The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-11-07


both to New York.
After that nothing more was heard of
them. Their names ceased to be spO-
ken, but old Mr.. SOmers aged rapidly,
and ere the Spring came he was laid in
his grave, and Jane, the spinster sister,
went, none knew whittier.
The months glided on, and two years
passed by. 1t was October again, 1869,
and the day had arrived when we four
girls had promised to assemble again at
Mary Smiths.
1t was not difficult for me to keep my
promise, for l was now Will Smiths
wife, and my home was under the roof
where had kept HallOweve two years
previous. Maud, now Mrs. Harry Rice,
and Mary-who, oddly enough, had, a
year before, married q wealthy widow
er of unprepossessing appearance and
none too sweet temper-bOth came down
from the city on the noon express.
Maud and both proudly exhibited to
each other our lovely babes, while Mary,
childless, lavishly showed us her new
diamonds-worth fortune-which she
said she supposed would not purchase
either one of the babies.
"Oh, well, girls,' she said merrily,
Providence is just in its distribution of
favOrs, l think. You have love, and !
have mOney-and both are content.
My husband has his peculiarities and l
have mine-the chief one, being love
of money. Isn't it fortunate the pre-
dictiOn of Halloweve was SO well car
ried out for us all?''
nd 70
knOU that those fellows were in the
house," laughed Maud. "The idea of
my lying awake as 1 did until dawn, with
supcrstitious awe because had seen the
spirit of Harry-and he in another room
chuckling over it. I have never forgiv-
en- him for it.''
So we sat, reviewing the past two
years, until the shadows of night fell.
Maud and l rocked our fair-cheekcd
boys to sleep, and tucked them in their
snowy bed and talked of their childish
peculiarities and cunning, precOcious
ways, and Mary told us of the brilliant
life she was leading as society queen,
and then we spoke of Callie.
"How very mysterious her fate is"
said Maud. I" 1t seems strange that no
one has ever heard of her since she went
away"
~ WONDER" said, i" if her thoughts
are with us tonight. l wonder if she
remembers. You know she said if she
did not come herself perhaps her ghost
would"
As l said the word, we all looked
simultaneously toward the hall. The
sitting-rOOm door was open into the
hall, and each of us had heard a
sound
"What was that?" asked Maud.
'sIt sounded like hand on the out
side door-knob," Mary answered; and l
SO, the outer door opened slowly, and a
woman entered-a woman who, from
her extreme thinness, looked very tall
her dark, shabby cloak chung about her
in damp folds, for it was raining, and
she staggered as she came into the
warmth and light of the hall, from the
darkness and gloom without. 1 took
her arm and led her into the room, and,
as the full light of the lamp fell upon
her face, there was one cry from three
pair oflips-
L" Great heavens, it is Callie!"
She turned her dark sunken eyes from
face to face, and then crouched down
in corner of the room and hid her head
in her arms. Great sObs shook her
wasted frame, and in a moment we were
all gathered about her-all working
while one was removing the shabby bon
net of soiled velvet, and another chatting
the poor thin hands.
"Don't DON'T" she cried. 81 an
not wOrthy-yOu must not touch me!
Do you hear? You must not touch me!
I ought not to have come, but the men,
DRY of old life was too strong upon me.
I could not stay away. felt something
drawing me back here, to look at the old
scenes once more. But you must not
touch me. must go away again now"
She started to her feet, but the warmth
of the room overcame her. She tot
tered, and would have fallen had we not
supported her in our arms. Then pre-:
pared a bed for her, and, while Mary
and Maud disrObed the poor wasted
form, l ordered warm bath and
brought forth snowy linen, and in an
hour she LAY, perhaps for the first time
in months, on soft, clean couch.
She never spoke during the hour, but
when l brought her cup of smoking
hot tea and begged her to drink it, she
turned her sunken eyes toward me and
smiled family. 81 can not eat or drink"
she said. 81 only want to lie here and
rest-rest-rest. - Then she sank away
again. ., how she was changed! She
looked old, and worn, and haggard, and
all her beauty had gone rs with blight
ing disease. She seemed to sleep, and
just before midnight she opened her
dark eyes, and her face lighted with a
smile.
You know 1 said my ghost would
come and be with you," she said in
clear voice. "That was two years ago,
when was young and pure. Oh, you
must not touch me. 1 must 60 away,
now that have seen the old faces. 1
must go back out into the darkness
again. l am going out to lie down on
my fathers grave-that was what l
meant to do after looked at you all just
once, and l must go nOw-back-int
the darkness-' Then her head fell
forward, and she was dead.
And so we kept our second Halloweve.
Ella Wheeler, tn Chicago Tribune.
--
Rigurea DOnst Lie.