The record-union., 1898-11-21
Her HAUNTING FACE.

Carter took Jack Marshalps lodgings
after the winter holidays. Jack had
been called away hastily In November
Dy the death of sister, and later went
abroad to travel with his parents. His
efrects had been shipped to him. and
when Carter moved in the suite OF
rooms was bare and lonesome. BILLY"
Gunn. idly lolling on the window seat
and talking in a reminiscent mood or
The last Case-Adelbert football game,
watched the new tenant as ne arrang-
ed his belongings. Carter gave re-
fractory dresser drawer a vigorous pun
and grumbled about the rubbish with
IN He began fiinging handfuls of pa
per, collar boxes and old programs OF
colIege events into waste basket. his
nngers caught on a stiff piece or card
board wedged back of a drawer, and
from the slippery surface next his hand
ne knew that he was touching photo
graph. After some maneuverfng with
MS knife he managed to extract the
picture from its lodging place, and with
a long whistle of surprised delight,
stood bolt upright. staring hard at his
find"
Vaudeville starr" queried Billy"
carelessdy, pushing down his bull pup
and crossing to Carter's side. Suddenly
MS race stiffened into awe as his eyes
zen upon the portrait. Cad, Carter,
that's Jacks sister that died. Poor fell
low! 1t broke him all up. She was
Inc stunningest girl that ever attended
an Adelbert prom Jack had her up
last year at Easter, and all the men
We're daft over her. Blue eyes, dark,
Wavy hair, roseleaf complexion, regular
Gibson figure and poise, and she sang
and danced to beat anything" went on
Billy" rather huskily. ''She let me
take her to one party while she was
here. Jack fixed it for me. She was
kind enough to say I gave her a good
time, too. Anything written on the
back, Bob?"
Carter, who had listened like one in
dream, to Billy's talk, turned the pie
ture over, and there, in a large. dash
ing hand, in vogue with girls Of to-
DAY, he read slowly aloud: Helen to
Jack, with best love, Easter, 1897"
Inere was moments silence. and
when their eyes met both men saw
oimly. Billy kicked the fawning pun
TO recover himself and Carter reyer-
entity laid the picture down on the
dresser He went on with his unuaek-
ING sigh escaping his boyish lips.
mat Is my style of girl. Billy. I'm
sorry never met her"
es, Jack told her when she was
mere that there was only one man in
college worthy of her, and that was
you, said Billy, honestly. st remem-
Der she was pouring out tea for me at
an INFORMAL when Jack said that and
sne smiled at me and murmured:
Jacks unintentionally rude to-day
nen she asked who and where Won
We're we both fell in and sang your
praises. full blast, old man. And now
the sweet creatures dead. Deaths
DANCED cruel, tell you, when 1t carries
on lovely girl like that" and the ten
der-hearted little under grad. winked
hard to keep back the tears. Presently
ne went, leaving Carter silently work.
ing at his packing cases. He heard
Blily and the pup racing across the
campus toward Adelbert Hall, and then
ne sat down on the foot of the bed and
began studying the picture of the dead
girl Her great. soulful eyes, looking
straight into his from beneath delicate
~ penciled brows, seemed to follow him
as If she were alive. The tender
and womanly, and the whole contour
of the face and head was noble. Her
slim, girlish neck rose gracefully from
Its low, evening bodice Of some filmy
white stuff, and the dark hair rippled
back from a beautiful broad brow.
And | was the fellow dear old Jack
picked out for her" unused Carter,
audibly. We'll. she's my ideal, as far
as appearances go. It's a miserable
shame she had to die" And gently kiss
ing the lovely pictured face, he put II
from sight in a drawer.
Late that night. Carter, at work on
his Greek lesson. found himself recur-
ring frequently in thought to the dead
girl and her marvelously sweet face.
He propped the picture up before him
on his study table. and as he smoked
vision of her alive and here in his
very rooms, pouring tea for her
brothers friends, rose dimly, and it
seemed as if the eyes of the girl in
the picture saw the vision, too
Soon Carter took the dead girls pic
ture from the drawer every evening,
and the two seemed to silently COM
mune as he studied or paused TO dream
of what his future with her might have
been. He always kissed her good night,
too, before he replaced her in her tissue
wrappings.
Billy and the crooked legged pup
came tumbling up Carter's stairway in
great excitement one night late in jan
uary. He held letter with foreign
postmark in his hand, and his round
eyes bulged out with excitement
Jack Marshalls got to come home
at once on important business for his
father. He sailed a week ago, and will
come on to Cleveland to see US over
Sunday he painted Lets have him
out here one evening. Bob, and then
may be he'll tell us all about-about
her, and British athletics" he ended
rather incoherently.
Carter acquiesced, and that night he
talked long and lovingly to the picture
OF Jacks return. Were her eyes sad
when he mentioned poor Jack? He fan
cied they were
On Saturday afternoon Carter saun-
tered through the Arcade, watching for