The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-04-25
VOL. XXVI.-NO. 25.

His breath came quickly. lie paused,
and Mrs. Green said
GLOW can | help you, sir 2"
''You can tell us all you know about
the house and its inhabitants. Who were
the people who lived there twenty years
agO?"
The woman seemed to be undecided for
moment whether to speak or no; and
Hubert Ferrars and his wife watched her
anxiously. At last she said suddenly:
''l'll tell you, sir. There's no reason
why shouldn't, except that | was never
one to talk, and ever since | saw the lady
the other morning I've had the horrors as
the ghost never give them to me- If can
help you to see through it | will. Seven
and twenty years ago | was maid at The
Glen. There were three in family-my
mistress, her second husband, and her child
by her first marriage, Miss Dorothy Frome"
Dorothy Frome, repeated Mrs. Ferrars,
excitedly. "Iubert, that was my mothers
name-the only thing know about her.
Dorothy is my name too, though I've been
called Dorothea or Thea Oh, 90 on, go
on.
The woman looked at her for a moment,
and then began again slowly, speaking more
easily as she went on, and her habitual
reserve gradually gave way.
She was pretty, delicate slip of girl,
was Miss Dorothy, with blue eyes and yel-
low hair, and full of whims and fancies.
In the spring of 1868 my mistress died.
The place went to Mr. Farmer, and he and
Miss Dorothy lived there together He
did not say unkind things to her, but they
was never friends together; and all Miss
Dorothys love seemed to 90 out to the old
house and garden. Shed care about it all
her life more as folks care for other folks
than for places; but them two years after
her mothers death she got TO love it so as
never was. ltseemed to be tied up in her
life like. At the end of two years there
came gentleman about the place a-courtin'
OF her, and she fell in love with him. Mr.
Philip Marston was his name"
"Ah, interrupted Mrs Ferrars. at is,
Hubert, it is. That was my father"
But the old man couldn't abide him."
continued Mrs Green. "No one knew
why, for there was nothing against him as
ever could hear And he vowed that if
Miss Dorothy married him neither she nor
child Of hers should ever set foot in The
Glen again. She did marry him, for he
loved her very true and pressed her hard,
and they went away together For ten
months after | heard nothing of her, and
then one day saw letter all crushed up
lying ON the parlor floor. 1t wasn't the
place for letter, so picked it up, and
well, | suppose | had no call TO do it, but
| read it, 1t was from Miss Dorothy's
husband, and it begged aud prayed of Mr..
Farmer to let Miss Dorothy come back To
her old home, for she was ill-and fretting
herself to death for it. 1t asked Mr..
Farmer, i' he wouldn't have this, to
promlse--but can tell you the very
wOrds-they've stuck by me all these
years: viii you satisfy her sick fancy
by promise that her child, should it live.
shall be allowed to learn to know and love
her mothers home?' And it said how
Miss Dorothy, in her weakness, was Just
crazy to have her child care for the
place she had loved 50 dear. How
she lancied, being so i'll, that she could
she pined and fretted night and day
But Mr., Farmer was a hard man, and
stood by his oath; and Miss Dorothy never
came home again. After good bit I be-
gan to wonder whether her little child
had lived, aud whether it would ever come
to the old farm. And one evening in
September, going on for four years from
4 fba tin,o ,rban I yi.la1 ~, Tho Iotta, so,,,
coming out of Miss Dorothy's old room .
little, fair haired, blue eyed child. I'd
Thought so much about how it would be to
have a child about the place that, somehow,
| wasn't a bit took aback, and Just stood
and watched it. 1t toddled down the pas
sage toward me, and was close to my knees
when, all of sudden-as | stretched out
my hands to tit wasn't there any more.
1t gave me a bad turn that time but
saw it 81 often through the next three
months that got use to it like. Every
one about the house saw it at times, and
at last, when Mr.. Farmer died, nobody
wasn't willing to take the place. People
have tried it now and again; but always
about this time of the year, from now on
to November, the figure comes back,
always going about the house quite at
home and natural like. First, it was the
baby, then a slip of girl, and now-you
know what, sir"
Mrs. Ferrars had sat, since she had
understood that she was listening to her
mothers story, quite motionless eyes
fixed on the speakers face her hands clasped
in one another As Mrs Green ended
and silence fell on the little room she drew
long breath, her face quiyered, and she
turned to her husband with low cry.
"Oh, Hubert My mother, my poor,
young mother. Longing and longing, and
dying unsatisfed Oh, my poor mother !"
He put his arms around her and soothed
her tenderly, and then said turning to
Mrs. Green:
"We will see you again before we go
away. Thank you for telling us this
you're welcome, sir, I'm sure, replied
the woman "Is it's it Miss Dorothy 5
daugbter?"
; eyes, he answered; "yes, it is.
And they left the cottage. No words
passed between them as to what was to be
done next; no words were needed. In
about half an hour they stood at the gar
| den gate of "Fhe Glen and there Hubert
Ferrars looked at his wife and hesitated.
But she put out her hand to him and said :
"Come with me" And together they
went up the garden path and into the
house. Ali over it they went; through the
garden aud through the wood, and back
into the house, and at last, when they
came again 10 the little room at the head
of the stairs, she dropped his hand and
went in alone. When she came out to him
once more, there was strange, awed look
in her eyes. "Let us go, she said, ''let
us 90. | think she will be satisfied"
After that day she never saw '.The
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