The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-01-22
CHAPTER III.
WAS 1T A GHOST?

'sCculd We not watch for me one hour
With a sense of fright and recreancN
tmpeliing him. Tom BroNton deserted ma
bed at a bound. 60 stand dazed ana
trembling, amid the familiar surround
ings of his own bedroom
Had he dreamed the utterance, or had
the reproach been whispered into ms
slumber dulled ears by voice of mortal OF
spirit? He passed his hand rapidly over
hfs bewildered brow and tried TO pierce
the enclrcling gloom with startled eyes
Was II a part OF his hallucination that
the gloom increased as he stood ana
stared?
A dim, faant radiance seemed To recede
slowly from him. leaving his chamber IN
the absolute darkness that had enshrned
AZ when he retired. Presently everything
came back TO him--the utter WEAKNESS
that had overtaken him when the MN
ister's monotonous droning OF his father
summarized merits had come to an end ;
his sickening sense OF the futl1ty or all
the wordy condolences pressed upon ms
shrinking ears; his longing TO be alone
and In utter darkness, alone with ms
grief, veiled by friendly darkness: MS
turning away with a sense Of dismal re-
lief from the neighbor crowded parlors
and halls. conscious of having paid the
last outward show OF respect TO the only
friend the world held for him.
Even Olivia Matthews had been an un-
welcome intruder upon his solitude when.
with a sweet womanilness that quai5etY
crowned her childish head, she had fol-
lowed him up stairs with motherly IN.
junction about not sleeping In draft ana
had placed on a table by his beaslne Is aiie
cup Of tea she had brought him herseit.
Offe was not much giving 10 serving oth-
ers and even in his exquisite anguish
Tom rcahzed this unusual element IN her
Had he ever shown her the grace OF
word of thanks? He could not recoiecI
The awful irrevocableness OF MS loss
the terrifying stretch OF his companion.
less future. had swallowed UP thought
IA s posrtrsit trait Of his father stood on an
had lnelt before IL as soon as Ollie haa
left him and communicated the desire OF
iis lonely young heart to the ia'her'
IT should like 80 to carry out gohr
slightest wishes about everything. rath-
er III only you had waited for my coming:
II Il is permitted ths angels s,sr 10 80 o'p thpt
NAV not miss the turning IN the road
that shall finally bring you and me 10
That had been his last thought before
falling into sleep of utter exhauSuon;;
IL was his first recurrent one as ne svnvu r,
pondering his sudden @ ,Ssvs aMskTntg nortga,, was
hidden from him by the tall footooaTd OF
his heavy four posted bedstead. iio"
long ne had slept he could not compu.e,
on retiring he had topped his bedroon
caniie with the extinguisher and had eN-
cluded every ray OF light from the moon
fieeded world by drawing ghl,s tne he@eg We're hot hot
and swollen with the tears tnat lay too
deep IN rnoisten his dry lids.
In the first second OF his startled awak-
ening he did not speculate upon the uiih
light that pervaded his large room briet-
iy nor upon its gradual withdrawal He
was wide awake now and self reproach-
full. He had fully meant only TO take
= short needful rest before Joining the
watchers down stairs.
He had thrown himself upon his bed
half dressed. He lighted his candle now
and passed beyond the high carved foot
board He would look once more upon
the dear. familiar face from which he
had drawn strength and inspiration all
the days OF his short life
Conscierce smote him for coward.
He had purposeiy turned himself on re-
firing so that he should not see even
the pointed tips OF the easel that held
the portrait.
Death Is very awe inspiring TO the
young and the lusty. The revolt against
81 is natural and strong. II is only as
we grow older and the prizes we have
failed to grasp show their tinsel side that
we come to think OF the great Mower and
his personal attitude with friendly toll
erance born OF a sense OF the inevitable. ,
The boys at Andover college would have
stared and perhaps protested to hear Tom
Broxton called n coward. Among his fell
lows he was esteemed one who was not
provoker of ouarrels, but quite inca
pable OF quailing In the face OF danger
And yet with his first glance toward
the easel that held his fathers por-
trait he recoiled with an audible cry OF
terror. but only for a second Then he
advanced resomtely toward It.
The easel was not as IL had been wher
he fell asleep Dropping over the broad
calrn brow OF the pictured face II held
wa- n bunch or white cosmos flowers
precariously clinging 90 the frame of tn,
portrait by a twisted stem or two Ton
touched the flowers with a skeptic finger
Were they real or part OF his troubled
fancy7 They fell To the floor At hi
touch. and from about the green stemi
twisted paper uncoiled In their descent
He stooped and picked the paper mp.
Some OF his many kindly intentione,
friends had stolen in with flowers an,
more empty words Of coincidence. he tol,