The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-09-20
The Ghost Of va||eythorpe.

'.Bus it vas mine" said Diana. ..Ola
Mr.. Thorpe gave it to my mother in
reward for the care she took of him in
his last days"
YES. I know-I know" said MIR.
monsyps, n s isaat;ogg:y o =; i he . Were
you 49,. you can't prove it. There
Amt no papers later than the old will
OF 1880, and that leaves everything to
Rufus Miner. And it amt either yours
nor his'n, now. It's Charley Fon.
ttaine's."
81 hate Charley Tontaine," said Di-
ans. with an oblique Aash out of her
superb Andalusian eyes. "Heis always
crossing my path"
.Oh, come, now, don't be unreason-
able" said MI. Moneypenny. ..Fon-
tains's . good fellow as ever was. 1t
amt 40 ways to his discredit that he
knows . bargain when he sees it."
Diana Dart made no reply. She went
on sewing with q dark frown outlining
hY level black brows.
MI. Moneypenny furtively observed
her % ho ate his dinner.
y I'm Almost sorry" thought he,
''that Mrs. Mcneypenny hired that girl
20 sew for her by the month. She's
right smart with the needle, to be
sure; but she's got that gypsy way with
her that nobody ever knows what she'll
do or say next Anyhow, I'll be glad
when her times ups
"Diana!"
The sui had just disappeared behind
4he purpls spurs of the Berkshire hills.
Diana, at last released from the drudg-
cry Of the needle, was standing under
the fragrant silver-green blossoms of
the grape-vines, watching Tie slender
curve Of the new moon aboveher head.
b s..,.ei at the sound of Chartley
Fontaine's voice.
What is itp
II want to speak to you, Diana"
You can't have anything to say to
me-"
But l have. A great deal. I've
bought the old place, DIANA
"You have bought it-yes. But who
had any right to sell it to youp It's
mine. Mine by Inheritance from my
mother"
ut shall be yours, Diana, if you will
marry mel" he pleaded.
II won't marry any man who is an
fmpostor."
Charley Fontaine WINGED a little at
this extremely plain speech.
Y 1 had not become the purchaser,
DIANA" said he, someone else would,
And it was for yoH, dear"
Diana imprisoned her red lips firmly
between her white teeth.
II decline altogether to receive it,
said she. what! receive my own Al
tho hands Of any man aliveP I've toe
much pride for that. It is mine! Il
was my mothers before me.n
"Ypu cannot prove it, he urged,
"Truth ought to need no proofs"
"There is no use in ~talking,n said
Iontaine, = little impatiently. "Wha1
I want to know is, will YOU marry
mel"
NO" Diana promptly answered.
MOT IS q p%ortionless beggar."
"Diana!"
II mean it, said she; and so they
parted-certainly not enemies, but moi
suite friends.
Charley Fontaine took possession Of
the old Valleythorpe mansion with 9
deal less pride and happiness than he
expected, and, instead Of the beautiful
young wife upon whose presence he
had counted, old Aunt Valencia came
to keep house for him-a fantastic,
wincing little perDonage, with a IL.
year-old head upon a O-year-old pair
OF shoulders. a combination which is
ny no means SO rare II this world as
one would think. She was at once
rheumatic and romantic, sensible and
snperstitious.
"Such = dear old place, Chartr said
She, as she followed her nephew
through the halls and corridors, her
skirts held daintily up, her eye-glassed
orbs glancing here and there like those
OF an elderly sparrow. "Only a little
stufy though, isn't itp By the way,
what's this story that that very re-
spectacle woman the housekeeper
tells me about a counter-clalm set up
by one Miss Dart to this property
Charley listlessly explained the
complication.
What nonsense!" chirped Aunt Va
lencia.
"She believes firmly in it," said her
nephew.
"But she can't prove it."
mo. She has only her mothers
word for it, and Mrs. Dart wasn't al
together right in her head at the time
OF her death. 1t is more than likely
that the whole thing was a delusion on
her part"
what NONSENSE" again repeated
Aunt Valencia. "Chart, dear, did you
eve hear that this house was-haunt-
edp"
mo. aunt"
Its the very place for a ghost,n
twittered the sparrow-like old lady.
"This delightful corridor here, with
the suspicious stains on the staircase
that lovely vestibule with the colored
glass sky-light! And, oh, Chart, look
ont of this window. Do you see those
white mists floating up from the lab
urnum walk down there? Exactly
like gliding, formless ghosts. Cook
tells mo they come up every night,
like specters, from that very spot,
whom the sun goes down. Do you
think, Chart, that a murder could pos
sibly have been committed therep.nn
II think" Charley Fontaine absent
ly answered. .that the drainage. Of the
place must be horribly bad, and we
shall all have malaria unless,I stele-
graph to Sutton to send up some drain
dies at once" rs
'.But the place is full of such deli
eious tall ferns and water lilies" plead
q Aunt Valencia.
"Hang the ferns and water lilies!''
said her nephew. "Yon'll have to con-
Asnt yourself with indoor ghosts, aunt.
can't stand q low pool like that under
ny very window"
Aunt Valencia sighed, but Charley
WAS memorable, and within a week the
plumber's men We're at work. hound