The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-07-24
Miss Mildred's Warning.

AsS ~AAo1eus warning.
'"There, girls!"
Eltrlda Moore held aloft before us q
dreadful image. "a homemade ghost. '
sne called 1t, laughing at the terrific result
OF her half hour of sedulous occupation.
1t aOas horrible
we had been reading, that afternoon,
ABOUT the Princess Amelia, the ill-fated
sister of Frederick, King of Prussia.
one thing brought up another. And
when an allusion was made to the ssWoman
with the Broom" who was said to have
haunted the Prussian palace, at that time
Eltrlda sought carpet brush with lone
handle, In the closet at the head of the
stairs, and, standing IN the outer chamber
alone, began to dress 1t artistically in a
sheet, by way of showing us her own idea
OF the phantom that troubled the rest of
Prussia's kings.
we girls were alone in the wing chamber.
which had been allotted for our occupancy
iby Miss Mildred Fay, the owner of the
lovely farm, and the comfortable old-f fash
loned farmhouse, in Western Pennsylvania.
where. with our parents and other friends.
weWere spending the early vacation months
OF the opening summer.
One other girl, Elfrida's first cousin
Evelyn Moore, shared the wing chamber
with us.
She had now gone to the village, two
miles distant. for the evening mail.
And Elfrida, who was somewhat enyious
OF EVelyn's superior scholarship, social
position and good looks, declared that she
would leave her "woman with the broom"
80 near the door of our chamber, and in
such position, that it would inevitably
iali against Evelyn, as soon as she entered
to bring our letters.
'Sne says that she ls afraid of nothing
That she does not believe in ghosts and
apparitiens," she said to us. .sNow let's
Try her courage. We will hide in the un-
nnlshed chamber, outside, where we can
see and hear all that passes between her
and my phantom"
respectful distance, and feeling half afraid
OF the hideous taco and the flaming eves
which Elfrida had drawn with a few
touches Of her crayon and little phoa.
phorus on tho white surface of the sheet
ruetitng sound and movement in the onter
chamber made us all huddle together. and
strain our eyes fearfully toward its dusky
entrance.
we all fell relieved, think Ct own that
:! ala, for one), when our hostess, Miss
mildred, emerged from the gloom, and en-
tered our room without pausing to knock.
El1rlda tried to thrust the homemade
ghost into corner, quite out of sight, But
IL was useless to try to conceal from Miss
nllidred ssearchi- gly-comprehensive glance
the hapless apparition.
(which OF you girls made this9 Why
dld you make It ~ she asked bold;np i
out at arms length.
Elfrida told her.
AND please, Miss Mildred, don't tell
Evelyn,' she said, coaxingly. "We only
wlsh 70 lind out whether she Is reoliv
drawer about such things than we are. She
says she Is; and she declared the other
evening that the real woman with the
Droom,' would not have frightened her in
the Ieast-if she had seen ard heard her
sweeping. mean, in the passages of the
royal palace"
And did you believe her ?" asked Miss
Mildred, bending her keen, gray ewes on
Elfrida's eager face.
mo; / did not" confessed Elfrida.
"Did you7"
Miss Mildred addressed us.
l owned that I had my doubts,
marion Hurst, with half-avertcd, timid
LOOK at the dreadful object, that was still
held by our hostess, declared that she had
no doubt whatever.
mo one could help feeling terrified at
such slight coming suddenly upon thcm,"
she averred.
gu are mono Of you without your fair
snare OF common sense, 'said Miss Mildred.
"And yet you can deliberately plan and aid
and abet deed like this %
She tossed the image out into the dark.
open chamber.
With an angry exclamation, Elfrida was
sprlnging after 1t; but she found herself
held back by strong hand.
''No, girls that same thing has been
done In this very house once before. Wait
till tell you what came of it before you
try agin to carry 1t out"
AT the thought Of hearing a story, Elfrida
forgot her nlomentary anger, and crowded
In beside us, near the chair at the window,
whore Miss Mildred had now seated her
self.
She looked at us very sadly. Tho half
light may have deceived me, but thought
then, and still think, that hcr keen gray
eyes were full Of tears, as she began to
speak,
II did not alway live here by myself,
girls, IN the old homestead" she said
"Five and-twenty years ago, my dear
mother and father were here; and had a
darling brother, one year older than my
self, named Oliver, and a sister, younger
Than either Of us, who was called fsadore,