, 1884-11-30
BEHIND THE TAPESTRY

The first page OF the strange story which
/ am about TO tell happened some years ago.
Ten years & / was in the first sorrow of
my w~idowhood. l was childless, too; and
when the grave closed over my husband ]
thought that there was no place left for mo
In the world | wal rich. young, and my
friends, and my own reflections in the glass,
told me that / was beautiful OF course ]
had many acquaintance: what rich young
widow has mott But acquaintance and
friends differ widely. d not care for the
people who hattercd and made much OF me,
but I turned, oven in the first days Of my
trouble. TO one friend She, too, wns young
and beautiful We were schoolfellows; we
were engaged at the same time; we were mar
ried in the same month OF the year.
Daring the three years Of my married life
we had seen little Of each other, but when
ny husband died, and Mary Clifford wrote
10 me tenderly out of her full heart, l an
swered back her love. She asked me 70 stay
with her, aud ] went How peaceful were
those days spent In her beautiful homel. Tho
house and place were called Aspen's Vale.
The house was many centuries old. Its archi-
lecture was remarkable; its rooms curious.
It was a rambling old place, and OF course 1t
had a ghost Il stood In the midst of very
lovely grounds, overlooking wood and river.
Altogether 1t was one OF the show-places In
-rhtre.
stayed with the Clihords for a couple of
months. During that time the house was
quiet, visitors few-tbey eschewed company
Tor my sake. At the end Of two months l
left them, comfortod and helped, and with
many promises Of a return by and by. Cir
c~umstances, however, too varied and too
many to mention, prevented that second
visit taking place for n couple Of years. At
the end Of that time a great longing came
over mo TO SEQ Mary Clifford again. must
write to her, and promise n visit l did so.
By return OF post l got a short, but charac-
~teristic reply;
DEAREST HosoR. or course / long to SEQ
you, but unfortunately the house Is full
Large ~ It Is, 1t Is crammed from cellar TO
attic.
NY dear. / don't want to refuse you. lido
long 20 see you. VIII you sleep In the
Tapestry rsomi for OF course Il Is empty. /
dare not put anybody else there, but / don't
think you. Honor, will b afraid OF the ghost
II the Tapestry room will do, come, and a
thousand welcomes. can put up your maid.
Your loving friend. MARY cLtFFoRD.
To this letter | made II short answer:
] do not believe in the ghost The
Tapestry room VIII do beautifully Expect
me tomorrow.
The next evening arrived at Aspen's
Vale In time for dinner. The Tapestry room
looked charming. fell in love with It on
the spot, and vowed lhughingly that the
gho-t and I would make friends. My maid,
however looked grave over my TESTING
romaris; II was plain that she believe in
supernatural visitations. GaYety OF heart,
however, was over me. l could not resist
tho influence Of my old friends company.
/ felt happier than l had lone since my hus-
bands death, and after a very delightful
evening. retired TO my room, feeling brave
enough 10 encounter any number OF ghosts
that might choose to visit mo.
The Tapestry room was quite away from
the rust OF the houss-it was at the extreme
end OF the wing. No other bedrooms were
In the wing. There were n ~smoking-room, u
morning-room. and a little oriel chamber,
which Mrs. Clifford in her early married
life had curiously lifted up for herself. but
now seldom occupied. Neither did she DO
lieve In the ghost, but sho confessed that
this little oriel chamber had an eerie feel.
The m~orning-room opposite, cheerful and
pretty enough, was unused. It's furniture
was antique, 1t belonged to q by-gone day,
and its inhabitants were dead. The smok-
ing-room also was deserted; even the fumes
of tobacco had left it, the squire prefering a
more central apartment in the modern part
OF the house. Altogether, this wing Of the
old house seemed dead. Visitors only came
TO IL out OF curiosity; they paid brief visits,
and preferred doing so in broad daylight.
II must have been quite a hundrcd years
since the Tapestry room in the far end Of this
wing had been slept in. Old as the other
rooms in the wing looked, the Tapestry room
bore qnito tho palm Of ancient appearance.
There was not an article OF furniture In It,
not a chair, not n table, which must not
have seen the light of centuries
II. g-.tt.-. -. II ~ a.. -.
the bedstead, the usual four-poster m which
our ancestors loved TO stretch themselves.
But the curious feature Of the room. that
which gave It It's name, was the tapestry.
Not an inch Of the walls was 10 DO seen; they
were hung completely with very ancient and
very faded tapestry. There was n story
about this tapestry. Ono Dame Clifford, Of
long, Icing by-gone days, had worked IL, with
the help OF her maidens. She had come 20
an untimely end on the very day on which
the great work OF hor life had been COM
pleted.
1t does not matter 10 this story what be-
came of the proud and fair dame. but it WINS
her ghost which was said TO haunt the wing,
and the Tapestry chamber in particular.
Warden, my maid, as she helped me 10 un-
dress, looked quite pale with terror.
"They do say, ma'am, as Dame Glare Cliff
AOIA uRINllh Win ntT utuA luUhtu ulutI ntT
arm, and threads from the old tapestry
hanging 70 her skeleton fingers, She dressed
In gray silk, that don russell never a bit,
though It's so thick it might stand all alone,
they do say. It's awful lonesome for you,
madam, TO sleep here alone, and I'll stay
with you with pleasure II It Comes to that,
though my nerves aren't none Of the strong
est"
/ thanked Warden, however, and assured
her that ] was not in the least afraid; and
she. with a well-relieved face, left me alone.
l heard her footsteps eohoing down the CORR
dor-thoy died away. / was now out Of reach
Of all human help, for in this distant room,
in this distant wing, no possible sounds could
reach any other inhabitants OF Aspen's Vale.
think / have implied that l was brave.
In my girlhood, in my short married life,
even in the sad depression OF my early
widowhood, l had never known physical
fear; nevertheless, whom the last Of Warden's
footsteps echoed out and died, and that pro.
found stiffness followed which can be oppres-
kive, l had a curious sensation.
1 did not call it fear, Ibid not know Il for
that grim and ale faced tyrant; but it made
nc uncomfortable, and caused my heart to
beat irregularly. The sensation was this-I
felt that l was not alone. OF course It ,vns
fancy; and what had l 10 do with fancyl 1
determined 10 Danish this uncomfortable
feeling from my mind, and stirring the fro
to a cheerful blaze, l drew one Of the black
oak chairs near il and sat down.
Warden had looked so pale and frightened
before she left me, that out Of consideration
for her feelings ! had allowed her 70 leave the
jewels which l had worn that evening on the
dgcssing-table. There thsy lay, a set OF very
valuable brilliants- There was an old-fash-
Toned mirror over the mantel-piece, and us |
sas by the fire l saw the reflection Of my dia-
monds In the glass, As / noticed their
sparkle. again that strange sensation re-
turnsi; this time mors strongly, this time
with u cold SILVER. / was not alone.
Who was In the Tapestry chamberi Was
Il the ghosti Was that story tyuo, after all,
PIIest PItcat ptte-t