Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-17

S'Si hdu Hiyselt sounded in that child's
voice and as if she was begging for some
thing had lost myself
But spoke decided. 1t was always my
way with children. 1 found it worked bet
. yer. now You run right home" says I,
ana you come tomorrow, and I'll give YOU
primer" -oA A'A '"e
And then she rose up and curtsied. lust
as she had before, and was gone
die not try to follow her
1nat evening 1 went around to old Dr.
Emmons. and asked Mrs. Emmons ~ I
could see the doctor few minutes.
guess she suspected what had hapnened
Tor she looked at me real sharp. and said
she hoped 1 wasn't getting nervous and
overwrought with school teaching. / said
WASH l. l Just wanted to see the doctor
ABOUT a new scholar: and she left me I'm
the sitting room, and called him in.
asked him. point-blank, il anything
mad ever happened there in Marshbrook.
and he wouldn't tell me at first
Il suppose you want to give the school
up. thought you were old enough TO be-
nave yourself" says he. He was pretty
snort sometimes but he meant we'll
says 1.
Why couldn't you come home when
school was done, as you was told to. in
stead OF staying there in that lonesome
place. and getting hystericky?" saws he
Il don't know as can get another teacher
thls term. The school house will have to
be shut up. It's a pity all the female
SENIOR teachers in creation couldn't be
ducked few times, and get the fidge>s
out of them. I'll get a man for the place
next time. I've had enough of women"
says I.
What are you talking about. them"
says he.
i want to know if anything has ever
happened here in Marshbrook," says ]. II
don want to give up the school if anything
He finally fold ma bo,,- m NAL
been murdered. some fifty or sixty wears
ago. on her way to school, on the brook
road. They found her laying dead beside a
clump of swamp pinks, with a great bruise
on the back OF her neck, as If she'd been
hit by stone and her doll and her primer
were laying in the road, where she'd DROP
ped them when she run from whoever killed
her. They never found him.
WAS her name Mary Williams" saws I.
How did you know it?' says the doctor
She told me-" says 1.
The old doctor turned as white as a sheet.
You amt hystercky" saws he
When he found out l wasn't scared and
didn't want 20 give up the school he want
ed to know what I'd seen, and asked a good
many questions. told him short as 1
could, and then / went home.
The next morning before school I got
some linen rags from Mrs. Simonds and a
piece of bright blue thibet, and 1 made a
real pretty little rag baby. I'd never made
one before. but couldn't see why 1 didn't
make it as well as anybody. 1 raveled out
a little of an old black stocking / had for
its hair. and 1 colored its cheeks and mouth
with blue ink. l found. too. an old primer
that Mrs. Simonds said her mother had
studied. for thought that might have been
like the one the child was carrying to
school when she was killed.
That night 1 stayed after school again,
and waited until 1 saw the little white arm
raised out of the dusk. She did not wait
for me to speak that time. She piped up
oh <3rI
me. and hear me say my lesson in the
primer"
Put your arm down and be quiet" says
1, and will hear your lesson" L put the
rag doll in my pocket and took the old
primer 1 had found and went to her
Find the place and go on with your les
son." says i, and 1 gave her the book. She
turned over the leaves as If she We're quite
accustomed to 1t. and saw at once that /
had the right book. II was a queer little
primer that had been written by an old
minister in Marshbrook, and used I'm the
schools there for some time. She found
the place soon and began to read. piping up
quite loud. You could have heard her out of
doors; the windows We're Open The piece
was called THE Character of Good
Child" She read IL very we'll 1 only had
her spell out few of the words.
You have got your lesson very we'll"
says /. Then L took the doll out of my
pocket and gave IL to her. She fairly
snatched for ii with her little. white. gleam-
the cold strike TO my heart again.
She Rugged the doll tight and kissed II
with her stiff. parted lips. Then she held it
off and looked at it.
PLEASE. teacher. find my doll for me-"
says she. with great wall. and 1 saw she
knew IL wasn't her own old doll
Hush" says 1, Il can't find a doll that's
been lost fifty years. This doll is just ex-
and run HON. -"
But she just gave that pitiful cry again
please, teacher. find my doll for me-"
You are not behaving pretty at ALL"
says 1. THAT doll is just as good Then /
don't know what possessed me to say It
but 1 says: "She hasn't got any mother
either"
She just Rugged the doll tight and kissed
II again then and didn't say another word
against II.
Now, you'd better run home" saysL
She rose up and curtsied. and I was all
ready to spring. I followed her. 1 didn't
know as 1 could keep her in sight, but /
did. and she went into the old graveyard.
I saw a CLEAN of white in there a minute:
then 1t was gone.
That evening 1 went to DIR. Emmons and
told him what had happened. Now" says
!. Il want TO know where that child was
buried"
"she was buried in the old Williams
tomb says he.
Then I asked him to take a lantern and
go to the graveyard with me, and look in
that tomb. didn't know as could make
I'lfl IOT qultt d he 10 tne Will
Jams family had all died cut and gone
away. There wasn't one of them left i'm
town. He didn't exactly know who had the
key of the tomb. and he kept looking at
me real sharp. / suppose he was afraid
I was getting hystericlsy. l guess he got
pretty sure at last that 1 wasn't, for /
taught that Marshbrook Number One school
seven years after that. though any young
thing could have done il, and STAYED after
school every night in the spring terms for
that little girl never came TO scare anybody
again. He kept looking at me that night,
and then he felt my pulse and counted il
by his watch.
You don't want TO give the school up."
says he.
mo, / don't" says I.
He went out after awhile and presently
he came back with a lighted Lantern ana a
key. 1 don't know where he got it. Then
we went down the road to the graveyard
1t was dark night, and il was mis,iny !.
little. He went along in front with the lam
tern. and / followed On behind He didn't
speak word the whole way. / guess he
felt kind of grouty at having to come OUT
/ didn't care if he was. l was bound to find
out.
When We came to the old graveyard he
opened the gate, and We went il. Ills lam
tern lit up all the old headstoncs and trees
and scragCy bushes. as we went across 10
the Williams tomb 1t WASH very far from
the gate. A lot of little bushes were grow
ing out of the hrunped-up roof, and I real
Williams in the stone wok over The iror
door. The doctor fitted The kew in Tho locL
while i held the lantern. I felt the way I
used to when L was child. when I walked