The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-05-15

said Rose. eff any harm ever comes
to me through either of them, I'll prom
Use to come to you, Mr.. Sharpe, or send
my ghost to tell you who did it. And
you must hunt him down for it. Will
you promise me that p"
Yes, 1 will, said "and there's
my hand upon it."
Aud we shook hands, had a laugh over
it, and thought that the last of it of
course. Well, went away soon after,
and it was year almost to a day before
ever saw the place again. Then 1 had
almost forgotten there was such per-
son as Rose Wynne.
The case l was ON was a very import
ant one, and 1 didn't want it known 1
was around at all. SO I had disguised
myself in farmer kind of rig, that 1
don't believe my own mother would
have known me in. had stopped at a
cheap lodging house at the end of the
town, because suspected some of the
gang was after frequneted it.
Id had my supper, and gone to my
room to sit by the window and study a
bit about the business in hand. 1 am
positive 1 wasn't thinking of Rose
Wynne. I don't believe 1 had thought
OF her since l got there, my head was SO
full OF business.
My room was on the grouud floor, and
tho window was open. It was growing
dusk. 1t wasn't "a very nice part of the
toWn-lots of roughs about, You know {;
30 when saw woman standing all at
once there under my window-alone too
Il though it was very queer but when
she looked up, and saw IT was Rose
Wynne, thought that was queerer vet.
She was all in black, even her head
was wound about with thick folds of
black, and never had seen her so sad
and solemn. She came close to the
window and looked up at me.
Mr.. Sharpe ?" she said.
jumped for you see I did not
think any one would know me, fixed
up as l was, and said in whisper
I" Is it really you, Rose2 Don't
speak loud, please, for 1 don't want
to he known here"
She went right on without seeming
to have heard me.
" Harm has come to me" she said,
"and it was Andy Davis. Remember
your promise"
And then, all in fash, she was gone,
aud l couldn't have told where, up,
down, or round the corner of the house:
only she'd gone, and hadn't seen her
go.
As sat staring out. with her words
going through and through my head,
began to feel kind of creepy and odd.
Now, don't believe any one who knows
me would call me superstitious. But
dl'at once, as sat there, it came over
me that may be had seen r Dse Wynne's
ghost instead of herself. She had GER
tainly spoken and looked very strangely
for living woman.
Then / laughed at myself for the
fancy.
"Sharpe, old fellow" said 1, "you
know there are no such things as ghosts.
What in the name of common sense are
you dreaming OFF"
And l put on my coat and hat and
went out into the town to see if could
learn anything about the business had
come down there upon.
Every now and then as I walked along
in the darkness the thought of Rose
Wynne would come over me with kind
of thrill, and seemed to hear her say
ing:
Remember your promise.
tried to shake off the impression,
but all to no purpose, and at last step
ped into q store and said to a clerk. a
fellow whom 1 recognized as one of
Roses old admirers:
els there a young girl living round
here by the name of Rose WynneP
Cause I've got letter for her.
"Then you've got a letter for a dead
woman," he said. "Rose Wynne is
dead; drowned in the river"
"Who did it ?" 1 asked, turning
cold.
"Did it herself, 1 suppose. never
heard of any one else being accused of
it."
"And why should sheP Where is
Andy Davis?" blurted out, before 1
knew what was about.
ooh, Andy went away ever so long
ago. guess Rose and he were engaged.
1t was thought that they quarreled may
be, and that was why she drowned her
SELF"
1 did not continue the conversation
but left the store and went back to my
room.
That night 1 dreamed that Rose came
to my bedside, and stood looking at me
Just as she had under my window, and
said:
1T was Andy Davis; remember your
promise"
Well, 1 made some more inquiries
round and found the general impress
sion was that Rose had drowned herself,
just as the clerk had told me. The body
had never been found, but she was
missing, and her handkerchief and
gloves, and the hat she wore the night
she disappeared, were picked up on the
river bank. The water was very swift
here, and it was generally believed the
body had drifted out to the lake.
Well, 1 had some pretty curious
thoughts. Was Rose dead or wasn't she
At all events there was a mystery, and
1 was just the fellow to ferret it out.
l. l.