The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-07-23
Lady Ellington.

"Is there anything the matter, Flor
Speak Tell me! Why are all the win.
dows lighted up, and the house-door
open, and you running into the road to
meet me2 Why, child, you can hardly
answerl"
"Oh, father, am afraid some one
has been trying to rob usl Susan
thinks it was ghost. 1t is she who has
put candles in all the rooms to keep
the ghost away she says"
"a ghost Whatnonsense' exclaimed
Mr.. Michael Arlington, drawing his
daughters hand within his arm. Now,
Florence, tell me what really occurred"
"Yes, father answered she. "This
is what happened: About half-past five
o'clock Susan came into the sltting-room
to carry away the tea-tray, and she says
that she saw lady bending over the
davenport which stands unused in the
corner, seemingly trying to open it. At
first, though startled, Susan thought
the lady was visitor whom had
brought in, rs was then in the garden;
DuJ Wutu lllC lutlubtl BtlCtlNCNt thpe
there was some one looking at her she
gave q scream drew veil over her face,
and fled out ut the window, which was
wide open. There really must have
been somebody there, father. What
could she want?"
"How can 1 tell?" returned Mr..
Arlington, and his daughter thought he
was disturbed by this unusual incident.
Yet she was very sure that he was not q
believer in ghosts.
On reaching the house Susan was
called and questioned. The old servant
was still in great state of excitement.
The lady was "deadly pale" she assev-
Grated, with large, hollow eyes, and
screamed before vanishing"
"Come, come, Susan; she ran out ON
the lawn, didn't she? That was not
vanishing" re urned Mr. Arlington.
But Susan was persistent about the
vanishing, aud despite her masters
injunctions, lhe whole village, ay resi-
dents far beyond the village, soon heard
of the Laurel Cottage ghost; and
amongst others, Mr.. Cecil Lauton-Sir
Bertram Lauton's heir.
Il will tell you what, uncle" said the
young man; "if the ghost is trouble.
some l shall make acquaintance with
Mr.. Arlington, and offer my services in
laying the spirit. One ought to help
ones neighbor in such crisis"
Nc Ion, how ATr AL,
hardly be called neighbor; he lives at
least a dozen miles of, you know" said
the uncle.
"All the same, I should like to trap
his ghost for him" reioined Cecil.
1t was the beginning of April when
the rumor OF the ghost at Laurel Cot
tage was first spread abroad. Toward
the end of this month this rumor was
confined in an extraordinary manner.
Flo was in the sitting-room alone just
as it was getting dusk; she had just
come down stairs, and was going to
write letter, when something brushed
by her in the gloom, and before she
recovered from her alarm, she saw q
IlOll t1C
BY the time the young lady regained
her presence of mind and pursued her
strange visitor no trace or sound Of
her could be seen.
"Who can it be, father ?" said Flor
ence, almost in tears. II am afraid to
be in the house now without YOU"
81 am puzzled too my dear child"
replied Mr.. Arlington. "Does Susan
know of this?"
"Yes, father; for was startled, and
called out, and ran toward the kitchen.
am afraid Susan will tell everybody, as
she did before"
Florence was right in her conjecture
in day or two all the world around
Laurel Cottage had heard OF the re.
appearance of the "ghost."
Cecil Lauton was now determined to
do something to unravel the mystery;
so he begged friend OF his, living not
two miles from Laurel Cottage, to take
him i'll for day or two; he also begged
the said friend to introduce him to Mr..
and Miss Arlington.
"Ah, take care what you are about
there, Lauton," said the friend. The
Arlingtons are charming people, but as
poor as church mice. Miss Arlington
is a beauty, and seventeen-take care
what you dol"
OF course Cecil laughed, and was not
deferred from naming the introduction
lie sought.
81 want to find the ghost, said he;
~ don't want to fall in love with Miss
Arlington"
"Well, I'll introduce you after church
tomorrow, was the answer
Thus it happened that next day, whicl
was Sunday, the desired introduction
took place; and something else quite
unlocked for ON Mr., Cecil Lnuton's par
occurred also, for he fell III love at tirst
sight with the fascinating girl, who lifted
her blue eyes to his, and whose swee
voice (at her fathers bidding) explained
to him about the "ghost."
Yes, it was all over with Cecil Lautoi
from that hour. He had met his fate
and soon grew to worship the yer.
ground she walked on. And Florenc
was very happy; she did not ask her
self how her love-dream would end
but she had fixed idea that it coul
not end happily, as she had heard 81
Bertram spoken of as being yer
wealthy. and Cecil was his heir. N
matter. She would have this remen
brance to live on when--when Gee
went away or married another.
u The month of May had grown towar
d the end of its third week, but despit
all Mr.. Cecil Lauton's watching for IL
7, ghost, it never appeared, And by tn
time Mr. Arlington had begun to thin
y that if all the rooms in his cottage Ia
d each their supernatural visitor it woul
" be better than TO have this one drive
from its haunt at the price of Flo's ha
@ piness He Woull have to intimate