The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1896-10-30
MY VISITOR,

The summer was intenscl, hot Pc
pie In the tenement houses OF the
crowded city died Ike flies. Into my
small room In an uptown. ia, the heat
seemed to be filtered. ! .ouli not sleep
at nights and the long iay' In great
newspaper Office was not calculated to
Improve my health ard spirits. hal
begun to ask myself Il life were worth
the living when received letter from
friend, lately married, inviting me to
visit her In her new home. wen, to
the managing editor and assuring him
nothing less than months rest would
save me from an early grave exacled his
consent.
What delight experienced as / felt
myself being whirled through the fresh,
sweet country airl My friend met me
at the station. She was radiant with
health and happlness-sueh a contrast
to my pale, miserable looking sell.
l. Is charming country town
new town, you know-and It's pretty
cottages arc all of modern style. Buton
a cliff frownIng down on the village
stands a sombrc house OF stone, moss
rooted and ivcy clad. Grand old trees,
over whose head centuries have pas 81 d
stand sen,inels around II. a winding
drive leads Up to II, and when my friend
turned her horse In at the iron gateway,
/ exclaimed:
"whati Is that your housew for
knew they were far from being rich.
ayes. Is II not lovelyl We got a
bargain. They almost gave the place
away. And It was furnished, too"
was not the only guest, as my friends
aunt, a most delightful old maid, wa,
also visiting there. As expect to be
an old maid some day, always "make
love" 20 them, as a little friend once ex.
pressed II. The room assigned to me
was front one. Opening on TO 1t was
another one, somewhat smaller, but
fitted up In the same style, and came
to the conclusion this had once been
some early mistress apartment In the
smaller room the old maid, or Miss Sue,
as shall call her, slept. Now. observe,
the only way OF entering her room was
by passing through mine. When we
babe each other good night !, with true
feminine caution, locked and bolted the
door opening to the hall, but the one
separating our rooms | left open. There
was a little table In the center of the
room. holding the lamp. | drew up
chair and tried to read. But could not
fix my aitenli m; my eyes would wan
der from the pages to the things around
me. shall not attempt TO analyze the
peculiar feeling that began to take pos
session OF me. shall only say the
general impression left on me, after
careful survey, was that the personality
Of some other woman than my friend
fingered In the room. felt that per.
sonality. like living, breathing thing
Il was a creepy sensation; so | I'M
dressed and went to bed, and being
tired soon fell asleep.
Perhaps slept an hour, perhaps not
ten minutes, but gradually over my
sleeping senses came power subtle,
mysterious, drawing them back to the
real again. can never describe that
awakening. To think OF It even now
sends an unaecounlable chill into my
heart.
The moon was shining and the room
was full OF light. ! uneljsed my eyes,
and leaning upon one elbow glanced to-
ward the stand. and there on the chair
had recently occupied sat a young girl.
She was dressed In white and had short,
curly hair. sat up In the bed, and
never supposlng my visitor was other
than flesh and blood, and thinking was
at my boarding house, asked
"iave you no bed" But the oeeu'
pant of the chair did not move. Then
like A flash remembrance OF where
was came over me.
"Miss Sue" called, "here 10 a girl
Has she no place to sleep"
A snore from Miss Sue was my an