The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-05-01

den by IN enormous rug. Finally he
rose to 90 TO bed, and babe his
hosts good night with . vague feel
ing Of foreboding.
lie slept little that night In the
great room assigned To him. Among
the old pictures on the walls, which
he casually looked over rs he un-
dressed, he was struck by tar
nished portrait Of girl who closely
resembled Martha. Though clothed
in a long since-forgotten garb, he
! found the same tender brown eyes
and dark hair, the same sensitive
mouth No name was written on the
worn gilt frame, but on the dust
covered back he found scrawled.
Martha Rankin. 1890" Even when
/ Carroll put out the .ight that face
stood between him and sleep. Those
eyes haunted his brain. So, too, did
/ the flying horseman and the troubled
face of his host and the remark Of
the young Martha. lie remembered
to have heard his mother tell of a ro-
mantle love story with a tragic end
ing which had happened in this from
tier house, built by his forbears
when they came from Virginia after
the revolution. What was il about?
The first gray of dawn found him
still asking himself this question,
and the cock had told OF the APP
proach Of new day before he
dropped into a perturbed slumber.
The brilliant, fitfu sunlight OF =
spring day strayed into winter vas
streaming into his room ere Carroll
awakened. The refreshing bath and
the wholesome smell of the country
cleared lis head and he smiled at
the foolish fancies of the night.
Carelessly he ran down the broad
t,irs of the stately mansion in a
manner calculated to startle into
life the sweet-faced danes and the
starched- collared soldiers Of the rev
olution whose portraits smiled from
their gilded frames studding the
hallway. His host was genial; Mrs
Iankin the soul of matronly sole.
, itude. Had he slept well? Did he
find everything he needed in his
room? Martha gave him q demure
od-morning and the reassembled
family went out to breakfast. Nc
mention was made of the events ot
the previous night.
Martha's remark about Aunt
Dinah's ghost remained in CAROLS
i. head, however, and having nothing
to do. he strolled out to her cabin tt
hear her story. 1t was Aunt Dinah''
favorite yarn. and she unbent will
: right good will. proud of having tn
! stranger cousin for listener.
"Good Lawd, honey. an yo'
achshally amt heahed dat tale
! Wal, you see, it wuz long time ago
most fore / wuz bawn, / reckon
3 Miss Martha wuz her name, an sh
I loved Mars Rob Gregory, what had
heap O. fine horses. He KEEP comm
: heah ter see Miss Martha twel
everybody said dcy sho' woul'
s marry. Den dey had fallin' out ar
v he didn't come no noah. Mis-
z | Martha didn't let on, but she sar
v tainly did love Mars Rob, an ker
= pinin' an pinin' away twell she WI
Il nigh ded. One Sunday dcy all wen
@ to church at de Cross Roads, 'cepteI
s. her. When dey come back her NAV
" Miss Ellen. found her on de foa
s. in de parler--ded. She had shot hel
4, self in de corner by de window. wha
" she an Mars Rob ulster set.
d "Wall, doan't jes' rekelleck, bu
n folks do say Mars Rob died jes' af
= er. Anyway. he took her deaf
If mighty hard. cause it WIZ his faul
ID an he ought to have made up wit
her. An so he got mighty wild al
e reckless like. Some say he wuz kin
II o. teched in de haid. He ulster rid
d bout de country on his big geldil
IL jes' like mad One night l seed hil
lie 20 bv heah like all de devils wuz TO
~ lowin'. De mex mawnin' dey foun
le him by de crick. his big geldin' stan'
in over him. lie had shot hisself
II de heart
lie IL dunno. chile, but eber since de
dey say dat Mars Rob ride by hea
e, when sweethenrts oh de county ia
r. out. I seed once when Mars Wake
* an Miss Mary Rogers had dere trul
ble-but dat's anuther tale, hone
n ANYWAY, folks doan't come dis ava
ut nights no noah. Mars Rankin.
al make b'lieve hit amt so; but
nc keeps dc blud spots on de parlt
st floah covered up. an he doan't rio
w home in de night"
h. And SO Aunt Dinah rambled o
he eager to tell other stories Of u
err past. Carroll kept the incident
It. his mind for while. and then let
&C. drop as n darby superstition. lie d
lie, voted himself to the task of bull
he ing up his health, going hunting. RI
ing to neighborhood FOX meets, dri
x ing Martha to dances and partis
ok and in other ways filing out the TO
an tine Of life in the country. In Il
e. lowing this social round he -four
that the chase after health c;
nd sometimes be made cheerful occ
is patton. especially with a girl III
be Mnrtl,a to help one. They rapid
at became good friends, and Carroll W
astonished to discover how niece
DIS sary her company was to his col
n n