Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-08-07
ISLAND POND, VERMONT, AUGUST T. 1885

young man, Mrs. Pslfrey took a lamp
and hammer, and Herewith repaired
to the store-room on the ground floor.
With some difficulty she extracted the
nails, and then inserting the key, again
heard the bolt shoot back.
The sound sent triumphant thrill
through her veins.
She was about to see for herself what
was the mystery which her son-in law
had been so careful to hide from herself
and his wife!
Holding the lamp above her head,
Mrs. Palfrey slowly opened the door.
Merciful heavensl What was that
grim and ghastly figure which, grin
ming in her face, slowly stretched forth
its skeleton fingers to embrace her7
With one fearful shrek she started
back, letting the lamp fall from her
hand, and the next moment was lying
senseless upon the floor in profound
darkness.
81 suppose she he's gone to bed" said
Matilda, when, returning from church,
they found the parlor deserted and the
gas turned down. 81 will go up and
see how she is feeling"
In few moments she returned.
Mamma is nowhere up stairs, and
neither she nor Jane are in the kitchen.
Where can they have gone to?'
AT this moment strange, sepulchral
sound was heard to issue from beneath
the fioor-a sort of weak but shrill
scream.
"Good graciousl What can that be9''
exclaimed Matilda, turning pale.
Mr.. Melton's eyes suddenly lighted.
An expression, half-amused and half.
alarmed, crossed his face.
81 think your mother must have gone
to the store room for something, and
perhaps some little accident occurred
No. stay here, dear, while go and
see."
She followed him to the head of the
stairs, but obeyed his request to come
no further.
In moment or two he emerged, sup
porting the limp form of his mother-in-
law, with white face and wild eyes, to
whom, after placing her on sofa, they
proceeded to administer restoratives.
Dear mammal" said Matilda, anx-
iously, "what has happened2 What has
frightened or hurt you2"
'The-the horrid-skeleton r' gasped
Mrs. Palfrey, Historically, and turning q
look of concentrated Indignation upon
her son in-law.
"Skeletonr' repeated Matilda. ooh,
Horace, she must be out of her mind !"
"Out of my mind !" snorted Mrs. Pal
frey, trembling with anger and nervous
ness. GLOW dare you say that, Matildai
If | we're not possessed of more than Or
dinary sense, should have been
frightened to death at sight of that
that dreadful object!"
And here she commenced to gasp and
tap her heels convulsively on the sofa.
Il am very sorry" Mr.. Melton said,
with difficulty repressing the smile that
quivered about the corners of his mouth.
'The skeleton-aheml lis only an in.
genious and harmless contrivance of my
late uncle's, with which he amused his
leisure hours. There is not the slightest
cause for being frightened"
Then he added, in a whisper, to his
wife:
at is not real skeleton, dear; only
an imitation in wood; sort of scientific
work of art, which it would amuse you
to see. But you may as well not explain
this to your mother, just now"
Next day, Mrs. Palfrey, having entire
ly recovered from her unwonted nervous
attack, appeared in mood of intense,
suppressed indignation against her SON
in-law.
As regarded her own part, she ex-
planned that, fancying her headache
to have been caused by the mephitic air
of the locked closet penetrating through
the floor of the room, she had gone down
to open the closet and let it out. never
dreaming of such an outrageous thing as
the skeleton of dead man being kept
in respectable family dwelling house.
And if that disgusting and ghastly OBJ
ject was still to remain there, she would
no longer stay beneath that roof land she
strongly advised Matilda to leave also.
No man had right to keep unburied
dead people in the house with his fam
lily.
Mr.. Melton explained that he had
promised his uncle to allow the skeleton
to remain as he had left it until Doctor
Narrowly should claim and take it
away.
In consequence of which information
his mother-in- law at once packed up her
trunk, and that evening departed, warn
ing them of her firm determination never
to remain another night beneath the
same roof with dead mans unburied
bones.
And when she had gone, Mr.. Melton
and his wife (who had no objection to a
wooden skeleton in the house, had q
smiling talk to themselves; and though
Matilda said, "Poor mamma it was too
bad that she should have had such q
fright" she looked very happy as she
set about rearranging her house to suit
herself.
Somehow, Doctor Narrowly has never
called for his skeleton, and such being
the case, Mrs. Palfrey only pays an occa.
sional days visit to her daughter and
son-in-aw, making her headquarters al
boarding house in the town, kept by
one of her friends. Susan Archer Weiss
Useful in Many Ways.
The walrus, says Lieutenant Schwatks,
1.