Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-02-05
BEHIND THE TAPESTRY.
A STRANGE STORY.

The first part of the strange story which
! am about to tell happened some ten years
~.
Ten years ago was in the first sorrow
of my widow-hood. | was childless, toe;
and when the grave closed over my husband
thought that there was no place left for
me in the world.
I was rich. young; and my friends, and
my own reflection in the glass, told me
that was beautiful.
OF course I had many acquaintance;
what rich young widow has not? But ac-
quaintances and friends differ widely. l
did not care for the people who fiattered
and made much of me, but 1 turned, even
in the first days Of my trouble, to one
friend.
She, too, was young and bsautiful. We
were school-fellows; we were engaged at
the same time; we were married in the
same month of the same year.
During the three years of my married
life we had seen little of each other, but
when my husband died, and Mary Clifford
wrote to me tenderly out of her full heart,
l answered back her love.
| She asked me to stay with her, and l
went.
How peaceful were those days spent in
| ucI DcduLli III uOIut! uc uOuS6 dAu kldCc
| were called Aspen's Vale. The house was
many centuries old. Its architecture was
remarkable; its rooms curious. 1t was
| rambling old place, and of course it had a
ghost It stood in the midst of very lovely
grounds, overlooking wood and river: AL
| together, it was one of the show-places in
l-shire.
| l stayed with the Cliffords for a couple
of months. During that time the house
was quiet, visitors few-they eschewed
company for my sake.
| AT the end of two months | left them,
comforted and helped, and with many
promises of return by and-by.
Circumstances however, toe varied and
too many to mention, prevented that Sec
ond visit taking place for couple of years.
At the end of that time great longing
came over me to see Mary Clifford again.
| must write to her, and propose visit. l
did So
By return of post got short but char
acteristic reply:
| "Dearest Honor:-Of course long to see
| you, but unfortunately the house is full.
Large as 1t is, it is crammed from cellar to
attic
Ny dear, I don't want to refuse you. I
ii'do fUIg to seeyou. Will you sleep in the
Tapestry room for of course 1t is empty.
| dare not put anybody else there, but I
T tlon'i think you, Honor, will be afraid of
the ghost. If the Tapestry room will do,
come, and thousand welcomes. I can
put up your maid. Your loving friend.
MARY CLIFFORD"
To this letter I made a short answer:
II do not believe in the ghost. The
Tapestry room will do beautifully. Expect
me tomorrow"
The next evening I arrived at Aspen's
Vale in time for dinner. The Tapestry
room looked charming. fell in love with
it on the spot, and vowed laughingly that
the ghost and would make friends.
My maid. however, looked grave over my
jesting remarks; it was plain that she be-
lieved in supernatural vlsitations.
Gayety of heart, however, was over me.
could not resist the cheerful influence of
my old friends company. 1 felt happier
than had done since my husbands death,
and, after very delightful evening, retir-
ed to my room feeling brave enough to en-
counter any number of ghosts that might
choose to visit me.
The Tapestry Ioom was quite away from
the rest of the house-it was at the extreme
end of wing.
4NO OtueT DcuIOOinS Wer0 Ill tuo Willy.
There were a smolzlng-room a morning
room, and alittie oriel chamber, which Mrs.
Clifford ID her early married life had curl
ously fitted up for herself. but now seldom
occupied Neither did she believe in the
ghost but she confessed tha. this little oriel
chamber had an ecrie feel.
The morning-room opposite, cheerful and
pretty enough, was unused Its furniture
was antique, it belonged to bygone day,
and its Inhabitants were dead. The smok-
lng-room also was deserted; even the fumes
of tobacco had left it, the squire preferring
more central apartment in the modern
part of the house
Altogether this wing of the old house
seemed dead. Visitors only came to it out
OF curiosity; they paid brief visits, and pre-
ferred doing SO in broad daylight.
1t tmustIhave been quite hundred 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 Tapes