Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-05-07
THE PHANTOM CHILD.


dering, waiiing ghosts, when Brooks, who
u large red man with soul attuned 10
tales OF diablerie and fatal sympathy
with things supernatural, told the follow.
ing from his own intimate knowledge and
experience:
MY wife and | spent our honeymoon in
the house OF friend OF mine in a lonely
but picturesque part Of Sussex We had
tne house 20 ourselves, not only because my
friend desired not TO intrude upon our first
eonJugal happiness, but also because he
hated the house and seldom lived In il, He
had had some years before Il great grief. his
wife, y beautiful, fragile creature, had died
IN child bed, after a short period OF perfect
"edioek,. leaving him the loneliest and
most melanchnly8f men. He had made
ms ancestral home treasure house Of art
70 enshrine the crown aud center of all
ms bride, SO that when she was gone r.,
beauty and its interest were fed for him
We, with the seltishness of the newly mar
ried, forgot what the place meant for him.
and reveled In its beauties within and with
out.
II was called Silverladies because of a
notable plantation of birches that protected
the house from the bitter winds of the
north and east, and that rustled and swung
In the breeze with plaintive grace aud
whitened into fair, slim ghosts in the moon
hght Within the furniture, the rugs and
carpets and tapestries, the pictures and
pottery, the metal work and lacauerware
ana the books were constant springs of de.
light TO us; and they were all SO harmoni.
ously and unobtrusiyely disposed through
out the house that every day, almost every
waking hour, brought us new discovery
OF beauty-beauty, but no mystery
A year later we We're there again with
our hrt born. AT the beginning OF the
last week of our stay our host joined us to
receive rome additional company, whom
he felt compelled To treat with more cere-
mony than we required He arrived lust
before dinner. He was courteous and kind;
he tried TO be cheerful and talkative, but
frequently ne lapsed into abstraction and
he retired tt his room early.
When wi hdrew found my wife-not,
As was her wout, snuggled into bed. for it
was autumn lime. but sitting 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 a child"
"A childy" said
II suppose, she continued, che is a good
father, and always takes her about with
him. A lovely childl'
Il have heard" said. "about one child
he had"
''iie must" said she, take her about
with him; for never saw her before to.
night. o Will the most delightful play,
mate for our darlingi the sweetest, pnetti
est child in the world with her long,
golden, curling hair falling over her
shoulders, aud with nothing on but dear
nightgown, and'a black kitten trottlng be-
hind her, twining about he- little legs till
thought she would be tripped up ever so
many timesl"
Where did you see this child. my dearY"
"On the stairs as | came up to bed. She
toddled on before me and went In at the
door opposite ours.p
which" said |, sis room-the only
room-we have not been into: IL Is always
locked.m
$50 it isr' said she
"lt'sall right about the child, Isuppose,"
said l, but Ibid not know Clyde had n child
living. The only child ever heard he had
died mere infant. | believe before her
mother"
II shall be very sorry IL that is true
said my wife ~ think achild would have
done Mr.. Clyde so much good; il would
save him from his weary depression and
loneliness. However, ! shall find out in
the morning what child IL was"
ness before tbe new con,n,n : ar,ivaJ . ~ H..
onire concarning H. siiIj rha ha,,sa
ieener 1to whom she ,lrst referr..le a.ela ,,..,
vith .mnb,via ,b.t ,h.ra ,,.as =, LII, =.
the bonss sxcent anr oun which ,ras ae, !"
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sneats