The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-23
Hidden in the Closet.


valet, had waited on his masters
american guest to see what he desired
| him to do for him.
1here certainly was something odd in
the gentieman'S manner, and he had not
the look OF one VINO had enjoyed refresh
ing SUMMERS At last, just as the man
turned 10 leave the room, he spoke:
Ihomas, have been awake ali night"
Ny Lord will regret TO hear il, said
Thomas
Something odd disturbed me-" continu-
ed the gentleman. "One Of the maids
kept me awake all last night"
one OF the maids, sir?" cried Thomas.
Yes, Thomas. She kept running into
| my room at least every half hour TO look
IN the glass and admire herself. She
came OUT Of that door, and he pointed 10
one III a corner. and walked straight up
10 the mirror; the light from the night
lamp fell upon her face; she seemed 10
catch my eye in the glass each time,
and smiled al me as she did so. She wore
short quilt skirt little black bodice,
and full white sleeves She had gold
cross tied about her neck by a black rib
bon, and wore a little cap on her black
braids--a young girl with a French face.
Thomas. Do you know ner?'
Thomas made no answer. He looked az
the gentleman steady and grew pale. At
last he spoke:
IF 1 have the honor OF understanding
you, sir, the young person came through
the door,
Yes" said the American.
More than once. sir?''
About once an hour from midnight
until dawn
And smiled at you in the glass, where
you saw her face? I understand she did
not look toward you as she passed, sir?"
fright, Thomas
May 1 beg you to do me the favor OF
looking into this room sir?"
The gentleman followed Thomas to the
door through which he asserted that the
young person passed, and saw nothing
but a closet about twelve feet square
with no door save the one that openee
into the large room, and high in the CELL
ing little window through which bird
could scarcely have flown. 1t contained
no furniture whatever.
There must be a secret door-or-or-
somethingi" cried the American. II am
not mad and I was wide awake
Yes, sir" said Thomas, still more SOL
EMMY can ordinary young person could
not have contrived to disappear, but the
young person you have seen has been an
apparition, sir, for more than 200 years"
An apparition!" cried the American
gentleman.
Yes. SIR replied Thomas, IAN appari-
ton, sir. I think you have seen Lady
IS gentlewoman Rosette, sir. 1t Is
ten years since she was seen before to
my knowledge, but she has been seen
often
II should like to hear more about Ro-
sette," said the gentleman.
Yes, sir, said the valet. This is an
old family, and about 200 years ago there
was a Lord Herbert who was CAV. wild
young nobleman, and was a great admir-
er of the ladies, sir. However by the
time he was 30 he was married and settled
down, and began to be much thought of
and respected. So was his lady, too, sir,
though she was not handsome and was
naughty.
Zone thing, however, the English SER
wants did not ike-She brought foreign
maid with her from Franco girl named
Rosette and as pretty as picture.
''One day, sitting before her glass, Ro-
settle combing her hair for her, she heard
her husband come into the room. Her
back was toward him and Rosette was
behind her, and they forgot the mirror,
and so. sir, she saw IN it, without stirring,
both their faces, and saw the girl smile,
at her husband and she saw him smile
back at her. She understood everything
but she never stirred, and she never said
anything to him, no. nor to the maid, sir.
This was the room, sir. In that little
closet Rosette had her bed, to be ready
If she was called. But one morning nv
lady's bell rang furiously, and the maid
who answered it was told to do my lady's
hair, for Rosette had gone back to her
native country.
''All the time she was doing it the girl
thought she heard a faint moaning sound,
and was frightened, and went back to the
rest pale and trembling, and before night
II was well known in the house that that
little closet there was not only locked, but
nailed up.
After that my Lord seemed to take to
his wild ways again in a measure and
drank a great deal and my Lady lived
much alone. There never were any child
rem; but they both lived to be old indeed.
and at last my Lady died in this room and
was buried in the church yonder.
MY lord was as old as she by that
time but as soon as the funeral was over
he went into my Lady's room and stood
a long while before the locked and nailed
closet door.
'eThen he said TO himself: 4 cannot die
until know and ordered ii to be opened
There were hundreds of nails in it; but
they were all out at last, and the lock
was forced, and my Lord arose and tot
tered into the closet.
1T wasn't much they found, only a few
bones and an ornament or two. but 1t was
plain that the girl nan been Ced ndnu ana
foot and bound to the bed and left there
to def she was not murdered outright
by the jealous lady.
But ever since. sir, whenever there IS
going to be misfortune in the family, VINO
ever sleeps here in this room sees Rosette
come out of her closet and smile in the
glass. No one ever sees her face, only
its reflection I hope no trouble will fol-
low now. sir"
LAS for the American, he slept else
where the next night. He had no adj
r7i-atlon for ghosts. even the family
ghosts Of nobIemen. and he had no desire
to see Rosette smile AZ him in the glass
again.-New York Daily News.