The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-31
ala not speak. / looked her full in the

did not speak. looked her full in the
eyes; she was slightly taller than I. She
laid her thin hand on my shoulder.
'You need not be frightened" she said.
after all there is nothing very terrible.
/ have found out the mystery Of the red
roses Once q man lived here, a poet. He
had a great warm loving heart, and he
planted the garden with red roses just az
you see them now. the very same plants.
He planted them. he tended them, and he
loved them, and there was a girl whom he
loved even better than the flowers. and he
planted them for her. But she was faith
less to him. Sne left him on the eve Of her
wedding and went away with another. The
man from grief and agony at his loss. COM
mitted suicide and for this deed he was
doomed He was doomed to wander the
earth until"
until what, Josephine? Who told you
this terrible lugubrious, unlikely taller"
HE told me-" answered my sister, land
he told me what his doom was. For the
sin of hurrying to his Maker before his
call came he was doomed to wander the
earth until"
Eyes, yes" said; until whatf'
Until another woman gave him her
heart and was faithful to him. He had
been long looking for such woman, but
when I came here his search ended. To-
night he lies dead upstairs and the red
is my bridegroom, Patricia. shall lie by
his side tonight and-but do not ask me
any more"
She left the room, heard her go up
stairs and lock the door Of her dreadful
bedroom. spent night too fearful to
speak of, and early In the morning went to
seek her. The door, as usual. was locked.
I called: she did not answer. shouted;
she did not reply. In terror called our
servant. and the door was broken open.
We both went In. Josephine was lying on
her bed quite dead. There was a smile
on her face and a look of great happiness
in her half-open eyes. Red roses covered
her; they were everywhere, some lying
on her breast, some clasped in her thin
and cold hands,. they filed the air with
their exquisite perfume
A part Of the mystery Of this strange
story can never be explained. Did Jose
phine really see the spirit which haunted
the queer old house, or was she the SUBJ
ject Of Authorizations from an early date
after her arrival there? I must wait I'M
til I, too. enter the spirit world to answer
these questions. But something else was
made plain. only not until long years
afterward.
At Josephine's death my cousin received
his share Of her money, and I left the tall
old house and went to live elsewhere.
Years and years went by. my hair was
gray. and I had ceased to mourn so BIT
terly for the sister OF my youth.
One day I received a message that a dy-
ing man wanted to see me. l obeyed the
call, for l could not well refuse, and found
myself face to face with the cousin who
had inherited Josephine's eS.OO0. He then
told me OF the CHASTITY trick he had play
ed. Being determined to get the money,
and as soon as possible, he had followed US
both to Alverstoke. had determined not to
make himself knswn. had heard the story
of the house. had watched Josephine,
guessed that she would be easily influenced
by anything connected with the unseen,
and had made his plans When 1t began
to be known about in the town that my
sister Josephine saw spirits. that she was
called by an unknown voice. that she
herself was growing thinner and thinner
and more and more spirituel. he brought
his wicked scheme to perfection. He sent
for red roses to the south of France, and
sent them to her day by day The roses
finished the work which the haunted
house had begun. Josephine died, and our
cousin Inherited her money.
But have been punished" he said In
conclusion. for she haunts me. / have
seen her gentle face over and over again
since the day Of her death. but now her