The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-13
G. \ PT7LI POTIMDr MYSTIC STORY BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER
4ND AUHROT EsB BABY"

ferent to what he would have looked in my
day, fingered behind and wandered some-
how adown the great gallery once more.
/ follOwed-no. ] didn't follow exactly. for
! linked my arm in hers. feeling that at
! last | had got an interest in life, feeling
! that at last / had found some one who loved
| me. some one who would he interested in
ME. some one who wouldn't be frightened n
I could material!Ze and show myself. /. in
nv habit as l used to be.
They used to call it playing gooseberry"
In my day: It's a thankless task. Those
, two took no more heed of me than IL I
had been the air through which we walked;
and yet was myself. tangible. warm. pal
| plating. I had my pretty blue gown on:
my hair tied up with a blue ribbon. As We
| passed a great looking-slass l saw myself
| oh, so like the Dorothy whose arm I held.
We might have been twin rosebuds on a
! single stem: and yet. they took no heed
OF me.
I left them at last. I could not bear to
| hear the lovers tender whisperings. I
! could not bear to see her half shy. half
| coauettish inward ~glances.
You should have no fear" he said. "the
| other LADY Dorothy never had a lover by
all accounts. You have taken your fate
! into your own hands. Your line Of life Will
be turned away from the old house very
soon now. History does not repeat itself
fn every detail. and II 1t did-if it did. I
don't think. my Dorothy. that 1 should live
to bear my sorrow very long. l don't think
l could go on for thirty. forty. fifty years.
as the mother of that poor little girl did.
/ should make n short and sharp end of IL
oh" she shuddered. chow cold 1t is.
Godfrey. Let us go down to the hall; 1t
will be warm there"
1 had not the heart 10 follow them. l
stayed behind and looked at my portrait.
Then 1 went and gazed at myself in the
great sheet of l~ookingglass. ard then l
wandered away TO a dark corner that 1
knew of and / wept. oh. the tears that poor
spirits weep! There is no comfort in them;
they give no relief. In the spirit world
tears are not the emblems of hope.
Yet, even as l sat and wept. hope did
come to me. a ray of light crept in upon
my earth bound brain. II / could meet with
some human sympathy ! might be released
from these centuries of weary stand ng still
and I might pass over TO that other world
where l should find those who must have
been seeking for nigh upon two hundred
years. The question was how could | touch
the great fount of human. living sympathy?
! had heard. by what had fallen from the
other Dorothy Trench's lips, that she was
interested in me. She was sorry. grleved
when she thought of the sad story of my
suddenly ended youth. II / could once ma
terialize myself in her presence and could
establish communication with her. the rest
would be easy. l had net very long. a mat
Ter OF a few years. possessed the power OF
Undertaking. myself. l felt that day that
II I could only find Dorothy's own room, /
should accomplish my task easily. But 1
had seen Dorothy ard other members of
tire family disappear into a comparatively
modern wing of the house. one into which I
had never ventured to intrude. l felt quite
nervous as 1 bent my footsteps thither. 1
had not the most remote idea which was
Dorothy's amb The air felt different.
unaccustomed. 1 didn't know my way. 1
tried TO step across the threshold of the
long corridor which gave upon the new
wing. No, I was frightened. I drew back.
and then I caught sight of a light at a lit
tie distance. Oh. l knew where that came
from.
I went down the stairs. shiverIng as I
passed over the place where the dog gates
had hung. / crossed the great hall. and I
pushed open the door of what used to DO
called MY Ladye's Parlour." I don't think
that l had been in that room for a century.
1t was quite different. I remembered very
we'll. . long time sso. going down to see II