The diamond drill., 1890-02-15

VI
Auntyulencia- Chart. dear. did you
ever hear that this house was-haunt
ed"
.sIt's the very place for ghost"
twittcred the sParrow-!ske old lady
This delightful corridor here. with
the suspicious stains on the staircase
that lovely vestibule with the colored
glass skylightl And oh. Chart. look
out OF this window. DO you sec those
white mists floating up from the
lnburum walk down thereg Exactly
like gliding. formless ghosts Cook
tells me they come mp every night
from that very spot where the sun goes
down. DO you think. Chart, that
murder could possibly have been COM
mittcd there?"
Il think" Charley Fontaine absent
ly answered. .that the drainage OF the
place must be horribly bad, and we
shall all have malaria unless | tele-
graph TO Sutton TO send up some drain
tiles at once"
But the place is full Of such de-
licious tall fern and water lilies"
pleaded Aunt Valencia.
Hang the ferns and water lilies.
said her nephew. you'll have TO con-
tent yourself with indoor ghosts,
aunt. ! can't stand "a low pool like that
under my very windows"
Aunt Valencia sighed, but Charley
was inexorablc, and within n week the
plumbers men were at work, bounding
the white, floating mist-specters from
their fragrant Businesses with no more
romantic implements than pick axes
and drain tiles She and her nephew
had come down 10 superintend the
operations one evening. when aborer
came toward them. touching his frowsy
hat.
please, zur." said he. 'ere's what
/ found under the roots o. tnat big
willer tree. It's zum zort OF box. :"
THE ghost!' whispered Aunt Valen-
cia. giving her nephew's arm an ex-
cruciating pinch. "Open IL, Chart
do See. it's almost rusted throughl'
II was box OF papers, widowed,
time-stained, saturated through and
through with an earthly smell-old
love letters addressed TO Emily Sea-
cliff. afterwari Emily Dart. the mother
of Diana; apparently valueless receipts
and memorandums; few manuscript
poems; "A soiled glove and a French
| bOn-bon cnse. into which was crumpled
up an oblong piece OF legal paper-a
deed OF gift from old James Thorpe to
Emily Dart, and her heirs and assigns
| forever. OF Valleythorpe and all It's
broad acres
Charley turned TO Aunt Valencia
with vividly scintilating eyes and pale
| checks.
Aunt he said. ''you were right
10 was a ghost. and IL has rendered up
| its message from the spirit land. In
one OF her troubled brain-hts. Mrs.
Dart must have hidden away these pa
pers and forgotten 10 disclose their
whereabouts To- any living soul Diana
was right, also. Vallcythrope is hers,
and have no more title TO IL than
yondcr fnrm-boy in the high-road"
"And Rufus Miner. OF whom you
bought it?" gasped the old lady.
''He had no right 10 sell what was
not his This deed OF gift is dated
seven years later than the will under
which he inherited the place. He will
have TO refund rue the purchase money
OF course
"And that black-eyed. solemn-faced
girl at old Moueypenny's Is the heiress
Of Valleythorpe"
'Undoubtedly.n
How delightfully."- romantic" llsped
Aunt Valencia.
Diana Dart was feeding the little
yellow goslings in the early sunshine
OF the morrow morning at the back
kitchen door OF the Moneypenny farm
house when Charley Fontaine cam,
along the winding footpath. She look
cd up with sudden start
You have something TO tell me,
she cried: Il see il In your eyes"
Yes said he. "Will you have /
all at onceP You are an heiress i an
TO bc turned out OF Nalleythrope.
And then he related all the particu
lars.
''Am | TO gopn said he, quietly.
Diana's shadowy. black dashed eye
followed the little goslings as the,
vanished like balls OF downy gold int
the tall southern-wood bushes alonl
the picket fence.
mo. nsaid she. why should yo,
gop Volleythrope Is your own.
mo. Diana; IL Is yours"
What is mine Is yours also" mur
INJURED Diana in still lower voice
'if--if you will take IL.
Diana my own darling! But yo
would not take IL from me-"
But" whispered Diana. ''can'
you see that this is quite different?
Aud she burst into shower OF haT
by to r.. with her face hidden agains
his breast
Il do love YOU" she sobbcd. Il d
:. love youl And | have loved you a
along. only only WAS too proud