Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-07-25
LOOK! THE PHANTOM CHILD.

Brooks and and another sat at mid
night smoking by the fire, each with u
tall drink at his elbow We talked of
Mr. Myers and psy chical research, of
spooks and vampires, of luminous shad-
ows, and wandering wailing ghosts
when Brooks twho is large red man
with a soul attuned to tales of diablerie,
and fatal sympathy with things super
naturaD told the following from his own
intimate knowledge and experience:
My wife and / spent our honeymoon
in the house of a friend of mine in a
lonely but picturesque part of Sussex.
We had the house to ourselves, not only
because my friend desired not to intrude
upon our first conjugal happiness, but
also because he hated the house. and
seldom lived in it. He had had some
years before great grief: his wife, a
beautiful fragile creature, had died in
child bed after short period of perfect
wedlock, leaving him the loneliest and
most melancholy of men. He had made
his ancestral home treasure house of
art to enshrine the crown and center of
aIl-his bride, so that when she was,
gone its beauty and its interest were fled
for him. We, with the selfishness of the
newly married, forgot what the place
meant for him, and reveled in its beau
ties within and without 1t was called
Silverladies because OF a notable planta-
tion of birches that protected the house
from the bitter winds of the north and
| 4 aI...1
breeze with a plaintive grace and whit
ened into fair slim ghosts in the moon
light. Within, the furniture, the rugs
and carpets and tapestries, the pictures
and pottery, the metal work and lacquer
ware, and the books, were constant
springs of delight to us; and they were
all so harmoniolsly and unobtrusively
disposed edsthroughout the house that every
day, almost every waking hour, brought
as a new discovery of beauty-beauty,
but no mystery.
A year later we were there again with
our first born. AT the beginning of the
last week of our stay our host joined us
to receive some additional company,
whom he felt compelled to treat with
more ceremony than we required. He
arrived just before dinner. He was
courteous and kind; he tried to be cheer
full and talkative, but frequently he
lapsed into abstraction, and he retired
to his room early.
When / withdrew / found my wife
mot, as was her wont, snuggled into
bed, for it was autumn time, butt sit
ting, rocking herself by the bedroom
fire, with her hands behind her head.
will, she said, when / stood before
her, "you never told me that Mr.. Clyde
had child.
"A child Y'lI said.
II suppose" she continued, che is a
good father, and always takes her about
with him. A lovely childP'
II have heard" said, "about one
child he had"
He must,l said she, stake her about
with him; for / never saw her before to-
night. o, Will the most delightful
playmate for our darlingi-the sweetest
prettiest child in the world, with her
long golden curling hair falling over her
shoulders. and with nothing on but a
dear night gown, and black kitten
trotting behind her, twining about her
little legs till thought she would be
trippedsup ever so many timesV'
where did you see this child, my
dear ?"
"On the stairs as came up to bed.
She toddled on before me and went in at
the door opposite ours"
(which" said /, 'is a room-the only
room we have not been into; it is always
locked"
$50 it isI' said she.
''It's all right about the child, I sup
pose" said /, ''but did not know Clyde
had a child living. The only child
ever heard he had died mere infant, /
believe before her mother"
"I shall be very sorry if that is true y
said my wife, II think a child would
have done Mr.. Clyde so much good; it
would save him from his weary depres-
sion and loneliness. However, shall
find out in the morning what child it
was"
Next morning my wife made it her
business before the new company ar
rived to inquire concerning the child.
The housekeeper Ito whom she first re-
ferred) declared with emphasis that
there was no child in the house except
our own, which was certainly too young
to be toddling about with a kitten. But
(my wife said) the woman looked some
what askance and was over emphatic:
phenomena which her astute mind re-
garded as suspicious She therefore
went to the master of the house, whom
she found walking in the sunshine on
the terrace in front Of the house.
~I am curious, Mr.. Clyde, said she,
1about the child saw on the stairs last
night.
He turned shade paler than was his
won't, and looked troubled BE made
her wonder and shiver (she declared) by
the strange suggestiveness of his reply.
$50, Mrs. Brooks, said he, you, too,
have seen it; wondered If you would.