West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-09-15

Three weeks passed by, when, lol the
old lady came again.
She walked into my consulting-room
dressed as before, rs greatly agitated, a.
carefully. polite
sir, she said, again trouble YOU
| My poor daughter! Come at once"
Madam ! answered lit is a doc
tors duty, rs it should be his pleasure.
to obey such calls; but YOU are aware
that L have been sent from your door
twice without seeing the patient Allow
me to ask you u question-are YOU the
mistress of the houseg'
Heaven knows / am" said the old
lady. 81 have lived there for forty years.
own IL. am the only person under
that roof who has right to give an
order"
And the person who sent me away %
My old servant Margaret"
Did she do il at your order?'
| " No, sir; IL was piece of presump-
tion. But Margaret means we'll; she
! loves us."
'Then, madam, if accompany YOU
shall see the patientp
" Assuredly, sir"
put on my hat again, and we went
out of the house together. We exchanged
very few words as we walked the streets.
AT the door of the house the old lady
| paused.
Don't mind Margaret" she whis-
| percd. She means we'll"
Then she ascended the steps
At the last one the door was opened To
us by the woman | had seen twice be-
! fore.
The doctor must see my child, Mar
garct," sad the old lady.
Margaret stepped back.
Walk in, sir" was all she said.
The old lady beckoncd me to follow
her. did so. She went up stairs and
opened the first door we came To. Ii was
an empty bedroom. She closed Il with
sigh. The next room into which she
led me was also empty. So were all the
! others. In effect, we visited six apart
ments, only one of which seemed to be
regularly occupied as sleeping cham
ber; and ut last the old lady turned
TO me with strange glitter in her eyes
Stolen" she said, stolen, some
body has stolen my girl. Sir, do YOU
know, | think il must be Satan ~
Then steady step crossed the sill.
Margaret came in, and the old lady.
bursting into tears, suffered her TO lead
her away.
As made my way down stairs, Mar
garet rejoined me.
" You understand it now" she re-
piled.
do, indeed" said.
She had daughter once" said Mar
garet, and the girl-a pretty creature of
slXteen-ran away with bad man. She
a
forgiveness. HermOther turned her from
the door in fury. IL was night the
rain and hail beat down upon the poor
thing and the wind buffeted her. There
is no knowing what happened to her that
night; but next morning, she Law dead
in the police station. Her mothers adj
dress was pinned to her baby's clothing,
and they brought her home. From that
day, sir, my mistress-who, in her re-
morse and delirium, called i'm twenty
doctors to bring her dead daughter to
life-has always been doing what she
has done to you. try To keep the secret
generally, hut some find it out and 9th
crs think odd things of us. / thought
would let you know the truth. If She
contrives to call again to you, you can
always promise to call, and so be rid of
her. Poor soul she has nobody i'm the
world but me now. She's punished for
her hardness, at any rate, and you'll ex-
cuse her conduct"
bowed. | could say nothing. Mar
garetOpened the door for ME and / walked
out into the fresh air.
As looked back upon the house, with
all it's, elegance, it seemed to have
haunted air, as though the ghost of the
ri cfi
God only knows how many fearful
secrets such handsome houses NAV at
times shut in,'' said TO myself as |
turned my back upon il gladly.
i have never seen the poor old lady
since that hour. Probably Margaret has
kept too close watch upon her.