St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-25


man whose picture hung on the stair
case-sitting at a table with skull
under his hand?" These and many
similar points We're cleared up by the
re-ources of Mrs. Bunchs powerful
intellect. There were others, however,
of which the explanations furnished
were less satisfactory. One November
evening Stephen was sitting by the
fire in the housekeeper'S room reflect
ing on his surroundings. rs Mr.. Alb
ney a good man, and will he go to
heaven?" he suddenly asked, with the
peculiar confidence which children
possess in the ability of their elders 10
settle these questionable decision oil
which is believed to be reserved for
other tribunals.
Coco? d?-bless the child"' said Mrs.
Bunch Masters as kind soul as
ever | see! Didn't | ever tell you OF
the little boy as he took in, out of the
street, as you may say, this seven
years back? and the little girl, two
years after | first come here?'
mo: do tell me all about them, Mrs.
Bunch-now this minute
"Well.' said Mrs. Bunch, 1.-The little
girl | don't seem TO recollect so much
about. | know Master brought her
back with him from his walk one day,
and give orders to Mrs. Ellis, as was
housekeeper then, as she should he
took every care with. And the pore
child hadn't no one belonging to her
she telled me so her own self; and
here she lived With us a matter of
three weeks it might be; and then,
whether she were somethink of gip-
sy in her blood or what not, but one
morning she out of her bed afore any
of us had opened a eye, and neither
track nor yet trace of her have l set
eyes on aince. Master was wonderful
put about, and had all the ponds
dragged: but it's my belief she was
had away by them gipsies, for there
was singing round the house for as
much as an hour the night she went,
and ParkeS he declares as he heard
them a-calling in the woods all that
afternoon. Dear, dear, an odd child
she was, so silent in her ways and all;
but I was wonderful taken up with her,
so domesticated she was-surprising.
And what about the little boy?' said
Stephen.
"Ah, that pore boy" sighed Mrs.
Bunch. "He were a foreigner-Jev-
amy he called himself-and he came
a-tweaking his urdy gurdy round and
about the drive one winter day, and
Master ad him in that minute, and
asst all about where he came from, and
how old he was, and how he made his
way. and where was his relatives, and
all as kind as heart could wish. But
it went the same way with him.
They're a hunruly lot, them foreign
nations, | do suppose, and he was off
one fine morning just the same as the
girl. Why he went and what he done
was our question for as much as
year after; for he never took his urdy
gurdy, and there it lays on the shelf"
The remainder of the evening was
spent by Stephen in miscellaneous
cross-eXamination of Mrs. Bunch and
in efforts to extract a tune from the
hurdy gurdy.
That night he had a curious dream.
At the end of the passage at the top
of the house, in which his bedroom was
situated, there was an old disused
bathroom. 1t was kept locked, but the
upper half of the door was glazed, and,
since the muslin curtains which used
to hang there had long been gone, you
could look in and see the lead-lined
bath affixed to the wall on the right
hand, with its head towards the win
dow. On the night of which 1 am
speaking, Stephen Elliott found him
self, as he thought looking
through the glazed door. The
moon was shining through
the window, and he was gazing
8
bath. His description of what he saw
reminds me of what 1 once beheld my
self in the famous vaults of st.
Michan's Church, in Dublin, which pos
sess the horrid property of preserving
corpses from decay for centuries. A
figure ineXpressibly thin and pathetic,
of a dusty feaden color, enveloped in a
shroud-like garment, the thin lips
crooked into faint and dreadful smile,
the hands pressed tightly over the
region of the heart. AS he looked upon
it, distant, almost inaudible moan
seemed to issue from its lips, and the
arms began to stir. The terror of the
sight forced Stephen backwards, and
he awoke to the fact that he was in
deed standing on the cold boarded floor
of the passage in the full light of the
moon. With courage which [ do not
think can be common among boys of
his age he went to the door of the
bathroom to ascertain if the figure of
his dream were really there. 1t was
not, and he went back to bed. Mrs.
Bunch was much impressed next morn
ing by his story, and went so far as to
replace the muslin curtain over the
glazed door of the bathroom. Mr.. Alb
ney, moreover, to whom he confided his
experiences at breakfast, was greatly
interested, and made notes of the mat
ter in what he called "his book
The spring equinox was approaching
as Mr.. Abney frequently reminded his
young cousin, adding that this had
been always considered by the ancients
to be critical time for the young;
that Stephen would do we'll to take
care Of himself, and to shut his bed
room window at night; and that Cen
soTinus had some valuable remarks on
the subject. Two incidents that oc-
CURED about this time made an i'm
preston upon Stephens mind.
The first was after an unusually un-
easy and oppressed night that he had
passed-though he could not recall any
particular dream that he had had.
The following evening Mrs Bunch
was occupying herself in mending his
nightgown. Gracious me, Master
Stephenr' she broke forth, rather ir-
ritably, "how do you manage to tear
your nightdress all to flinders this
way? Look here, sir, what trouble
you do give to poor servants that have
to darn and mend after you"
There was indeed most destructive
and apparently wanton series of
Sits or scorings in the garment,
which would undoubtedly require
a skillful needle to make good.
They were confined to the left side of
the chest-long, parallel Sits, about
six inches in length, some of them not
quite piercing the texture of the linen.
Stephen could only express his entire
ignorance of their origin; he was sure
they were not there the night before.
But he said, Mrs. Bunch, they re
just the same as the scratches on the
outside of my bedroom door; and I'm
sure 1 never had anything to do with
making them"
Mrs. Bunch gaZed at him open
mouthed, then snatched up a candle,
! departed hastily from the room, and
was heard making her way up stairs.
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