Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-06-02
A Skeleton In
The Closet.

*o*o*o*oxoxoxo*o*o*o*o*oxo2
1t was early morning, and Thomas,
Lord IS valet, had waited on his mas.
ter's American guest to see what he desir-
ed him to do for him.
There certainly was something odd in
the gentleman's manner, and he had not
the look of one who had enjoyed refresh
ing SAUNDERS. At last, just as the man
turned to leave the room, he spoke:
"Thomas, I haye been awake all night. I"
my lord will regret to hear it, said
Thomas.
Something odd disturbed me-" con-
tinued the gentleman. lone of the maids
kept me awake all last night.''
&c ne OF the maids, sir?' cried Thomas
"fes, Thomas. She kept running into
my room at least every half hour to look
III the glass and admire herself. She came
out of that door"-he pointed to one
in a corner-"and walked straight up to
the mirror. The light from the night
lamp fell upon her face. She seemed to
catch my eye in the glass each time and
smiled at nle as she did SO. She wore a
short, quilted skirt, a little black bodice
and full white sleeves She had gold
cross tied about her neck by a black rib
bon and wore little cap on her black
braids-a young girl with a French face,
Thomas. Do you know her?''
Thomas made no answer. He looked at
the gentleman steadily and grew pale. AT
last he spoke:
IF have the honor of understanding
you, sir, the young person came through
the door?''
"Yes,' said the American.
"More than once, sir?''
until dawn
you saw her face2 understand she did
not look toward you as she passed, sirs"
fright, Thomas"
MAY 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
closet about 10 feets quare, with no door
save the one, that opened into the large
room, and high in the ceiling a little win.
dow through which bird could scarcely
have flown. It contained no furniture
whatever.
There must be a secret door-or-or-
something cried the American. II am
not mad, and was wide awake"
Eyes, SIR" said Thomas still more sol
EMMY. IAN ordinary young person could
not have contrived to disappear, but thu
young person you have seen has been ar
apparition, sir, for more than 200 years.
An apparition" cried the American
gentleman.
''Yes, SIR" replied Thomas, IAN appari
ton, cir. I think you have seen Lad,
-'s gentlewoman Rosette, sir. 1t Il
ten years since she was seen before to my
knowledge, but she has been seen often. ;
IL should like to hear more about Ro
settle, " said the gentleman.
"Yes, SIR" said the valet. "This is al
old family, and about 200 years ago ther,
was Lord HERBERT who was gay, wilt
young nobleman and was great admire
OF the ladies, sir. However, By the tim
be was 80 he was married and settlet
down and began to be much I. lg6t o
and respected. So was his lady, too, sir
though she was not handsome and wa
naughty.
lone thing, however, the English serv
ants did not like-she brought foreign
maid with her from France girl name,
Rosette and as pretty as a picture.
lone day, sitting before her glass, Ro
settle combing her hair for her, she hear,
her husband come into the room. He
back was toward him, and Rosette wa
behind her, and they forgot the mirror
and, SO, sir, she saw in i, without stirring
both their faces, and she saw the girl smil
at her husband, and she saw him smil,
back at her. She understood everything
but she never stirred, and she never sale
anything to him, no, nor to the maid, sir
''This was her room, sir. In that littl,
closet Rosette had her bed, to be ready i
she called her, but one morning my lady,
bell rang furiously, and the maid who an
swered it was told to do my lady's hair
for Rosette had gone back to her nativ,
country.
"All the time she was doing it the CIR
thought she heard faint, moaning souDt
and was frightened and went back to til,
rest pale and trembling, and before night
it was we'll known in the house that thu,
little closet there was not only locked, bu
nailed up.
"After that my lord seemed to take t.
his wild ways again in a measure anG
drank great deal, and my lady livec
much alone. There never were any chill
lren, 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 8
long while before the locked and nailed
closet door.
"Then he said to himself, L cannot die
uni til know, and ordered it to be opened
There were hundreds of nails In 1t, but
they were all out at last, and the lock was
forced, and my lord arose and tottered in
to the closet.
1T wasn't much they found, only few
bones and an ornament or two, but it wa
plain that the girl had been tied hand ard
foot and bound to the bed and left there
to def she was not murdered outrigh,
by the jealous lady.
but ever since, sir, whenever there ID
going to be misfortune in the family, who
ever sleeps here in this room sees Rosette
come out Of Ter closet and smile in the
glass. No one ever sees her face, only it,
reflection. I hope no trouble will follow
how, sir.i.', r III: ~ r.
! As for che American, he slept elsewhere
the next night. He had no admiration
for ghosts, even the family ghosts Of no.
blemen, and he had no desire to. see Ro.