Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-03-21
the cold struck to my heart from It.
and I had to catch nv breath,

the cold struck to my heart from 1t,
and | had to catch my breath.
what Is your Nance"
"Mary Williams, aged six years,
three months and five days" says she.
Then my blood ran cold. but 1 tried
to reason with myself again. She was
some child whom / hadn't seen who
had run In there, and perhaps was not
quite right in her mind.
"Well." says l. you had better run
home now. If you want to come to
school, YOU can come at nine o'clock
t-morrow morning. If your mother is
willing. Then I will hear your Lesson.
and maybe you VIII find your doll, but
you mustn't bring it to school; I can't
have any dolls brought to school,"
With that she rose I'D, dropped a
queer little courtsey, that made Il puff
Of icy-cold wind in any face, and was
out Of the room very fast. as if she
had slid OF Aoated. without any steps
at all.
I put on my hat and locked up the
school and went home th2n. Looking
back 1 can't say that I felt scared or
nervous. l know I did not walk a bit
faster when went past the old church
yard. There was an o. graveyard
there near the school, and the children
used to play there during recreation.
When 1 reached the house Mrs.
Simonds asked why I had been de-
laycd. and if didn't want any supper.
but she did not appear surprised or
curious She never seemed surprised
or curious at anything.
went up stairs to my room and sat
down and thought it over 1t seemed
to me there must be some natural ex-
planatian forthcoming. AS thought
it over I remembered that there had
been 4 strange, faint earthly odor about
the child, and Immediately put my
own skirt up to my face and smelled
it again. hung my dress out Of the
window in the air when ! took it off.
The next morning when the scholars
filed in to school I tried to think that
strange little girl might be among
them, but she was not, and she did not
come in the afternoon.
That night staid after school again.
I had made up my mind l would. ]
waited. and after Il while that little
white arm showed out of the dusk, but
l had not seen the child come into the
room.
I asked again what she wanted, and
she said Just as she had before:
please, teacher, find my doll for me
and hear me say my next lesson in
the primer"
I got up and went to her, just as I
had done before, and there she was,
just the same, and the faint earthly
odor came in my face.
when did you lose your doll?" says
I.
But she wouldn't answer.
"Please, teacher, find my doll for me
and hear ME say my next lesson in the
primer" says she, with kind Of wall.
never heard anything so pitiful as
it was. 1t seemed to me somehow as
if all the wants had ever known my
self sounded in that child's voice. and
as if she were begging something
had lost myself.
But I spoke firmly. 1t was always
my way with children; I found it
worked best.
"Now, you run home" says I, land
you come tomorrow. and I'll give you
your doll and hear your lesson in the
primer"
And then she rose up and courtesied,
just as she had before. and was gone.
did not try to follow her.
That evening l went round to old
Dr. Elrm uns' and asked Mrs. Emmons
if could see the doctor for few min
uteS.
She suspected what had happened,
for she looked at me closely, and said
she hoped I wasn't getting nervous
and overwrcught with school teaching.
I said "No." just wanted to see the
doctor about new scholar; and she
left me in the sitting room and called
him in.
I asked him, point blank, if anything
had ever happened there at Marsh
brook, and he wouldn't tell me at first.
II suppose you want to give up the
school. thought you were old enough
to behave YOURSELF says he. He was
pretty short sometimes, but he meant
well.
I've done the best I could by the
school," said I.
"Why couldn't you come home when
school was done, as you were told to,
instead Of staying there in that lone
some place and getting hysterical?"
says he. II don't know that I can get
another teacher this term. It's a pity
all the lady teachers in creation could
not be ducked a few times to get the
nonsense out Of them. I'll get a man
for the place next time. I've had
enough Of women"
81 don't want to give up the school,"
says I.
"What are you talking about then?"
says he.
81 want to know if anything has ever
happened here in Marshbrook?" says
I. Il don't want to give up the school
if anything has happened"
He finally told NE how little girl
had been murdered fifty or sixty years
ago, OH her way to school, on the
Brook road. They found her lying
dead beside a clump Of furze. with a
great bruise on the back Of her neck.
as If she had been hit by stone, and
her doll and her primer were lying in
the road, where she had dropped them
when she ran from whoever attacked
her. They never found him.
"Was her name Mary Wiliams?"
says I.
"How did you know it?'
UN1n fold mo