Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-09-19
THE GIRL
IN WHITE.

sweet country ali! Ny 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
cottages are all of modern style. But
on a cliff frowning down on the village
stands a somber house of stone, moss
rooted and ivy clad. Grand old trees,
over whose head centuries have passed.
stand sentinels around it. A winding
drive leads up 10 it, and when my
friend turned her horse in at the iron
gateway exclaimed:
What, is that your house?" for l
knew they were far from being rich.
Yes. Is it not lovely? We got
bargain. They almost gave the place
away. And itN%as furnished toor'
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, al
ways make love" to them. as a little
friend once expressed it. The room as
signed 10 me was n 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
l, with true feminine caution, locked
and bolted the door opening TO the
hall, but the one separating our rooms
/ left open. There was a little table in
| the center of the room holding the
lamp. l drew up chair and tried to
read. But could not fix my attention.
My eyes would wander from the pages
10 the things around me. shall not
attempt to analyze the peculiar feeling
that began to take possession of me. l
| shall only say the general impression
| left on me after careful survey was
that the personality of some other
woman than my friend fingered in the
room. / felt that personality like
| living, breathing thing. 1t was n
creepy sensation, so | undressed and
went to bed, and, being tired, soon
| fell asleep.
Perhaps l slept an hour, perhaps not
| ten minutes. but gradually over my
| sleeping senses came q power subtle,
mysterious, drawing them back to the
real again. l can never describe that
awakening. To think of it even now
sends an unaccountable chill into my
heart.
The moon was shining. and the room
was filed with light. | Enclosed my
eyes and, leaning upon one elbow,
| glanced toward the stand, and there
on the chair ! had recently occupied
sat a 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 l was at my boarding
| house, asked:
Have you no bed:" But the occu.
| pant of the chair did not move. Then
like a flash remembrance of where
was came over me.
Miss Sue" / called, there is a girl.
Has she no place to sleep"
A snore from Miss Sue was my an
swer, and still the girl did not move.
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 | was conscious of
i only one feeling-to avoid personal con-
tact with her. l had my eyes on her
until | reached for the match. and then
they were removed only for a second,
but when | looked again the girl was
gone. For a moment | was too sur
prised to think. Then l lighted the
lamp and glanced around the room. 1t
was deserted. l went to the door and
| found it bolted as / had left it. | stole
| into Miss Sues room. but she was
/ sleeping soundly. | had seen a ghost
a creature of the other world. 1t COM
! pletely upset me. and | 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
! another day. But / entered my room
the following night with many misgiv-
ings. l beguilded Miss Sue into con-
versation, but she soon grew sleepy and
/ left me- / would not allow my mind
! to dwell on the subject, but read until
1 could no longer keep my eyes open.
| Then I went to bed and soon was
/ asleeD. After q time the strange. mag
netic force began to steal over me.
had left the lamp burning. / opened
| my eyes, and there by the stand, in the
selfsame position, sat the girl. The
| sight was too much for me. | covered
! my head and called for Miss Sue, and
as l did a sigh. the deepest. saddest,
most heartrending was waited to me
from that silent figure. and then |
realized a soul. once the dweller in a
human ft.or mo SfapGfr7cr In, mood gf holm