Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-08-02

lulelg BildLlDle. III TACT, TO put IL
more plainly" said the colonel, "she
was always right"
Il have no doubt of it. sir" l said.
meekly. You see, l was in love with
the colonels daughter, and under
those circumstances a father is not a
being TO be contradicted. More than
that. the colonel was speaking of a
matter of family history. and the col
onels family goes back to the time a
little before William the Norman
made up his mind to come over to
England.
Her particular powers, my dear
boy" went on the colonel LAY with
the romantic. I've heard it said that
all the lovers from all the country
round used to come to her in their
troubles and get COCO advice. That's
what they say" added the colonel,
with n wink; but. between ourselves.
Aunt Janet was probably a mischief
making, interfering old matchmaker.
still troubles this earth when she
should be reposing respectfully some
where else. One has to put up with
this sort of thing, you know"-the
colonel frowned and coughed and set
tied his neck into his shirt collar
zone must put up with it when one
belongs to an ancient family. And
after all, the old lady is never really
troublesome. Picturesque in a sense,
and always keeps TO the upper floors"
And this L said. pointing to a
massive old silver candleStick on a
sideboard- is Great-aunt Janets
candlestick, eh?"
Yes" said the colonel, frowning at
it and shaking his head. Perfectly
ridiculous. of course; but it is said
that whenever there is any love affair
on hand the ghost of the old lady
walks: that she carries the candle
stick with which for some three
quarters of century she lighted her
self to bed. and that if one of the
lovers meets her at that critical time
she gives him such advice as lifts
him, so to speak"-the colonel made
a movement with his hands as though
dandling a large-sized infant awk-
wardly-"lifts him into the lady's af-
fections. or vice versa. But she is
always accompanied by the candle
stick
1T might be worth trying" 1 said,
half to myself, and just at that mo-
ment the door of the smoking room
opened and she came in.
Not a bad notion" said the col
onel, with a chuckle. Here, Dora,
our friend here thinks of trying to
get a Zip from Great-aunt Janet to-
night, though what he wants to trou-
BILE her for l can't for the life of me
imagine"
Il do assure YOU | suffered. as
she gave me her hand in saying good
night, Il don't see what Great-aunt
Janet could have to tell me, and. of
course, 1 shouldn't think of doing any
thing
"Of course not" she replied with
demure eyes looking into mine But
it's pretty idea"
She kissed her fatheg-oh! adorable
lips pressed for a moment against the
stern. white mustache-and went out
of the room; and l found, quite I'M
expectedly, that l could not sleep.
| discoveFed. too. that l had left my
cigarette case in the smoking room,
and | had dim notion that cigar
cite might soothe me. and might drive
out Of my head certain vain dreams
and fancies. For who was | that 1
should think that blue-eyed Dora
should ever care twopence about me?
l went down softly through the
darkened house TO the smoking room.
and switched on the light there and
looked about for my cigarette case.
| found it. and had just slipped ii
into my pocket, when the remem-
brance of what the colonel had said
broug & to my mind the heavy silver
candlestick l glanced toward the
spot where il had stood, and l saw
10 my establishment that it was no
longer there In flash | glanced
quickly around the small room and
realized that the thing was gone. And
! knew. of course. in moment what
that meant.
The ghost OF Great-aunt Janet had
chosen that night for walking,
Why? Was she such a sympathetic
old creature that she had guessed my
secret? And could she give me any
help or any advice? remembered
distinctly what the colonel had said;
how he had suggested that the old
lady came only when she was able
10 help a lover That was my des-
perate ease; and on an impulse l de-
termined that | would seek her and
take ghoStly counsel from her. | re
membered that she haunted the up
per floors,
l went up beyond the floor on which
my room was situated and found my
self in darkness. Then, suddenly
even as tried 10 mufile my footsteps
l saw dim light in The Distance
the light of . candle. Down the
length of .iIe corridor there advanced
toward ms the stately small figure o.
Grest-aunt a - ::es so reSl that sh,
might have stepped straight but o.
her frame downstairs. She held tn,
candle high. and l thought. hooking a
her as she advanced what Il Iresenta
bic old lady she was.
1t took me moment or tr,<Eo fint
my tongue. and then. fearing that Sh,
might disappear before l had had Tins
TO state my errand. | clasped my
hands aud blurted out what l had L
say
"Great-aunt Janet. Sweet Great
aunt Janet, Have mercy upon me ana
help ne. l love the dearest girl il
all the world-and her name is Dors
and l haven't dared TO tell her 5,
before. IL you can show me tbs
way