The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-23
The ThreIkeId Ear.
"a story in Five Parts. By C. A. Raj
mond.)
PART Y.

"a story in Five Parts. By C. A Raj
mond)
PART v.
She stood a moment by the open door
listening painfully. Nearer and nearer.
and now quite distinct, came the voice
Of a little child sobbing-sobbing- Stand
| ing rigid by the door, the woman let the
guitar slip slowly out of her nerveIess
fingers to her feet. AS it rang on the
oaken floor, the last candle smouIdered
out She stood in darkness facing the
| dim, firelit hall. The crying was now so
near it could be told the child was run
ming, or would be running, if it were q
child at all and not a crazy fancy. Sud
denly little white figure dashed down the
great hall stairs, crying bitterly and hold
ing out its arms As it reached the bot
tom, the freight fell for moment on
the bare feet twinkling under a white
night-gown-on flying yellow hair and on
wide CLASSY eyes. AS it ran across the
strip of freight to the drawing-roOm,
Mrs. Threlkeld gave cry. 1t startled the
child, who ran on still more feverishly,
crying and still holding out pitiful arms.
The sound Of hurrying footsteps behind
seemed to frighten it to the pitch of
frenzy. Like a hunted creature of the
woods, it flew on before its pursuer from
even on the threshold of the pitch-dark
mushroom.
But here the woman paused. The child
had vanished, and melted into the dark.
Had she been dreaming all the time? No!
there it was again! The little white figure
shot out into the faint light beyond, start
ing on its frantic round again.
rs it you, my baby?" cried the wo
man, "or am 1 MAJOR do I dream? Help
helpr' She rushed into the hall and pull
ed wildly at the bell. The white vision
shot past the nearest door.
1T is my child the woman cried again.
and stumbled after tor it would be-"
her dazed thought added 'if any child of
flesh and blood would fly from its mother
like a white bird in the dark"
Again it was swallowed up in the gloom.
The woman paused half fainting as be-
fore at the mushroom door.
Now in a moment [ shall see it darting
into the dim light beyond" But the cry
ing, grown weaker and weaker, culminat-
ed suddenly in a dull crash, ending with
a note like music, and that note was
caught up, held and echoed, and then re-
luctantly suffered to die. Silence-abso-
lutte. The woman listened at the farther
threshold in dumb agony. No more cry
ing, no phantom flying out into the light
nothing.
She crept painfully back into the fire.
lit hall On the stairs a tall figure stood.
She shivered as she turned her eyes away.
Shall l see phantoms wherever 1 look
tonight" she thought.
WAS it you who rang?" said familiar
voice.
oh. Mr.. Threlkeld! for Colds sake
comet" She fell prone at the foot of the
stairs.
The old man came down and tried to
lift her.
Come, Gomez he Whispered. mo ser
wants will answer bells tonight He got
her to chair and lit two candles. mo
need to ask why you rang" he muttered.
II heard-I thought heard child cry
ing"
"Ah! Threlkeld is sharpening your
ears"
But II saw the child"
.'Eh?'
Eyes, saw it running through these
rooms
i've never seen it." said the old man,
speaking low.
But 1 saw its face, I tell you; and oh
God, it was like-it was lke-come !'-she
caught up one of the candles-'it was here
it faded away
With an evident unwiIlingness the old
man followed, bringing the other light.
As Mrs. Threlkeld reached the MUSHROOM
door she stopped short with a piercing
cry, and the candle fell from her hand.
It's herer' she whispered over her
shoulder. "Oh, don't leave me! It's lying
here on the floor
Mr.. Threlkeld came forward and held up
the light. Between the threshold and the
Christmas tree lay the body of his little
grandson flung across the broken guitar
The doctors talked Of undue excitement
or sleep-walking, and of failure of the
heart, The Threkelds bow their heads
of what use words?