Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-04-12

lty with the more modern houses
growing up around it, but little by
little land and money has slipped
from the Van Vleet's grasp until there
remain but trifing sum and the
homestead, with its old-fashioned
garden.
Miss Katherine Van Nleet lives in
her ancestral home with her one SER
want and a huge English mastif, but
now aud then her solitude is enliv-
ened by visitor; at the time OF our
story there were two-a greGtniece of
the same name aud a young man who
was q distant cousin OF Miss Van
Vleet.
Kitty was a bright, sweet-natured
girl of eighteen, who had been lured
from her home by an enhancing ad-
vertisement headed Learn and take
POSITIONS" so she was earnestly
studying stenography, and Aunt
Katherine's furnished a safe and con-
venient home for the little country
girl.
Forman Van Vleet, musician of
promise, was living quietly and rest
7
ing his voice according to medical ad-
vice, and he found no place quite so
free and con- Portable as his cousin s
home, where one could unite rural
quiet with the possibility of an easy
and speedy journey to the metropolis.
1t would naturally be supposed that
the two young folks thus thrown to-
gether would have enjoyed zach
others company; but Forman re-
garded Kittle with a friendly indiffer-
ence, and she, poor child, was too in
tent on her studies to notice how he
treated her. To be frank, Kittie was
apt to be little shabby. All her gar
ments were made by her own un-
trained fingers, and Forman missed
the style that he saw in the profess
sional ladies with whom he came in
contact.
One evening early in May Kittie
and her friend, Helen Parkes, sat by
the open fire watching the flames.
Forman was thare, engrossed in his
newspaper. Miss Van Vleet had long
since retired.
'Its such an old house." said
Helen. "It would seem as if it must
have ghost. | mean to ask Miss Van
| Nleet--"
"You will if yol don't care anything
for her friendship" warned Kittie. 81
just hlntad il once and she was very
angry. She said she was alone here
too much to make it either safe or
pleasant to have such story get
about" And then they fell to telling
weird tales until the suppressed yawn
from Forman reminded then of his
presence.
'Half past elevenl" exclaimed Kit
tie, ''we must go to bed at once, but
first [ must go to the kitchen for a
drink"
She took n candle from the closet
and disappeared into the dark hall. A
moment later she rushed back into
the room white and qulvering. There
is ghost" she said, huskily; II saw
it on the stairs"
Helen did not reply, but stood star
ing at the oper doorway.
'Pshaw!" said Forman, going at
once into the hall; "nothing is there.
You two have talked ghost so much
that you are ready TO believe any
thing"
81 tell you I saw something tall and
white and it was gliding upstairs"
katherine, probably" he said.
"No, for it neither turned nor
spoke, I saw it plainly by the candle
light and it was the face of nothing
human" And then Kittte sank into
chair and began weeping hysteri-
cally.
Evidently the girls fright was too
real to be either scolded or reasoned
away, and not until the first faint
streaks of dawn appeared in the East
could she be induced to so upstairs.
Days followed each other in quick
succession and by and by she could
afford to laugh when Forman teasingly
referred to the ghost, though she in
sisted that Imagination did not and
could not conjure up the thing she
saw on the stairs.
One night late in September For
man was returning from concert with
a friend. They had a long walk, for
the street cars in that vicinity were
still too young to be out so late. They
climbed the hill togther and then
parted. Forman entered the garden,
fumbling for his night key.
"Botherl" he exclaimed, "I don't
seem to have it. l must wake Kath-
crime, and it's long after twelve,
too"
He hesitntad an instant, glancing
mp at the house as he did so, and was
more than pleased to see light in the
window of the stair landing He could
not tell the source of the light, but it
was at first faint and then grew bright
er, as # some one were going up stairs
de gazed intently upward, meaning
to call as soon as he saw who was
there. What he saw was so sur
prising that he stood as if chained to
the spot.