The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-01-26
and walked rapidly past as. dhs

ana walked rapidly past as. Tht
moonlight fell full upon his face 70,
the moment that he stopped, anG
Ellen's grip upon my arm was tight
ened. No wonder. IL w-s Mr.. Kim
ball. He walked slowly until he had
turned around d corner, out Of sight
and then we turned and ran like g
pair of frightened rabbits. We
clambered over the kitchen-garder
fence with more haste than dignity
stole in through the little door and
crept like couple of sneak thieves
up to our room,
II am glad we are out of tina,
scrape," l gasped.
Ellen smiled a peculiar smile.
"And l, too" she said.
| We went to bed again, and to
sleep this time. The next morning
the sun rose as usual; the cold gray
of the morning toned down the high
coloring of the midnight adventure,
and the ordinary routine of work be.
gan again with nothing out of the
usual way except that Ellen and ]
both answered ''unprepared' in Ger
man. The professor looked at us
searchingly over his glasses. Wheth-
er or not our faces betrayed any I'm.
usual emotion. l cannot say, but I
know my heart was throbbing in O
very cratic manner.
1t was our secret, that escapade.
Sometimes we met Mr.. Kimball and
his wife, for they seemed to be INSOFAR
able, and Ellen would flash me a
glance of mock tragedy from her
black eyes. We even gave a
name to the little episode. We
called it the Strange Experience and
then abbreviated to rs. H." to the
mystifcation of our friends. by and
by our college days were ended. We
separated and the strange experience
passed out of our minds and lives.
##
A dozen years later Ellen Fay, now
Ellen Thompson, came to make me a
visit. The slender, big-eyed girl had
developed into handsome matron
Much IF what we used to call esprit.
uality" had vanished from her face,
but it had gained in strength and re.
pose, and she was the same genial,
delightful friend as of old.
One evening we denied ourselves to
all our little world, and safely hidden
behind the portiere of the study, we
thought we could devote ourselves
to "reminiscences. Both our lives
had been very full and busy and the
present had so fully occupied us that
we had not spared an hour to those
dear days of our early friendship I'M
til this evening, when we deliberately
barred out everything and every
body, determined to devote this
time at least to our college days.
Ellen very nearly filed the great
easy chair, but her slippered feet up
on the fender, still slender and dainty,
suddenly recalled to me that evening
when we sat in that same fashion, by
the fire in the Ladies Dormitory"
of c. College, and talked about
supernatural manifestations. /
laughed quietly to myself as I in
quired:
"Ellen, do you remember the
Strange Experienced"
Ellen smiled ever so slightly and
then looked sober.
"It is the one thing in my life that
l cannot understand, she said. "Did 1
you ever hear the sequel?"
''The sequel? No, indeed. Is there
q sequel?" l asked incredulously.
"Yes, there is sequel, and a very
one. You may call it a
coincidence, if you like, but must
confess to have felt sort of creeping
when / heard it. About
two years ago met lady at din
ner party whose face seemed strange
ly familiar but whose identity was
completely lost. She was dressed
plainly in black and her hair was
quite white although her face was
not old. l was so tormented by the
half-knowledge of her face that l
asked our hostess to present me to
her.
"'Ah, you noticed her. She GER
tainly has a remarkable face and her
history corresponds to it. This is
the first time she has come out since
her husbands death.
"'Her face seems familiar. think I
must have met her before
by this time we had reached her.
She was the center of a brilliant and
animated group and appeared to be
he leader in the conversation. HeT
ace was a study. 1t made me think
Of a battlefield where the cannon
we're half hidden by the spring flow
.rs, and the graves were seen only as
green undulations. At the first avail
lble opportunity my friend pre-
,ented her as Mrs. Kimball. Instant
Y | knew where l had seen her. We
jalked little as people do at such
places and parted, with the determin-
ltion on my part to know her better.
"My friend had certainly described
Ter face in calling it remarkable. You
NOW we used to think her very plain,
tlmost ugly. In fact the strange
hinged upon our sinful
aneouS Thought IN thatVery parLHu-
ar" Ellen laughed 1, little, softly,
md then went on.
"She did not seem to me nearly as
lain as had remembered her. Her
ray hair softened the effect of her
ace, think, and that alert suspic-
GUS glance that used to SD amuse US
gas quite gone. She had the chast-
ned look of one who had come up
trough great tribulation. / found
Ter quite accessible, indeed, glad to
make new friends in q strange city,
md when she found that I had spent
our years in c. she treated me
Ike an old, familiar friend. She was
sually quite reserved, but she gave
no her confidence with at least no
onscious effort on my part to gain
t. Naturally, felt interested nher,
as we girls used to specu..
ate so much about her and her hus-
and, and l suppose I may as well
onfess to a little curiosity at the
,ottom; but as soon as had learned
o know her, loved her too well to
vish tn nry into her secrets. Little