Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-04-03


country girl can, and slid in under the
blankets and hid my head. thinking
as women and ostriches ever think
that head hidden is head safe.
In spite of my fears, | must have
gone directly to sleep, for the next re-
membrancc | have is of looking about
me in that surprised, dazcd way that
nearly every one has upon waking up
in strange room.
| sat up in bed and thought min
ute. Some clock in the house struck
|, but this gave me no comfort. since
| know that most clocks have mean
little habit of striking the half hours
so that hearing single stroke in the
middle of the night leaves me in doubt
whether 1t is | O'Clock or half after
some other o'clock. But | had slept,
and felt ready to laugh at anything,
especially my fears of the first part OF
the evening.
had just decided to get up and turn
off the gas | had left burning, when
was startled by Il slight noise, which
seemed to be in the very room where !
was.
| thought Of the dark room adjoining
mine. | thought of burglars, fire, and
then | thought of my dcada aunt. whose
room was next to mine And then |
thought of the mysterious table in the
mirror
Pulled one way by curiosity and the
other way by fear, crcpt out of bed,
and, keeping very clear of the center
of the room, where the table ought to
have been, found my way to the
ghostly glass.
lean now fully understand how one
must feel before he can truly say,
MY hair stood on end.
certainly felt the roots swimming
about under my scalp when looking in
that awful mirror, saw. standing by
the table, Il woman.
dared not stir; my heart gave
heavy, thud like strokes against my
sides, my knees trcmblcd, and | saw
that long, lank, black robcd woman
unlock the drawer and take from it Il
glittcring mass of jewels, and thrust
them into green baisc bag that hung
on her arm. Then she closed the
drawer and glidcd away behind the
curtains into the dark room which |
had not dared to enter.
had just strength enough to tum-
bic once more into bed, which place
did not again leave until morning
when hurricdly dressed and hasten
ed down stairs.
One by one as the family entered
the breakfastroom, they exclaimed;
"Oh, Kate, how pale you are" and
Did you sleep ut all last night"
Why Cousin Kate, have you seen Il
ghost?'
only smiled, determined to tell
none Of my fright but Aunt Lou, who,
| was sure, would not laugh at me.
After breakfast Aunt Lou said;
Girls, | have II litter of gifts your
mother gave me before she died, and
we will all 90 up to her room, and
there | will divide among you her lit
tie valuablcs.'
Generally girls cannot be kept long
in sadness, and those cousins of mine
were six strong, so it was anything but
quiet group that followed aunt Lou
up the broad stairs to mothers room.
Mai pushed in her head, and cried
out: "Why, the gas is burning"
And "Oh, Kate, cried another, 'did
YOU see the funny rlaSS i'm the room
you slept in?'
But did not answer, for Aunt Lon
was reading letter, which | did not
take much interest in until she read
something about "diamondS,' "thc
square table and trap in prayer
book pocket y
Then looked wildly up at the sim
pie sheet Of plate glass over the man
tie piece and cried out:
"Oh, my stupidity! Dear Aunt Lou,
you Il never see the diamonds again,
for last night, looking through that
piece of glass saw Il woman-a tall,
lank, black-robcd woman, unlock the
tablc-drawcr and take out the dia-
monds"
"What do you mcan9' they cried in
breath; then they made rush for the
drawer, which was empty.
Then they all looked atme and Aunt
Lou said:
"But why did you not call us my
dear childP'
because, aunt, | thought | didn't
know indeed, aunty dear, the mirror
deceived me, and thought i thought
the woman was an apparition, and
oh, please, | think | should like to go
home"
Before | left they had found some
clew to the diamonds, which gave me
some comfort; but ] shall hereafter
stay at home, where mirrors, though
cracked and wavy, can at least be de.
pended upon.-Wc Argonam.