Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-01

clouds, the same wan gray atmosphere
that had depressed my spirits all day
long.
'fHow strangep he cried. Just rs
I reached the steps the clouds suddenly
parted in the west, and blood-red
light illuminated everything; trees,
walls, stones, were crimson in the glow.
rushed in to call you and now it has
van shed as instantly as it came. But
how pale you look, Kate! Are you illP'
You may imagine that | felt heartily
ashamed of my folly. And yet, scold
myself as l may. never can be Mt ease
in this room when it begins to grow
dusk. / always have horrible fear of
seeing those yellow spots and streaks
suddenly turn blood-red again. OF
course it's absurd; nobody knows that
better than I, but can't help it,"
Elsie sat looking thoughtfully at her
sisters's bugbear for n few moments,
then her blue eyes flashed with delight,
and clapping her little hands like q
child, she sprang from her chair, ex-
claiming, 81 have it, Kate dear, have
it; just the very idea. Wen change
the old mantelpiece completely with
out using anything but little paint,
and, moreover, not anger the old mans
ghost by even driv ing a nail into the
beloved souvenir of his youth"
Painti' asked Kate: dsubtfully,
"I'm used to being helped out of diff
culties by your bright ideas, Elsie, dear,
but don't see how paint"
Don't youp" interrupted her sister.
quickly. "Of course not, else it would
be your idea, not mine. Listen quietly,
then, to my superior wisdom"-draw-
ing up her pretty figure with an air of
mock dgnity as she spoke" and I'll
elucidate. You remember the pair of
Sorrento brackets | brought home, and
which you admired so much yester-
dayw., dayw
my bugbearp"
Didn't you say the inlaid-work
looked like paintingp"
Yes"
"Well, then, here is my idea, my
brand-new, bright idea, ever so much
easier to carry out than my wise sis
ter's blistering of fingers and hammer
ing of thumbs. You see the long mar
row panel over the hearth?"
Yes"
"And the two oblong panels, one on
each side, and the little square panels
above themP"
well, what in the world have they
to do with Sorrento bracketsm
wait minute. You see, too, how
very deeply sunken they are in the
woodwork, much deeper than / should
think necessary, but Just the thing for
my idea. I'll get very thin pieces of
wood to fit over them exactly, paint
lovely garlands of poppies, corn-now-
ers and wheat on the long panels,
charming little bouquets on the square
ones, then you can have the rest of the
wood eboniZed, and / assure you your
bugbear' will be far from the least
pretty thing in your drawing-room.
Where's your yard-measure, Kate?n
and in a second her white fingers were
deity taking the dimensions of the
various panels.
1.-The system of modern humbug had
begun thirty years ago, Kate. This
mantelpiece isn't half so substantial
as the work put into the old mansion a
century before. Why, the central panel
is really shaky; the wood has warped,
l suppose; perhaps it ratified a little
the other evening, and your lively i'm
agination made you fancy you heard the
chink of money"
" "rerhaps so. I'm ready to admit
anything in sheer gratitude for beng
delivered from the sight of those hOrri-
bic streaks and splashes. You're n
jewel of sister. Elsie, and Harry
dear old fellow will be as delighted
as | am. know he has been on the
point of telling me to have it taken
away n dozen times; then the recollec-
tion of his uncle's last words stopped
him. wouldn't have had it demolished,
much rs it has tormented me. but your
idea will make n complete transforma-
ton. Yes, it will be lovely. can see
it in my minds eye already"
And you shall see it in reality in ten
days. | shall begin as soon as | get
home tomorrow, and work like Tro-
jan to deliver you from your ghostly
visions. Such funny thing for you
to be superstitious. Kate"
Mrs. Van Schenck to Miss Elsie Her
ton:
"Oh, Elsie, my darling, am the hap
piest little woman in the world. and all
through your idea Let me try
whether l can tell the story intelligibly.
for it all happened scarcely two hours
ago, and | sit scribbling, while my lord
and master, like the king in Mother
Goose's rhymes, is counting out his
money really feel giddy with the
sudden plunge from dread of approach
ing ruin to the possession of wealth be-
yond our dreams; and just here let me
assert that / really did hear the chink
of money that ghostly afternoon.
Harry brought the box of panels
down from the city, and after dinner
pretended could not wait till to-mor-
row 10 try their effect, and begged him
to open it. / really only did so to divert
his thoughts from his business cares; he
looked so white and sad, poor fellow,
that had little interest enough even In
laying my ghost. He hesitated mo-
ment, then said: I: ] have something to
tell you, Kate; but it can wait till we
have seen Elsie's pretty work. And
added under his breath, but l caught
the words: Trouble will come to her
soon enough, poor child
1--WE easily wrenched off the lid, and
Harry really seemed to forget his wor-
ries a moment while admiring the