Wichita eagle., 1890-02-09

trait had made so deep an impression on
her mind.
The next day Olive came over to an
aounce that she was going to travel with
her father and sister, and would prob
ably be absent a month. The maid was
packing, and they expected to start
early the next morning. Dora was real
ly sorry to lose her companion, but when
the impulsive Olive declared that she
had half a mind to stay at home, she
would not listen a moment to such a
proposition.
''Let me bring you the key of the
tower" Dora said. when they had kissed
good-by for the third or fourth time.
You left it last night"
''Oh, no matter; I'll bequeath it to you
for few weeks, and if you see the ghost
don't fail to tell me-"
Dora promised.
She found herself very lonesome in the
days that first followed Olives departure.
She took her walk regularly over to Mr..
Harton's for her music, but it was dull
work. Frequently she would pause in
her playing and study the picture that
hung above the piano-the likeness of
the Spanish woman when she was Mrs.
Chorley. There was a later portrait of
her, but this first interested Dora most.
The resolute, naughty eyes; the lips set
together with frmness that indicated
great power, and the strange unconquer-
ableness written on every feature. Gazing
OF ba,. ,,>rcccibIa not %o d,.oo ~,
over her story. 49,
The woman who supplied Mrs. Ber-
trand with butter and garden vegetables
was daughter-in-law of the old woman
who had been Mrs. Chorley's servant SO
long. Since her quarrel with Mr.. Harton
Persis had been especially bitter against
all the family save Miss Olive, whom she
loved tenderly. Jane, being newcomer
in the place, and rather disposed for gos-
sip, was quite a godsend to her. On her
part Jane retailed her information to
Dora, who soon understood the family
history perfectly well.
Persis declared Mrs. Chorley had never
been the same woman after her second
marriage, and that she felt assured Mr.
Harton had managed to entangle her in
some villainy, or he could never have
ruled her SO completely. "You should
a seen how she carried her head in Mr..
Chorley's time" the old woman would
generally conclude with.
1t appeared singular to Dora that Mr..
Harton should wish to remain in place
where he was regarded with so much
suspicion when he had ample means to
enable him to live elsewhere. As Mrs.
Bertrand preferred the quiet of her room
much of the time, Dora was left to her
own speculations and amusements, and
having little else to occupy her atten-
ton, had become deeply interested in
the history connected with Chorley
Cliffs. Now she visited the old tower
daily. Her nature was not superstitious
or fearful, and the many curious relics
there pleased her greatly.
H.
1t was bright night with full moon.
Dora had lain awake long while, listen
ing to the ticking of the clock, the regu-
lar breathing of her mother, and the
heavier respiration of Jane. The sleep
ing apartments were on the side toward
the tower, nearly all the rooms being on
one floor, as the house itself was low.
Many a time vague imaginations had
foated through Dora's mind, and even
now she could not refrain from going
over the old story. Then a crash of
something startled her, smothered
sound, as if it came through walls, and
fln I.ro,t.o,, of fh<
senses painfully acute, she sat upright
in bed, and strove to catch another token
of the real or imaginary intruder. In
vain. Only the sleepers on either hand
broke the perfect stiffness, and presently
the voice of her mother. requiring some
triffing attention. So she composed her.
self to sleep again, but the incident re-
CURED to her in the morning, and i'm
mediately after breakfast she set out to
explore the tower, her heart beating with
quite new emotion.
The neighborhood was extremely quiet
and at this point quite thickly settled, SO
it was hardly possible any one would at
tempt to enter such an old place where
no valuables were kept
She ascended the steps slowly, and on
reaching the second floor took a compre-
hensive survey. The study looked as
usual; not thing had been disturbed.
Raising her eyes they rested on win
dow overlooking the main house. The
sash seemed to her displaced and several
new panes of glass missing. Following
out the suggestion, her eyes wandered to
the floor, which was strewn with numer-
Gus fragments. Her first impulse was to
fly down stairs and give the alarm; then
she reflected moment. Might not the
no, there had been scarcely
breath the preceding night, certainly not
enough to dislodge the window frame.
Size drew chair to the wall, and climb
ing up, took hold of it. Yes, it was
loose. There seemed traces of recent
disarrangement finger marks in the
dust and the disturbance of moths and
spiders that had built homes for them
selves in the corners. The window had
evidently fallen out; this was the noise
she had heard in the night. If it had
lain there on the floor she would not
have felt whit disturbed, but it must
have been put back by human agency.
What could any one hope 10 gain after
effecting such an entrance:
Dora knew it would not do to needless
ly disturb her mother and Jane. They
were comfortably situated; the quiet and
retirement satisfied Mrs. Bertrand COM
pletely, and her health had improved
visibly since her coming to Chorley
Cliffs. 1t would be unfortunate to leave
it just now, and impossible to stay un-