Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-05-21

and startled and appalled, me with an ex-
hibition of that temper which my prudent
aud penetrating sister had attributed to
her. l will not describe the scene; |
will not repeat what she said-eXcept the
last words:
''You will md that am not one TO be
tri6ed with, or to tamely submit to an
insult | will be revenged! As long as
| live viii haunt your life, and make
you feel the influence of wronged and
insulted woman-n Here / must have
smiled, for she added with concentrated
intensity of passion: "And even if die
before you do, | will haunt you them
Remember my words. and be sure of
it.'
Then she left the ohlce. and I never
again saw her-alive.
saw her, however, In her coffin the
day of her funeral, two days after she had
dropped dead of heart disease at a public
concert. Deborah aud |, with a few
neghbors, rode to the cemetery and saw
the coffin lowered in the grave, and the
sod piled upon it. And then the wing of
the house in which she had resided was
left shut up and silent, occupied only by
the old negro woman, until as we under
stood, relative of hers could come from
a distant State to look after the property.
used to think of her sometimes, walk
ing in the garden about twilight, but al
ways with a grateful, trembling sense of
the fate which had escaped. And If
the thought of her last threatever crossed
my mind, it was only to be met with a
smile, for its childishness and absurdity.
So a week or two passed quietly. Deb
orah had discharged our last servant, and
was absorbed in the trying and difficult
task of finding new one who would
suit. And one morning returned home
wondering whether the girl just now on
trial would have my favorite Sally Lunn
properly cooked, or served as her pre-
decessor had done-a mass of heavy
dough.
TO my surprise, on my opening the
front door, Bridget-that was her name
came hastily up the kitchen stair to
meet me.
CAV ye plaze, there's Teddy waitin'
in the librey to see yez."
"a lady9 What LADY,"
"Shure she didn't tell me her name.
It's quare," she added, in lower tone,
gIancing toward the library door, ''but
missus was gone out, and jist thought
heerd little bit of noise, and when I
come, there she was a-standin' in the hall
wild her bonnet on. She said she wanted
to see yez, and would wait while. She's
in there now"
I opened the library door, but the
room was empty. | turned to Bridget,
who was lingering in the hall.
"There is no one here" said The
girl came forward, and after staring
around and moving the curtains and
opening bookcase, exclaimed:
"Howly Moses but what's come O. the
Teddy at all, at all2 She was in here five
minutes ago, and she couldn't a got out
at the front door widout my seein' her. .
'What did she look like" inquired.
''Faix, she was tall, slim, nice-look.
ing Teddy, wild black eyes an black hair,
an white face wild no more red in ii
than chalk
NY own face must have lost It's color,
for Ifelt sudden nervous shock, and
the blood chilled as it were, in ms
veins
GLOW was she dresSedl" enqulred.
"Black all over. an long crepe
vail"
This was Mrs. Crowle's dress. She
had been still in widows weeds when
knew her.
Bridget" said, "dont mention this
to your mistress. 1t might disturb
her.
And though I found the Sally Lunr
done to perfection, and Deborah came
home in an uncommonly good humor
from making certain dry goods bargains
down town, could not enjoy my tea
and went to bed moody and bewildered
Three days after this, on my entering
my Office one morning, my clerk said,
briskly:
"Theiy was a lazy to see you last even
ing after you left. She said she would
call again"
'What lady. cnqured.
"Well, think, it was the lady in {
crepe val who came about month agt
on business, and was $3.50 excited wher
she left In fact Pm pretty certain il
was the same"
| suddenly sat down in my office chair
feeling very faint.
"What did she say?" l asked, wipins
the starting moisture from my forehead
"Only that she'd call again. didn'
see her till looked up, and there sh,
was standing inside the glass door. Sh
was very pale and quiet" continued
Gibbs, refectively, as if mentally con
trasting this state with the visitor
/ former excitement. "She looked ant
moved like ghost"
. Don't be fool, Gibbs!' | exclaimed
: with sudden and uawonted irritation
"There are no such things as ghosts
, That evening after tea, to quiet m
excited nerves, walked with Deborah il
: the garden, up and down a bowery walk
which was a sort of boundary line be
| tween our part of the house and tina
= lately occupied by Mrs Crowle 1t wa
: walm delicious summer evening, anC
the scent of roses and jasmine filled tn
3 air with fragrance, while the cool whit
lilies cleaned like silver in the moon
: light. Generally / enjoyed the Sc things
| but tonight | had no thought for them
A horrible incubus seemed hanging owe
my life. Could it be possible that Ara
= bella Crowle's vindictive threat was bein
fulfilled, and that the rest of my life wa
: doomed to be haunted by her ghost, o
spirit, or apparition, or whatever it nigh
! be, which now seemed dogging my dali
| stepsf But ghosts! Pshaw how wea
G and foolish | was becoming? OF cours
G | knew that, though l could not explai
to myself the mysterious visits which ha
lately occurred, there could be no sue
: things as ghosts. And with this though
t l, with contemptuous smile, lifted m
\ ewes from the ground and saw lookin