Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-11-03
Won by w aiting.
EDNA LYALL-


scarcely see; the white pillars begar
to look grim and ghostly in the gain
ering gloom. With a little shiver sh'
reused herself and began to pace VI
and down the aisle, though more
quietly. The doors of the yestry, The
side chancels, and the choir were al
locked; she tried them over anC
over again with sort of craving
to get into some smaller place
where the loneliness would not
feel so awful; for now that she
had found it clearly impossible
to hinder Bertha's flight, the thought
of her own position began to hnd
place in her mind. TO stay alone In
the cathedral all night long seemed
to her a terrible prospect. She sat
huddled up in a corner, glad to keeI
her eyes shut, and full of nameless
underlined terror. The clock struck
ten, and she looked up; from the east
there was a faint CLEAN of light, com
ing, perhaps, from the gas-lamps
without; she CROPPED her way nearer to
il and chose for her resting place thu
tomb Of one Of the great benefactors
Of the cathedral, Baron de Gers, be-
cause he must originally have been q
Frenchman. And here she tried to so
to sleep, but for a long time without
success, for the pain and excitement
OF the evening had been too much for
her Then, too, the eerie feeling OF
the place was the reverse OF soothing.
Esperance, though not foolish, had
been brought up among the supersti-
tions Of the French peasants, and
moreover, she was very imaginative;
she could not help picturing to herself
the ghosts o. those buried within the
cathedral coming TO look at the I'M
usual night visitant, and, OF course,
she began to SILVER a little. Just
then upon the awful stiffness of the
great building, there rose a strange,
weird mysterious sound-a kind Of
onward rushing, her teeth chartered,
she trembled from head to foot. and
strained her terrified eyes into the
darkness, fearing she knew not what.
The sound seemed now close, to her,
then far away, then again it drew
near and nearer, and she distinctly
felt her hand touched she gave a
little cry, and. as if in answer, the
rushing sound passed by her once
more, and she heard a sharp clicking
squeak, and knew that her ghost was,
after all, only bat. The relief was so
intense that she fairly laughed aloud
at her mistake, hoping that it was not
sacriigious, and then in few min
utes she said her prayers and slept,
But her rights were not quite over,
She woke with a start just as the
great clock was tolling twelve, to
wonder why her bed was so hard and
cold, and then to realize everything
more fully than ever. Twelve o'clock,
and George and Bertha were far
away. and every one at the deanery
must be sleeping peacefully, and she
was alone in the cathedral! Then,
with the cold chill of terror creeping
over her once more, she looked up.
What was that still white figure OPP
posite her? 1t had not been there
WUtH SUI lttl dNittDs DAt A'l '-h
herself to get up; and with stif be-
limbs crossed the aisle to
the object of her alarm. But It
proved TO be no phantom only the re-
cumbant figure Of a crusader. the
white stone being illumined by a
food of silyery moonlight which
shown through the southeast win
dows
She was relieved, and in spite Of
her grief about Bertha and the diff
culties of her situation, she could not
repress an enraptured exclamation as
she looked TO the east end of the ca
thedral Each arch and pillar rose in
marble Wilderness, contrasting wildly
with the black shadows around; the
fell with almost dazzling
radiance on the exquisite carving,
while some of the windows reflected
back the brightness. each tiny pane Of
glass sparkling like a diamond AL
though the previous day had been
hot, Esperauce was shiyeuug with
cold now She rrept up To one of the
stoves, knowing that for a great part
Of the year they were kept up all
night; but the fires had been discou-
tiuued for some days. and the iron
bars felt as cold as ice. Then she re-
membered Bertha's cloak. which
must, evidently, have been left for
her, and she went down to the iron
gate once more. her footsteps echoing
in the silent night The
Moonlight did not fall upon the nave
at all, and the yawning blackness
looked awful She turned TO look once
more at the radiance OF the east, and
then again looked through the gate,
while that appalling darkness seemed
to surge in upon her overwhelmingly.
She picked up the cloak and moved
back again TO the crusadar's tomb,
not sorry to be in the moonlight re
giou again.
Just then fresh thought occurred
to her mind. The yergers would come
round at eight o'clock TO unlock the
gates how should she explain her
presence to them9 Bertha's flight
must, II possible be kept secret. and