The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-21
lnea BY Special
"A LITTLE GHOST.
BY HARRIET PRESCOTT SPoFFoRD.

/
conclusion that men are as incomprehensible as
/ they are unaccountable.
1t was quite evident that Iselin had chosen to
| be jealous of Miss Fairweather, for no good
reason, of course, for nothing could be more cir
cumspect than Mr.. Sanghurst's behavior; but
/ because she had been struck with the perception
| of what she was and what she ought to be her
/ SELF and with the feeling that Mr. Sanghurst
would be much more fifty mated to an intellec-
| tual and cultured woman than to Hibbertiglb-
| bet, and to her mind Mr.. Sanghursts real wishes,
and tastes, and references in the matter were
! not SO important as those which she felt they
ought to be-
/ Perhaps l should have given Mr. Sanghurst or
his mother some hint of the state of the child's
feelings; but it was something too meddlesome
for me to do. So only tried to console her In
| quiet way when she was quivering with excite
ment at seeing Mr.. Sanghurst's and Miss Fair
weathers heads together over German book,
or MIR. Sanghurst turning the music for Miss
| Fairweather as she sang in her glorious voice
that seemed too large and noble for anything but
the music of oratorios, or when, worst of all, he
| joined her in walk through the shrubbery or
along the beach. He might hold book with
any one of all the rest of us, sing with us, or
drive or walk, it signifed nothing at ALL But
1 with Miss Fairweather-that was quite cetta
| outre chose If that did not signify anything,
she felt very sure that it ought to do SO, and
presently the affair began weighing on her feel
| lngs so that she lost her appetite even for her
! favorite snow apples, in whose red skin she had
1 DtoH SebtInR ner Tiny WnlLc Leetl wherever you
came across her, lost her voice. even for the etll-
bert and Sullivan tunes, lost her pretty color,
| her light step. and went creeping round the
house like little wan shadow.
confess / did think of speaking to Miss Fair
weather, and asking her if she had not better cut
| short her visit; but on the whole that seemed
betrayal of Iselin; and felt persuaded her folly
| would not last, and thought it possibly better
| that she should see it safely through, for once
and ALL and 1 thought for my own part, that
| n WI / was
/ one whom should wish to know it. or have ex-
tending to me her magnanmity. But you see,
never having had OCCASION knew nothing about
jealousy or the way it possesses one like mad
ness, disturbs itself with false visions. and finds
reason for what never existed. Mr. Sanghurst
might seek for Iselin and sit and stroll, and ride
with her, turn to her. appeal to her, take her In
| his arms-pothng to her eyes was as 1t was
before; he did all that she was sure, because ne
meant to be true to her and to marry her, even
| though his heart belonged to very different
person And so, as she went moaning about the
| house like an uneasy spirit in those golden In
dian summer days, her poor little heart was half
| broken within her, and she was making up her
| mind to great remuneration.
1t was really amazing to see how ignorant Mr.
Sanghurst kept himself of what was going on in
this young ferment But he evidently had not
the first suspicion of it. He was so inn
prudent as to praise Miss Fairweather to Iseiin,
and to advise her to profit by her knowledge of
something or other. Iselin was holding his hand
at the moment. / think she had as good mind
to bite it AS ever she had to eat, but she content
ed herself with finging it from her like mis-
| sile with which she would like to hit Miss Fair
weather.
| Go where you would now in the house you met
/ Iselin in her restless rambles. Sometimes she
| hung moment looking at some OF the old Cop
leys, one or another of the Sanghurst women. as
! If wondering what manner of women they were
and seeking some sort of mute counsel of them.
| Sometimes she sat on Madame Sanghurst's foot
~ -. Il
saying nothing, and sometimes again she went
on long walks, alone, along the bench, with
| feyerish swiftness, as If she sought TO tire out
| the spirit within her.
| Once she overlook me, mile or two from the
house, and led me a dance into boys and quag-
| mires and the edge of frightful quicksand,
showing me the curiosties and charms of the
waterside
Its not at all safe coast you know" she
| said 'either to vessels off it or people on it.
There's nothing easier than to get into that Quick
| sand and be sucked down-to China for any
thing / know. And here-give me your hand
| step on that rock-now this-there: Isn't that
pretty cradle to lie down in and let the sea
| come up quickly and creep over you and put you
! to seepY
'Iselinl" cried, sis that the proper way to
talk2 What do you mean by itl What would
| Mr.. Sanghurst say TO hear your
"Mr Sanghurst!" she said with bitter short
laugh. "Hed say how superior Agnes FAIR
weather was to that sort of thing. She s-aw-
fully superior. She gives me such fine advice!
| You may call it superior if you like" she Cried
in one of her sudden furies; II call it insolent
| If talked that way to anyone you'd call it
Tsaucy-you wouldn't Sassy, then-sassy frassy!
Well, but really" she added presently, skippin,
back to my side along the jutting rocks lit
would be pleasant to like person for whom you
were going to make great sacrifice, wouldn't it,
| I'm not going to make it for herl" she cried.
| "Pm not going to make it for her. It's for him
all for him. know he'll be happier and bet
1 = AZ III
a woman than with child, sprite, little imp
like mel" And down she went crouching in
| the pool of salt water, and crying tears as salt;
and l succeeded in pulling her ND and getting
her out on the shingle. and turned homeward
for rapid walk. only after her skirts were drag
/ ged nearly to the waist. ugh! how cold water
| is! I'm such little thing it wouldn't take much
| to drown me, you see" she said, spreading her
wet skirts as if to take dancing steps. and the
rest of the way she was as joyous she had
| been gloomy.
| That evening the wind began to blow; a light
scud of clouds obscured the stars. and mists
came driving in from sea and surrounded the
house in spectral sort. 1t was chilly with pen
| etrating chill; and Madame Sanghurst had
great log fire built in the drawing room that
might have made the windows resemble coast
| beacon. Iselin sat on a bassock in a corner by
the roaring blaze, like little salamander. if
/ she should never get warm enough. Mr.. Sang
| hurst was having lively wrangle with Miss
| Fairweather about a Dantean passage,
and went to get his manuscript, for he was
engaged on one Of those amateur translatons
| where the help and counsel of other scholars
are precious When he returned they bent over
| it together with a vivid interest: and now there
| was a murmur of voices, and laugh, and
| now Miss Farweathers silver tones were rip
| ping through that sweet Southern tongue, and
now Mr.. Sanghurst was looking at her in open
admiration as she spoke, with the color in her
| cheeks and the lustre in her eyes Other peo-
| pie were singing and playing, I was busy
with my gold and silver threads, Mad
| anne Sanghurst was half asleep and nod
| ding over her needles. when suddenly
| Iselin, all rosy with the fire and with her
| wrath, stood on the other side of the table, be-
| fore Mr.. Sanghurst and Agnes Fairweather.
| ''You will not have to make love in Italian any
more!" she flashed out And as suddenly she
| was gone. no one knew where, and perhaps no
one but her astonished lover thought to conject-