The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-09-27
THE NORTH PA.RLOR.
BY MARY 3. SLEIGHT.

1t CHANGED one evening, in a certain
pleasant little drawing room, where 4
party Of friends had gathered, that the
conversation turned on ghosts.
Most of the company denied having
any faith in ghostly apparitions, and the
few who were disposed to believe in
them hcsitatcd to put their views into
plain English.
Aunt Gwen believes in en-" said
Dick. the irrepressible small boy of the
family. "Don't you. Aunt Gwen?"
Il believe in the one Dick has in
mind, said the lady thus appealed to.
Curiosity was at once aroused. and
everyone turned eagerly toward AUNT
Gwen"
"Oh, come and tell the story, aunty,"
pleaded Dick.
I'm afraid the others NAV not be so
much interested in it rs Dick is" she
said. at happened when was quite
Young. | had been invited to spend
week AT my cousins. in one of the oldest
and quaintest of the old Long Island
villages. 1t was midsummcr-a time of
year when. at my cousins. company was
always in order. and | had been in the
house scarcely five minutes when a partv
OF guests walked in. Two of them, at
least, were unexpected, and Cousin
Avice, who had just shown me to NV
room, received the news of their arrival
with gesture of comic despair.
don't know what in the world to
do with Them she said We can put
two in the room next to YOURS. but there
are four of them. and the only other I'M
occupied room in the house is the one
opening from the north parlor, and in
that the bed is too narrow to accommo-
date more than one
why not put me thcren | suggest
ed.
oh, don't like to- said Avice: its
. lonely sort of a place, away off from
everybody, and l am afraid you'd be
timid.'
Il laughed at these objections. Twas
accustomed to sleeping in a room away
OIL from everybody at home, and had
never thought of being afraid, and
gathering up my belongings. | told Avice
to lead the way. She complied reluct-
aatly. protesting that it was too bad to
put me in such dismal den: she even
offered to make up IA bed for herself on
the sofa rather than leave me to sleep
there alone. But was not enough of a I.
coward to be willing to let her sacrifice I
her nights rest in that way, and besides ,
| was delighted with the room. 1t was
about twenty-five feet long and perhaps !
fifteen in width, and though the ceiling
was comparatively low, the wall paper. |
representing narrow panels that reached |
from cornice to wainscot, added greatly /
to the apparent height On the side of |
the room opposite the bed there was
nothing to relieve the panelled surface
except, at intervals. a family portrait; |
but at each end of the room there was a
broad double window. heavily barred on
the outside. | noticed. and so deep seated |
that wondered what the thickness of
the walls must be. Avice explained to |
me afterward that her grandfather
LlIommedieu. who was for many wears |
an invalid, had the room built for his own
use, taking every prccaution To shut out
all disturbing sounds, aud that since his |
death it had seldom been occupied; but
even if she had told me this at first it !
would not have inundated me in the !
least, for when a child l he'd Often sen
her grandfather LHommedieu. and he |
hcld place in my rcmcnibrance rs one,
Of the kindest and most genial of old !
gentlemen, not in any way one of the
sort who would be likely TO haunt his
former habitation
The only reason, evi6en4Iv for tbo
room ; having Iaiieil into disuse was the |
fact of its being SO remote from the rest
of the house.
IL serves cnieRy nowadays Avice
curables in the furniture line
The craze tor attic treasures had |
not yet begun, but haI ALWAYS a liking I
for ANYTHING ancient, and as soon As
Avicc left me to myself I started ON a !
of Investigating.