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

glance / gave it-and then, dropping
the mirror, ran with q smothered
shrek up the stairs into the sitting
room, to meet Maud LandOn rushing
quite as frantically dO,cn stairs with dis
tended eyes and pale lips.
"Oh, Maud! :" cried, "whO-what
did you seep"
She clasped both hands over her heart
to quiet its beating, and dropped into a
chair. "Wait till the other girls come"
she said.
Mary came shortly, weighed down
with an enormous cabbage. She shook
half a bushel or earth, nearly, on the
floor, and revealed tiny, corky stalk,
of decidedly bitter flavor, and, while
we were laughing at her prospects of a
rich old lover, the door opened, and adj
mitted Callie. Callie, but not the pale,
distract, languid Callie who had left us,
but the old Callie, with glowing checks,
and laughing, dancing eyes, and over
flowing spirits.
SWELL" we all cried in breath,
what did you see, Callie?''
Callie gave ripple of mirthful
laughter, as she threw back her long
curIs. "Oh, saw ghost in long
white Sheet" she said, "and he cried,
in sepulchral voice, maiden, your
doom is death, and the grave will be
your bridal-bed.' Come, tell me what
you saw
81 saw-something," said Maud.
GAS true as live and breathe, while l
sat there eating the apple in the dark, a
light appeared behind me, and / saw
the face and form Of-Harry Rice! 1t
is as true as 1 live, and if did not kno,D
he was in the city should believe he
was in this house,
Harry Rice was Maud's betrothed,
whom she was to wed another year.
"And you, Kate?" queried Mary, but
1 refused to tell.
81 saw face" said, sbut do not
like to tell who it was. The person was
in my mind, and it may have been fancy,
though wonderfully like reality. But
Callie has not told us all yet. l am sure
she saw more than she claims. lido not
believe she would look so radiant if she
had seen ghost"
But, truly, girls" cried Callie, with
the old ring in her voice had not heard
in months, "truly, did see a ghost. 1
stood by the graveyard fence, and just
before l entered l saw a ghost, and it
frightened me SO l did not 90 i'm
But whose ghost was it?' asked
Mary.
alt was the ghost of living person,
and that is all can tell YOU"
"SOme one who was trying to frighten
you," suggested Maud.
ly. 81 think screamed, but did not
faint or fall. The ghost only succeeded
in hindering me from entering the yard,
but suppose you will all set me down
as coward for not fulfilling that part
of my contract. Well, in order to prove
that 1 am not coward, will tell you l
am going home now alOne.''
"GOing home!" we echoed, "why, l
thought you were to stay all night?''
Impossible" Callie answered. "My
sister is not well, and will need me in
the morning."
"Then / will go, too,'' said, rising.
81 really ought to go, but did not like
the idea of going alone. We will be to-
gether all but short distance for each. ~
"Very WE'LL" Callie answered, and
we QOnneu our wraps.
81 have a proposition to Make" said
Maud Landon, as we all stood by the
door. "Let us all promise to he here in
two years from tonight, if it is among
the 1,ossi6les. 1 think it would be
splendid to meet and talk it all over,
and see how much had come true"
Mary and both said "agreed" in a
breath, and Callie answered slowly, 'If
it is possible l will -with-you. If
not, perhaps my ghost will. Goodnight,
girls-this has been real old fash
ioned good time! You can't think how
much have enjoyed it,
"That sounds like the old Callie we
used to know" 1 heard Mary say, as
the door closed, and 1 drew Callie's arm
closer in mine, with an unspOken feeling
of thankfulness that the blithe girl had
returned to me. We walked briskly,
and parted at the lane. Callic had but
a few rods to go, and l something like a
quarter of mile.
"Run, Callic," said, ssand l will,
and if either of us gets frightened we
will call OUT
sob, 1 shall not be frightened" she
answered, and then she did something
unusual for her. She drew my face
down and kissed me.
"Good night, DEAR" she said, and
then she was gone.
reached home safely, and let myself
in noiselessly, and was soon in bed.
But did not sleep for long time. l
heard the upward-bOund train 60 thun-
dering by at O'Clock, and it seemed to
me the wall of the whistle was more
like a lost souls moan than ever; and
thought of the face l had seen in the
vision and wondered if my vivid fancy
had created the image l longed for, or
if Will Smiths wraiM had really come
to foretell the joy l had hoped for in my
ing, fell asleep.
1t was perhaps the middle of the fol-
lowing afternoon when Jane SOmers,
Callie's spinster-sister, entered our house
very much excited, and asked for Callie.
"Callie is not here" said,. in sur
prise.
"Then where is she?" cried Jane.
al have just come from Mary Smith s,
and she told me Callie left with you last
night. She did not come home, and
| where is she?'
Well, where was she? vainly was the
question asked, for none could tell.
1 went over to Mary Smiths, and
found her, and Maud, and Will, and
Harry Rice all talking the n after over.
"Oh Kate!" cried Mary, "did you
ever know of any thing so mean as these
bOys?' pointing to Will and Harry.