Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-04-07
THE ALIONBY GHOST.

be the heroine of a romantic adven-
ture than poor, plain, little Margaret
| Henderson. However, she was
modest, sweet-tempered and mod
erately cleyer, and girls of this kind
will always find some admirer as
long as sensible men exist. Not
that at the time my story commen-
ces Margaret had lover; on the
contrary, she had always been too
busy to entertain an idea at once so
pleasant and so eXtravagant.
Indeed, there was not much room
for extravaganza of any kind in
Margaret's home. Her father was
only the village scho'I-master, and
| his salary was ESQ a year-nOt a
| very great income when there was
a large family to support out of it.
And unfortunately Margaret's eldest
brother, who ought TO have been a
great help to the family, was a
trouble-a genuine black sheep,
indeed, who had, however, fiualIy
taken himself away to foreign pas
| lures.
Margaret had been his only friend
when he was at home, and it was
generally believed that even in his
se!f-imposed Punishment he kept
up regular correspondence with
his sister, but there were no proofs
of this, and Margaret never in any
way alluded to him. If she had
this little bit of secret romance in
her life, it was the one relief to wea-
risome and monotonous days of pro-
sale labor.
But no ill-fortune lasts forever.
By dint of hard and persevering
efforts Margaret at length acquired
an education which she thought
might warrant her advertising for
the situation of governess. The APP
plicatiOn brought her an answer
signed "Alice Selby, for Lady AL
ionby." Alionby Castle was in a
distant shire; it looked almost like
going into d foreign country to
Margaret, but, upon the whole, she
preferred it SO. Deep down in the
little woman's heart was a strong
vein of romance, and her fancy was
| taken by this dream of little child
in big, lonely castle; and indeed
the castle, without the child, would
have been attraction enough.
So Lady Alionby's terms were at
once accepted, and week after
ward she found herself standing
| alone at the gates of Alionby Park.
The stage-cOach had dropped her
i and her small trunk there, and
after waiting in fhe lodge quarter
of an hour, quiet old lady, driving
a low pOny-ph8ton, called for her.
| She introduced herself as "MrS.
Selby," and after some slight apollo
gy for not being there when The
| coach arrived, she remained silent.
Margaret followed her example,
and during the drive occupied her
| self with admiring the huge oaks
and beecheS, and the thick green
turf of the park.
The castle stood on a slight emil
nence and was surrounded on three
sides by dense woods; the fourth
wos open to the wild beoting of the
Atlantic on a rough, rocky coast.
| The entrance hall struck Margaret
| as peculiarly dark, vast and chilly !;
but they passed quickly through it
| to Il small parlor in which a coal
| fire was brightly blazing. Here.
over cup of tea, Mrs. Selby, in as
few words as possible, explained to
| Margaret what she was expected
| to do and what she was expected
| not to do. ..-...
In the first place it was evident
that Lady AliOnby might be a myth
| for aught Margaret would likely
to see of her. "She receives no
visitors and has a peculiar dislike
to strange faces said Mrs. Selby F.;
"and as the left wing of the castle
is set apart for her use, you will be
required on all occasions to avoid
| it. "
"And my pupil ?''
ssThe right wing is placed at her
disposal and yours; it is ample
enough to render any trespass upon
the centre of the castle unnecessary.
"WiIl not Lady Alionby give me
some directions about the educa-
ton of the child entrusted to me ?"
"She is satisfied to leave it to
your discretion. Every week |
shall examine what progress has
| been made" There Was a strange
air of authority about the little old
Waiting-wOman, and Margaret was
half-incIined to resent it; but she
was somewhat aWed by the peculi-
arity of her position and the strange
| stiffness ond isolation of the life into
which she had dropped.
Margaret thoroughly understood,
too, the value of accommodating
herself to circumstances, and after
she had finished her tea she sat
quietly gazing through the window
at the black-green surges beating
themselves into foam among the
rocks below her. Perhaps Mrs.
Selby wished to test her patience
and self-restraint, for she sat in
equal silence and impressiveness
until the day was quite dead, and
there was no light of any kind save
the dull glimmer of the red Goals in
the CRATE.
Then slowly, and with a deep
sigh, she lit a candle, and said :
"Come, if you are rested, | will
take you to your room, and your
pupil"
Margaret followed her in a queer
ly Indifferent mood all her interest
and curiosity seemed to have evap-
Grated. $50 soon," she muttered,
$50 soon have l caught the dream
like feelings of the place." Through
long marble halls, cold and dark,
they passed, until they reached the
eastern wing. Here there was a
broad flight of handsomely-carpeted
stairs, which led them into suite
of splendid apartments. The first
seemed to be a kind of library and
music room; the second, a parIOr
of great size and very richly fur
niShed.
But Margaret's attention was at
once fixed upon child who was
lying in a graceful attitude on a
rug of long white silky wool. The
| fire gloWed over her white cheeks,
and made strange glancing lights in
her silken dress, and tipped with a
rosy hue the little white sandals OF
the tiny lady. She looked curiously
up from her book as the two women
approached her, and when Mrs.
Selby said: "Julia, here is your
new gOverness," she stood up and
examined Margaret with a frank
ness that had in it something ex-
tremely charming.
Evidently the scrutiny satisfied
her. She laid her daintily mittened
hand in Margaret's and said "You
will do. l shall like you L know.
Mrs. Selby, you may go away now."
Mrs. Selby smiled at the small
lady's air of authority, but took
with apparent pleasure her dismissal
! Tbnr HroUr chair IN tho