The Washington weekly post., 1900-01-02


for driving away depression as a bright
fire. sat over 4; and presently, in order
to heightsn the effect. blew out my can
dies and allowed the pretty room to be
lit by the flicker of the freight alone
The wind which had ealtnsd down for a
little now rose with redoubIed fury. II
shrieked and sighed round the slender
house, and IT seemed to r1e that the house
itself shook with the fury Of the gale.
The little clock on the mantelpiece
licked away the minutes ! looked up
and saw that IL was between Ii and L
o'clock.
'oh. come" said to myself. II mus.
get into bed, / shall be good for nothing
to-morrow, and l want 10 do a great
deal"
! had started gardening and the care
OF poultry on a small scale. and wanted
TO get Up early the following morning 20
see after my pets. ! took of my dress
and hung 1t up In the wardrobe. I put
on a warm flannel dressing gown and sat
down again By the fire. Raising my hand
| took down my thick, dark hair. and
began slowly 20 brush It preparatory 70
getting into bed. As / did so I heard
distinctly and very quietly in my ear the
following words:
Patricia, / want you at once"
/ turned round
why, what in the world is the matter,
Josephine, and how did you get into the
room, the door is locked" ] cried. My
heart beat fast. Josephine was not IN
the room, there was no one there, and
yet l had heard the words Patricia,
want you at cnee." / must have dreamt
them; Of course / had dreamt them.
l walked as far as the door, unlocked
it. and looked down into the dark pas.
sages. / could just gee a shadow OF the
hall window and the shadow of the stairs
as they went down and down toward the
drawing-room landing, where Josephine
slept There was not a sound of any
sort. ! relceked the door. and went bach
again to ray place by the fire.
Il am getting nervous / said to my
self. II understand now why people could
rot stand more than a year in the house
Of course, Josephine did not speak tC
me-"
This thought had scarcely passet
through my mind before 1 again heard
the quietly spoken and yet intensely earn
est words. Patricia. / want you al once.
OH 1 cried, what is wrong?"
stood up and clasped my hands. "WhaI
is wrong with JOsephine?"
In my anxiety about her almost for
got my own nervous troubles. ! few
across the room. unlocked the door, and
rushed downstairs. / had got about hall
way when l saw Josephine coming uI
TO meet me Her face was white. whittier
than any living face that had ever seen
Her eyes We're wide open and staring
she clasped my hand
What is II, what is it?'' said "What
is the matter. Josie? Tell me, tell me-
What is the matter with your wa:
her reply. -"YCu called me Just now"
'I did not" / answered
"you did-you came into my room, a
least your voice came. for the door was
locked. You said, Josephine 1 want yoJ
at once"
NO, no; It was you said that" ! replied
''You came to my room, though the door
was locked, and you said, Patricia,
want you at once"
Then we were both called,'' said Jose
phine. She staggered back against the
wall. her hands were locked tightly TO-
gether
This is very awfulr' she said.
"Oh, never mind, darling" I said, I'll
must have been fancy on both our parts
Fancy she said with a shudder. "No
Patricia. it was no fancy. You heard the
voice; you cannot deny it,"
Il certainly did. We were both called
but not by each other. Who wants us
Josephine?"
God only knows" replied Josephine.
eve must get out of this house." saiG
'it is too awfulr'
mo. we cannot leave" she replied. She
turned to go back to her room.
Josephine, I must sleep with you 10.
night, you cannot be alone
Il cannot have you" she said, 81 must
sleep by myself. 1t does not m.tter. 1t IS
only a continuation of what have loni
endured of what
"Of what interests your I said Jos
ephine, you must not sleep alone in thai
room"
81 shall not be alone" she said. TIT
expression on her face was quite awful
She closed the door very quietly, and
heard the key turn in the lock.
For moment / had a wild desire q
batter that door in, but restrained my.
self What was the matter with my sis
ter? Was she losing her senses? But
. God in heaven, who had called Us
Who wanted me at once? Who was tn,
awful being who also wanted Josephine
at once? W hat was wrong? What wa.
wrong?
1t is little to say that / did not sleer
that night i cTept back TO my room, go
into bed and lay there trembling No one
repeated the call, nothing happened t.
disturb me. The storm went down in tn,
night. In the morning the sun was shin
ing brightly. 1t was a summers day II
the midst of winter
got up. l felt old, as if quite ten year!
had gone over my head, ! got into MI
clothes and went languidly downstairs
The sunshine and the look of the wave.
outside and the garden with some lat,
autumn flowers still in full bloom afford
ed me little or no comfort The nous,
was haunted; we must leave il immedi
ately | determined 10 take Josepain,
away by main force. 1 in my rude phys
teal health was surely strong enough Il
/ effect this removal
She seldom got UP to breakfast, and
1 cid not expect to find her in the break
last room that morning. But she wa
there, neatly dressed as usual with jus
/ her old dignity about her. She was stand
/ ing by the table. She turned as soon a!
/ ever came in. l began 10 speak, bu
/ she held up her hand.
We will not mention It," she said: '.r
| would rather not. We must drop a cur
| tain between last night and today"
| But / cannot, / must speak of it."
said.
| NO" was her answer, "you must not
But Patricia. 1 want to talk of some
/ thing else
What dear? Oh, darling, how i'll yo
4 look! What do you want to talk of?''
Il wish to move into another bedroom.
''Ah," ! said, that is a good sign. bu
where? Could not you sleep in the dress
/ ing-room inside my room?" | continue,
as sudden idea came TO me. 1--WE shoul,
( both he close together then ready TO de
/ fy-'
"Hushr' said Josephine. mot that room
l want 20 go into the room with the stail
on the hoaf"
RE OTHERS.