Wichita eagle., 1888-06-14
THE MINUET.

Wltn her DOCK, Cora ana jack IN the corner
near the window, mildly flirting over
game of patience" and crocheting, and
occasionally looking over Richards shout
der at our house plans, which promised to
be unwieldy enough for state capitol by
the time they were fully elaborated
"a cheerful group" said the doctor,
coming in with rush of chilly air, and,
STOPPING before the CRATE. he lighted his
cigar with look of great contentment.
at makes me perfectly seasick to see
the sky SO dark and those great trees
waving in the wind" said Cora MIR.
Haywood, would you mind changing places
with me and letting me sit with my back
to the window"
But cannot see you so well.
"But can see you SO much better
please do-thank you very much Mrs
Ames. doesn't it give you a creepy feel to
hear the wind signing in the chimney
like that?''
why, no; it only makes me feel how
coy we are here" said l. Il viii tell
you what do mind, though, Cora; the
creaking of those boards in the floor up
stairs"
COVE will not have any creaky boards
when we get our new house built" MUIR
INJURED Richard, dreamily.)
Eyes, know; just like ghosts foot
steps. So much for the delights of
house in the country, said Cora
ooh, come now" interposed Jack;
GHOSTS have no footsteps. They glide
around, don't you know, in a perfectly
impossible eerie manner, and never were
known to make a noise. You may have
seen ghost, but you never heard one"
Il have" said the doctor, Unexpectedly.
''Really2 Oh, do tell us whenp ex-
claimed Cora, looking up with wide open,
startled eyes.
Shall II Do you want to hear the
story?" asked the doctor. He spoke to US
ALL but he looked at Matte. She smiled
Matte never wasted any words. but he
seemed quite satisfied, and. leaning
against corner of the mantel, he began.
1T was when | was in Germany. five
years ago. | had got through with my
hospital work il New York, and | went
abroad early in April, intending to stay
In Germany about six months. was al
most stranger In B, but for few
letters had to scientific men in the city,
and since knew so little German deter
mined to live with German family for a
time and cram the language liked this
plan extremely, so far as the German
itself was concerned, but | was not espe-
cially charmed with the German fashion
of sleeping between two feather beds,
which my landlady instructed me were to
be shaken up into the middle on cold
nights, and on warm nights to each SIDE
so as to leave me nothing but the ticking
for a covering l also had difficulty in
procuring a generous supply Of towels,
and was still debating in my own mind
whether to stay or to leave, when one of
my German acquaintance, very jolly
fellow by the name of Alberti, came to
me one day after lecture we had both
attended
my friend he said, for made him
talk English with me, what say you to
taking bachelor quarters with me for
month?
"'When, Albertii' asked. And then
he told me his plan Some friends of his
named Hoffman, were going unexpectedly
to one of the baths, servant and oil, and
being quiet people, not much given to
journeying, they were a little anxious
about their house, and had asked Alberti
if he would not occupy it, as if it were
his own, until their return So he pro-
posed that we should room together and
dine where we liked. do not know why
he should have chosen me of all his friends
TO room with him, but liked him, and l
caught eagerly at his proposal. We settled
ourselves there the following week 1t
was very old house and rather a small
one, wedged in between two more preten-
tious establishments. on a quiet, pleasant
side street 1t was prettily and quantity
furnished; had a modern upright piano
in the parlor, and an antique porcelain
hi had
been packed away, Alberti said, for he
had told his friends that he would not be
responsible for anything breakable. so the
rooms had comfortable, airy look which
man enjoys We got our meals at
restaurant, or cooked them ourselves, at
tended our lectures or concerts, studied
and walked together. and nothing unusual
happened until Albert came in one Friday
night saying;
MY friend, have to go home to-mor
row. hear my sister is sick. Shah you
mind being left alone night or twor
Il assured him | should not mind II,
and helped him off the following day.
1T was the next night, Sunday night,
that came home at 8 o'clock from long,
solitary stroll and sat down in my window
upstairs to smoke pipe. 1t was beau
tiful, moonlight evening and the air was
very still Suddenly heard the tones of
q piano. and put my head out of the
window to listen, but the sound did not
seem to come from the street, but from
below me- listened intently, but 1t had
ceased Presently it began again in the
same way, just note or two, and then
over again. It was Enthusiastically from
down stairs Next | heard low chord.
followed Immediately by a very sweet and
charming melody quite unfamiliar TO me.
1t seemed to me to be in minuet time, and
was played with the strictest precision
and delicacy. but in an old fashioned style,
and with scarcely any use Of the pedal
Il had locked the house when | came
in. No one could have come IN since.
What. then, was playing down stairsl L
determined to go down and see. The
house was so full of moonlight that l did
not need a candle TO see my way. | de-
seconded the staircase, still hearing the
sweet, full tones of the German piano.
and. noiselessly throwing open the parlor
door. stood fora moment upon the thresh-
old.
by the bright light which flooded that
part of the room, leaving the rest in
greater obscurity, could see that the
piano stool was empty. and yet the melody
went on. The air was full of it, and as l
accidentally touched the piano case | felt
tho vibration.
II stood still q moment, bewildered;
then, going forward. stretched out my
hand above the piano stool, little above
it. Instantly drew it back. tingling as
if had received an electric shock.
Il will not deny that l was frightened.
There was something SO unaccountable in
the whole affair that l felt as If l must