you forgive the great wrong I have done by my unjust suspicions against you?’

“‘Ah! my darling sister, it is I who ought to sue for pardon; because if I had heeded your advice, all this sorrow might have been prevented. If you only will get well, and love me in the future as you have in the past, I shall yet be happy. Let us endeavor to eradicate from our memory the sad occurrences of the past; and I solemnly promise never again to set up my judgment against yours.’

“‘Oh, my good brother! how happy you have made me! I soon shall be well again. I thought at one time that I could leave this world without regret; but it is different with me now; I do not want to die, because I have something worth living for.’

“‘Now, Miss Wallingford,’ said Plaxico, ‘I must positively drive these two gentlemen out of the room, unless you will agree to be perfectly quiet.’

“‘I will make any promise, in the bounds of reason, if you will let them remain with me.’

“‘Very well; they may stay, if you will hush.’

“Harry held her right hand and I her left, while I drank deep draughts of love from the dear eyes that were gazing up into my own. Who can describe the inexpressible joy that one feels when he knows himself to be the exclusive owner of such a heart as the one that throbbed in the breast of Lottie Wallingford? It would be extreme folly on my part to attempt to convey to my audience a description of the great happiness I enjoyed then. My heart was almost drowned with the excess of delight.