Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-07-17

but empty space. Just over the easel,
looking down with laughing eyes at
Grandfather L'Hommedieu's braided cue,
hung the likeness Of some child OF a for-
mer generation. but it bore no resem-
blance to my little visitor. Of course 10
a genuine ghost a stone wall would De no
obstacle, but this one had seemed so sweet
and human that it was hard to DeheVe
that it had made its exit after the ira
ditional manner Of ghosts. Yet II nesh
and blood. / could not understand IN what
way it had managed to come and go, asl
had taken care every night TO see that my
door and windows were securely last
ened.
Il went to the east window and looked
out, almost expecting TO see 1t Hitting
across the moonlit space; instead, | saw
q black cat sitting &c nurely on the gar
den fence, with nothing whatever sug-
gestive of a ghost except a white sail
drifting down the bav, with Cedar Island
Light blinking at it il the distances and
becoming aware that ! was growing
chilly, / crept back to bed with the rid
die unsolvcd.
IL was strongly tempted the next
morning to relate my experience; but the
fear of making Avice uncomfortable in
regard to the room, and of being laughed
at by the others, still kept me silent.
The day was stormy, and finding that 1t
must be spent indoors, most OF us went
to our rooms to write letters.
"0nce or twice, as | sat at the desk. l
fancied that | heard a mutfied movement
on the other side of the wainscot but
knowing that there was no room beyond,
| said to myself that there must be mice
in the wall, and gave it no further
thought.
"After finishing my letters, finding that
it was not time to dress for dinner, L
went to the piano, and had just begun
PLAYING 'Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie
Doon'-someway the old-fashioned airs
seemed best suited to the venerable in
strument-when suddenly behind the tall
easel at the other side Of the room a panel
seemed TO give way, and in tumbled a
frightened-looking little creature in a
calico frock and white p%inafore.
"'Oh, please, miss, | didn't mean tor
she cried. MY mother said | mustn't
ever come in here; but / couldn't help
listening in the stairway, the music was
so sweet
"And picking herself up, she would
have beaten a retreat at once if / had not
caught hold of her.
'''Now tell me who you are | said,
and how you contrived to get ini' For,
to my amazement, the moment saw her
face | recognized my pretty ghost.
"'I'm the housekeeper's little girl,
miss, and | sleep in the room upstairs,
she answered, gazing with longing eyes
at the piano.
"'But if your mother has forbidden
you to come here | said, don't you
think it is very naughty for you TO creep
down in the night when she supposes
that you are fast asleep in your bedr
"'0h, l never did, miss! Neverl' she
protested.
AT that moment another muffled
sound was heard inside the wall, and at
the opening through which the child had
made her entrance the house-keeper APP
peared. The little one looked at me with
such appealing eyes that | made haste to
take her under my wing.
Ii was an accident, Mrs. Ames, |
said. Your little girl had a tumble,
and has given me a great surprise, as |
never knew till now that there was any
door on this side Of the ROOM
81 s'pose Miss Aviee must have forgot
to tell you about it, she's been so busy,
said the housekeeper. It's a queer sort
of continuance, anyhow; but, you see,
this room was built for the old gentle
man there'-pointing to the portrait On
the easel-'an' he had 'em make a double
wall all the way round, partly so it'd be
cooler in summer an warmer in winter,
an partly SOS to shut out every bit o.
noise. He was sick, you know, for years,
an the nan that used to take care Of him
slept in the room above, where me an
Rosy sleep now; an that's why he had
this stairway made between the walls.
There's a bell cord by the head o. the bed
that he used to pull when he wanted any
thing in the night. An now, miss, |
guess wen be goin', an I'll be careful not
to let Rosy give you any more such
~scares.'
1.-THE child followed her reluctantly,
and when the door had closed behind
them it would have been a hard matter
for me to find it again. so exactly did it
fit in with the rest of the panels, had not
discovered a small knob, which owing to
the fact that it was the precise color of the
wallpaper, had hitherto escaped my eye.
$50 that ends my ghost story | said
to myself, with the determination to have
a good laugh over it with Avice. But some
of our village friends came in to tea, and
Avice had so many demands made on her
time that | found no opportunity for the
proposed chat. However. the mystery
was solved, as | supposed; and though
half sorry that it should have had such a
prosaic ending, l went to sleep that night
feeling confident hat my rest was not go
ing to be broken byany midnight appari-
ton, for under the circumstance Rosy
would hardly dare to repeat her visit.
"But | was reckoning %withoutmy host.
Even before had fairly lost myself, the
panel door swung open, and in stepped