Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-23
The Daily Short Story
THE 0IRLIN WHITE.


consented, and left the burning city
What delight experienced as 1 felt
myself being whirled through the fresh.
sweet country air! My friend met me
| at the station. She was radiant with
health and happiness-such a contrast
to my pale, miserable looking self.
| l. is a charming country town-a
new town, you know-and its pretty
i cottages are all of modern style. But
on n cliff frowning down on the village
stands n somber house OF stone. moss
rooted and ivy clad. Grand old trees,
over whose head centuries have passed,
stand sentinels around 1t. A winding
drive leads up 10 it, and when my
friend turned her horse in at the iron
gateway 1 exclaimed:
"What, is that your house?" for !
knew they were far from being rich.
Eyes. Is IL not lovely? We got
bargain. They almost gave the place
/ away. And il was furnished tooT
/ was not the only guest, as my
| friends aunt. most delightful old
maid, was also visiting there. AS ex-
pect to be an old maid some day, l al
| ways make love" to them, as a little
| friend once expressed II. The room as
| signed to me was front one. Opening
| on to ii was another one, somewhat
smaller, but fitted up in the same style,
and came to the conclusion this had
/ once been some early mistress apart
ment. In the smaller room the old
maid, or Miss Sue, as / shall call her,
slept. Now, observe, the only way OF
entering her room was by passing
| through mine.
When we babe each other good night
/, with true feminine caution, locked
and bolted the door opening to the
hall. but the one separating our rooms
left open. There was little table in
the center of the room holding the
lamp. 1 drew up n chair and tried to
read. But / could not fix my attention.
Ny eyes would wander from the pages
to the things around me. L shall not
attempt TO analyze the peculiar feeling
that began to take possession of me. 1
shall only say the general impression
left on me after a careful survey was
that the personality of some other
woman than my friend fingered in the
room. l felt that personality like a
living, breathing thing. 1t was
tIeGDN StnSdllOli- 81 ANcSth anu
went to bed, and, being tired, 1 soon
fell asleep.
Perhaps L slept an hour, perhaps not
ten minutes, but gradually over my
sleeping senses came a power subtle,
mysterious, drawing them back to the
real again. 1 can never describe that
awakening. To think of it even now
sends a. unaccountable chill into my
heart.
The moon was shining. and the room
was filed with light. 1 Enclosed my
eyes and, leaning upon one elbow,
glanced toward the stand, and there
on the chair 1 had recently occupied
sat n young girl. She was dressed in
white and had short, curly hair. One
elbow rested on the stand, and she was
leaning her head on her hand. L sat
up in bed and. never supposing my
visitor was other than flesh and blood
and thinking / was at my boarding
house, asked:
Have you no bed?" But the occu-
pant of the chair did not move. Then
was came over me-
Miss Sue" / called, here is girl.
Has she no place to sleepT'
A SlOre IrOu1 MISS SUE WIS NY
swer, and still the girl did not NOV .. 1
got out of bed. On the stand were the
matches, but to reach them / should
have to pass my arm around the silent
figure. The action of course brought
me near her. and 1 was conscious of
only one feeling-to avoid personal con-
tact with her. 1 had my eyes on her
until reached for the match, and then
they were removed only for n second,
but when looked again the girl was
gone. For a moment L was too sur
prised to think. Then l lighted the
lamp and glanced around the room. 1t
was deserted. 1 went to the door and
found it bolted as 1 had left it. / stole
into Miss Sues room, but she was
sleeping soundly. / had seen ghost
a creature of the other world. 1t COM
pletely upset me, and l determined to
leave the next day. The heat Of an up |
town boarding house was preferable to
the company of spirits.
With daylight thought might have
been mistaken and concluded to stay |
another day. But 1 entered my room |
the following night with many misgiv- |
ings. 1 beguilded Miss Sue into con- |
versation, but she soon grew sleepy and |
left me. 1 would not allow my mind |
to dwell on the subject, but read until |
1 could no longer keep my eyes open. |
Then went to bed and soon was !
asleep. After a time the strange, mag |
netic force began to steal over me- 1
had left the lamp burning. 1 opened /
my eyes, and there by the stand, in the |
selfsame position, sat the girl. The
sight was too much for me. 1 covered |
my head and called for Miss Sue, and |
as 1 did a sigh. the deepest, saddest.
most heartrending, was waited to me
from that silent figure. And then 1
realized soul. once the dweller in a
human frame, standing in need of help,