Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-08-08
A VAGARY.


rubber toy balloon. and | bought it
ffum a neatly dressed old German,
who. with his string of many colored
bubbles was walking up and down the
street 1 had noted his pleased look
and happy smile when the children
acruSs The way patronized him, and |
wanted to see him smile again-so |
beckoned him to come across the street,
and Bought a balloon myself
OF course, it did look ridiculous for
an old maid like me to be buying a
childish thing like that, but in my
heart had always wanted one of the
aIFy Ghings, and had never had the
courage to buy one before. Even now
L made some silly apology to the
woman next door, and said that /
faaught it would be nice thing to
amuse the dogs
L seEeCted from among the brightly
Enlared globes one of peculiar BLUSH
white tint. 1t was the only one of that
c0I0F-the rest were all of rainbow
hueS. and among the reds greens,
purples. and yellows this one looked
very odd
L noticed that the old mans face fell
as 4 designated my choice, and in his
bralEEn English he tried TO dissuade me
from taking that one. ..Nein. nein,
dis shone. seer said he, pointing to a
yellaw one like great golden orange;
but held to my choice, and finally,
finding his remOnstrance in vain, the
old fellow reluctantly cut the string
and put the end into my hand, with
sskRs TzF II
~>Gngiuck r-and did not get smile
frsm him after all.
tHok my purchase into the house
Eud as ] went back to my painting |
eTed il ID the back of my chair, where
I quite forgot it until turning sudden
~, | was startled to see the pale, white
thing boEering over my head. 1t
to0kea 50 unearthly, so weird that it
gave INC sEn idea, and | caught up
brush filled with red paint and by a
lew tGUches | transformed the thing
1Ht0 the most hideous face | ever have
szsen- The eyes were wide and staring
the Hostrils open, and the mouth was
like that of a skull.
am not usually very clever with
the brush. but this time my hand flew
as though guided by an unseen power.
and soon the blocd-red eyes glared and
the horrid mouth grinned back at me
with such a iendish expression that |
began to feel a bit creepy. My hand
shook q little, for it was delicate task
To put the paint ON without breaking
the thin rubber-and, candidly, | was
getting nervous.
know not what spirit of evil i'm
PEELED me, but having finished this
work carefully broke off nearly all of
the string attached and weighted the
balloon with bit of tissue until it
would just float about midway between
the floor and the ceiling and l then
set If loose.
i can not describe my sensations OF
Embarrassment, haIf-awe as / saw
Tins thing which had made floating
ghostly and pale, like disembodied
spirit Now high, now low, with a
slow but unceasing motion, it wandered
Sxbs1f the great rooms, the staring eyes
peering into dark corners and above
cupboards and behind pictures, as
though searching for something.
2 q called in the dogs. Punch, the fat
pug, came numbering in without seeing
anything at all; but the little foxter-
irIer, alive to some strange influence.
smiled about in the corners and under
rGhe furniture until, glancing overhead,
lhs saw the frightful face floating
howard him. With yelp of terror he
cgapped what there was OF his tail
under him and ran from the room,
followed by the terrified Punch, who
by this time had seen the thing, too.
No amount of coaxing would induce
the dogs to return, and began to con-
graduate myself that the housemaid
had gone home for visit and that no
enc would come into that part of the
Mouse before could get the thing out
of Che way for was beginning to feel
@szfber ashamed Of the whole perform
SEnce-
followed the uncanny head from
room 20 room, and tried by climbing
upon chairs to catch it, but it kept
always Just out of my reach. On and
OH it went, still peering and staring,
its red eyeballs turned now up, now
down, as it royed in its fruitless quest.
AZ last it turned into the hall and
SLOWLY rose to the floor above. saw
IL rise steadily TO the skyi1ght and
took ont for an instant and then shrink
back as if to get away from the light.
and then it began its tour through the
upper rooms.
In the front chamber there was Q
large old-fashioned pier glass, which
had long before graced the parlor, but
had been lately, at my order, RELOCATED
to this room; my fancy being that mir
rurs were in better taste in sleeping
raaus The restless moving thing
stopped before this and poised, still
Cor the first time. The eager eye
seemed to have found what they hat
Seen seeking. Steadily they stared a
cIteir horrible reflection, then the,
&uTued upon me.
silly though it may sound, recoile'