Omaha daily bee., 1874-08-05
my ONLY GHOST.

order of courage which consists In
not knowing what fear is. 1t was
an imperfection of nature which
was unnecessarily lauded at the ex.
pense Of my brothers and sisters,
who, having a more poetical and
more highly strung organization
than myself, did know what feal
was. But I laughed aloud when my
dear friend Mrs. Morton asked me il
l should be afraid to live in bel
beautiful house alone during the
summer months. Alone so far as
companionship went, but with a
man and his wife to cook and wash
for me, to shut up and open and
protect the premises. 1 afraid
Never! So she gave me ample
fiduciary powers. She was going to
Europe I, poor relation, was only
too glad to have such a luxurious
home. AS she took me over the
house, / saw her eyes fill with tears
as he essayed to open a certain door.
L remembered that even in this for
tunate life had come the inevitable
grief. There was one empty chair,
one dead lamb. The eldest daughter
had married, had gone abroad for
her wedding journey, and had been
brought home to be laid in yOnder
churchyard which we could see
from the windows.
Yes, this was Gertrude's roomi!
There was her portrait on the wall.
A straight young woman, with a
profusion of light hair, blue eyes,
with a far-of look, a melancholy
beauty, tender and twilight-that
face which the French call predesti-
nee. She was dressed in diaphan-
GUS white, with here and there a
blue ribbon, and her beautiful hands
were clasped ON what seemed to be
a balcony.
Around the room were costly tri-
fies, the spells of an European trip.
The room was fitted up queerly with
handsome firearms, suits of armor,
boxing gloves, and fencing foils.
1 looked to Mrs. Morton for an ex-
PLANTATION.
"This suite of rooms," she ex-
planned, ~ have given up to my
son-in-law, MI. Ayscough. During
your residence here you will have
an occasional visit from him. He
comes and goes as he pleases. In
the adjoining rooms are poor Ger
trude's trunks, which neither he nor
1 have ever thoroughly unpacked,
! because we have never had the
courage" -
She led me through the spacious
ante-room, linen-closet, and SO on
to a large bedroom, where we're
many trunks. Some dresses hung
in the closets, some bottles Of per-
fume, dressing-cases, and little
lady-like things strewed the bureau
and table. A lady might have just
stepped from her toilet it seemed
occupied and home-like. 1t was
evident that the young husband
found a sad pleasure in thus ur-
rounding himself with the material
for grief. Poor Mrs. Morton looked
about her through her tears. We
retraced our steps, but in passing
again through the linen-closet, she
turned. and, opening a little door,
disclosed a garnet staircase.
"Come and see where my children
used to go up and down." said she.
oThese were my rooms in the days
of young motherhood. Come and
see my old nursery
So we mounted upward into the
large, spacious room, which deserved
a better name than garnet. and she
led me to a comfortable apartment
whose windows commanded a
splendid view of the surrounding
city. I could not help saying what
| have so often felt: "Why r not
the disused houses of the rich the
summer homes of the poor?" Mrs.
Morton did not seem to feel that
she was called on to put these COM
Portable apartments to any such use.
She only called my attention to a
gigantic wisteria vine which coiled
round the window, and which was
now in its full blossom, and reached,
Ike "Jack's beanstalk," from the
earth, in ever-ascending, ambitious
tendrils, to the chimneys of this,
the fourth story. We visited the
other rooms, which had the plain,
decent furniture of an opulent and
sensible household. There they
were, empty and deserted, but clean
and good. We closed the blinds
and windows, came down, and re-
tracing our steps through Gertrude's
rooms, we locked the doors behind
us. / took possession of the key, to
deliver it, when he should arrive,
to Mr.. Ayscough.
Occasionally, 1 visited these
rooms of his to air them, and to see
that no stray mouse or intruder had
violated their quiet loneliness. I
was very much attracted by Ger
trude's picture. 1t so happened
that / had never seen her; her brief
hour of youthful bloom had been
spent before I returned, an army
officers widow, from my hard life
on the western frontier. Often, 1
would stand and look at the picture
by the hour-it fascinated me; then
rousing myself from my revery, 1
would complete my rounds, and 60
back to my room.
After Mrs. Morton had been gone
about q month, I had q visit from
Mr.. Ayscough. He was a pale and
interesting young man, very re-
fined and educated, evidently much
Influenced by his sorrow. He
talked necessarily about his wife,
and was interested in my admira-
ton of her portrait he took me in
to show me some of the contents of
the trunks. To my horror 1 found
hat some Very valuable jewelry
and silver comprised part of that
mysterious luggage which had
never been unpacked.
"But Mr.. Ayscough," I exclaim-
ed, "you are not going to leave
these valuable things here in this
empty house, unlocked and strewn
about in these trunks, and with no
one but me to take care of them J"
He laughed a sort ofemptylaugh,
as il he did not oare much what be-
came of them, and gave me no sort
of satisfaction. From that mo-
ment, l do not know why, 1 began
10 feel troubled. Ihadhad the COM
fort of seeing all the family silver
off to the bank before Mrs.
Morton went away, and, if I had
thought of them at all, 1 was con-
WINGED that all burglars were aware
that fact and would never trouble
me in the least. Now ] had q sort
uneasy sensation about MI. Ays-
room mhIoh / Would nla dlu