The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-07-08
THE SPECTRE.


For she's nothing but a picture
In frame.
THE SPECTRE.
1t was early morning, and Thomas
Lord--:s valet, had waited on hi.
masters Americans guest to see wha
he desired him to do for him.
Thomas was too well-bred to appear
to notice anything remarkable, but there
certainly was something odd inthe gen
tleman's manner, and he had not the
look of one who had enjoyed refreshing
slumbers. Twice he seemed on the
point of propounding question-twict
he checked himself. At last just as the
man turned to leave the room he
spoke:
Thomas, l have been awake al,
night"
my lord will regret to near it, said
Thomas.
''Something very odd disturbed me, -
continued the gentleman. "Have you
any reason to believe that any of the
women servants have lost their senses?''
ANY of the maids, SIR" said Thorn.
as. ''Oh, no, sir. l am sure none of
the maids are out of their senses, sir. .
lone of the maids kept me awake
all last night,' said the American.
lone of the maids, STRIP cried
Thomas.
Eyes, Thomas. She kept running
into my room, at least every half hour,
to look in the glass and admire her
self.
''She came out of that door," and he
pointed to one in a corner, land
walked straight up to the mirror; the
light from the night-lamp fell upon her
face; she seemmed to catch my eye in
the glass each time, and smiled as she
did so. l only saw her face in the
mirror, but it was very pretty, though
very pale. She wore q short quilted
skirt, little bodice and full white
sleeves. She had gold cross tied
about her neck by a black ribbon, and
wore little cap on her black braids-
very young girl with a perfectly
French face, Thomas. Do you know
her?''
Thomas made no answer. He
looked at the gentleman steadily and
grew very pale. AT last he spoke:
IF have the honor of understand
you, sir, the young person came
through this door,
''Yes,' said the American.
''More than once, sir?''
"AbOut once an hour, from midnight
until dawn
'.She was young, pretty, and French
looking, and wore quilted skirt. a
bodice and cap, sir?"
EXACTLY, Thomas.''
''And smiled at you in the glass,
where you saw her face? understand
She did not look toward you as she
passed, sir?''
fright, Thomas
inlay beg you to do me the favor
of locking into this room, sir?''
The gentleman followed Thomas to
the door through which ne asserted
that the young person had passed; and
saw nothing but square closet about
twelve feet square, with no door save
the one that opened into the large
room and high in the ceiling a little
window through which a bird could
scarcely have flown. 1t contained no
furniture whatever.
''You will acknowledge, SIR said
Thomas very gravely. ''that any ordin-
airy young person must have remained
here if she had entered as YOU think
she did, sir, and that we should now
find her here. sir
''There must be q secret door-or-
or some thiDg!' cried the American.
II am not mad, and was wide awake
Eyes, SIR said Thomas, still more
solemnly. LAS 1 remarked, an ordin-
airy young person could not have con-
trived to disappear: but am we'll a.
ware that the young person you have
seen is not an ordinary person, sir
She has been an apparition, sir, for
more than two hundred years."
IAN apparition!' cried the American
gentlemen.
Eyes, SIR replied Thomas. an ap-
partition, sir. | think YOU have seen
Lady IS gentlewoman Rosette, sir. It
is ten years since she was seen here be-
fore to my knowledge, but she has been
seen very often. Yes, sir, it must have
been Rosette.''
Il should like to hear more about Ro-
sette,' said the gentleman.
Eyes, SIR" said the valet. ':'rhis is
a very old family, and they have lived
on this estate since the time of Queen
Elizabeth, and about two hundred
years ago there was a Lord Herbert
my present master is Lord Herbert, as
you know; it is favorite name in the
family-who was a very gay, wild
young nobleman, and was great ad-
mirer of the ladies. sir. However, by
the time he was thirty he married and
settled down, and began to be very
much thought of and respected. So
was his lady, too, sir, though she was
not very handsome and was very
naughty.
Zone thing, however, the English
servants did not like-she brought a
foreign maid with her from France
a girl named Rosette, and as pretty as
picture.
my lady thought all the world OF
ner, ana, OF course, the people were
jealous and talked against Rosette, and
the women began to say something
about the way my lord looked at her.
However that might be my lady loved
her, and l think she thought too much
| of herself to be jealous of her maid,
until one day, sitting before her glass,
Rosette combing her hair for her, she
heard her husband come into the room.
Her brck was toward him, and Rosette
was behind her, and they forgot the
mirror. and so, sir, she saw in it with.
out stirring. both their faces. and she
saw the girl smile at her husband, and
she saw him smile back at her. She
understood everything, but she neve,
stirred and she never said anything
to him, no. nor to the maid, sir.
This was her room. sir. In thai