Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-11
BEnINp THE TAPESTRY.

~ ~ 't'NF tAaa'ft
Ten years ago va, ia the first sorrow
Of my widowhood Twas chi,llcss. too:
and when the grave closed over my hu,-
band Thought that there Was'nO place
left for mo in the world
was rich, Young; and nv friends
ana my own reject on in the glas told
Iuc ! was beautiful
OF course ! had MANY acquaintance:
what rich young widow has not? But
acquaintance and trends diller widely.
did not care for the people who Hat
erred and made much of me. but I
turned, even In the first DAYS If my
trouble, tO ono friend.
She. too, was young and beautiful.
We were schOol-fcllOws; we were en-
gagged ai the Same time; We were mar
ricd In the same month of the same
year.
During the three years III my married
life We had seen little of each other. but
when my husband died. anil Mary Cliff
ford wrote To me tcndcrly out of her full
heart. | answered back her love.
She asked mo 10 stay with her, and
went.
How peaceful were these DAYS spent
In her beautiful home! The house and
place were called Aspcn's Vale. The
house Was many centuries old. ltsar,hi.
lecture was remarkable; lis rooms
curious. u was a rambling oll pla e..
and 81 course IL had ghost 10 stood
in the midst of very lovely grounds.
overlooking wood and river. Altogether
II was one Of the show-placcs in ---
shire.
l stayed with the CllIords for couple
of months. During this time the house
was quiet. visitors few thoy c,chewcd
company for my sake.
AZ the 1nd of two months | leftthcm.
comiortcd and helped. and with many
promises ut n return hy-and-by.
circumstances. however. too varied
and ton many To mention prevented
that second Visit taking place for "a
couple at years. At the end OF that
tim great longing came over me To
see Mary Clifford again. must writ,
To her. and propose visit. did 50.
By return 1T post got a short hut
Charnc cri,tic reply:
bEAHrsT llONo.u Of course long tu see
you, tut, unfortunately. the mouse h. full.
attic:
long Q" -or YOU. Ntl % slrcr iu the tapes
trN-rutmf Tor uf Ouu.-. 40 o. tiuptv. Idnrpuot
Put ANYBODY cl-v thrt". hat don't think you.
Honor. Will o. utwil Of ~. ghost III tb,,
taprstrl -ruotu viii d', tOmr. uud u thousand
loving friend.
MARY Clrrroun."
To this letter made u short answer.
i ,lo not believe IN the ghus. The
tapestry room will do beautifully. ~
poet me morrow
The next evening arrived at Asueu's
Aufr L., Ntr,t.. f..ts 4
room looked charming. fell i'm love
with IL ON the spot. AMI vowed laugh
ingly that The ghost and | would make
friends.
My maid. however. looked grave over
my testing remarks 81 was plain that
she believed iu sul,ural vi..iatinns.
GayCty Ot LCart. however. wa. over
me. | could not resist the Chrc. ful in
flurncu Of my old iuT,ud's company.
felt happier than ! hal dome since nav
husband death aul. after 70 very de.
lghtful evening. retired To my room.
feeling brave enough to encounter any
number # gho>tl that might choose tn
visit me.
Tho tapestry room was quite away
from the rest of The house 1t was nj the
extreme end uf q wing.
No other bedrooms wcrv in this W inc.
There were n moSmg room. murnin.,.
room, and It'll uricl chamber. VIII al,
Mrs. Clifford la her early married III,
had cur'ously iitt'd up Ter herself. but
now seldom occupied Neither lid She
believe IN ule gE'~t, hut he confessed
,hot this little. urirl chamber had an
Crr'r feel
The morning-Oon opposite. chcrr ul
and pretty enough. Wa unused It's
iuruiWrc was antique. n belonged tn
q by gone day. aud IL inhabitants were
dead The smoking room also was de-
serted even the fumes of tJbac,n hal
left 70. the squire prfcrring more cen
trial apartment ia The modern part of
the housc
Altogether. thi. wiug of the old
house seemed dead, Visitors ONLY came
o. u out of curiosity. they paid brief
visits. and preferred doing ~ in broad
daylight.
IL must have been quite hundred
years since the Ycstry.roOm in the far
end Of this wing had brpn slept in Old
as The other rooms in the " ~ looked.
the tapestry bore on tr the palm
Tor ancient appearance. There was not
nn article of furniture in it. not a chair,
not n table. which must not have seen
the light Of centuries.
The turn 'ture was al II the blacklist
OAK. the bedstcad the usual four poster
on which Our ancestors loved to stretch
themselves. But the curious feature of
the rUOm. that which gave 10 It's name.
was the tapestry. Not an inch II the
walls was tO be- seen: they were hung
completely with very ancient and very
faded tapestry. There was n story
about this tapestry. One Dame Cliff
ford. OF long. long by-gone days, had
worked IT, with the help Of her maidens
She had come TO an untimcly end on
the very day on which the great work
Of her life had been completed.
IL does not matter TO this story what
became Of the proud and fair dame,
but il was her ghost which was said to
haunt the wing. aud the tapestry cham
Der In particular. Warden. my maid.
rs she helped me to uudress. looked
quite pale with terror.
''Thoy do say. nam. as Dame Clare
Clifford appears with her head tucked
under her arm. and threads from the
old tapestry hanging to her skeleton
fingers. She's dressed In. gray silk.
that doesn't rustic never n bit. though
tits so thick II might stand all alone.
they do say. IT'S awful lonesome for
you. madam. TO sleep here alone. and
II stay with Won with pleasure II Il
comes 10 that. though my nerves arn't
hone Of tho strongest.
] thaaksd Warden, However, and ~.