Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-11-11
The arked IN e m oirs

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Il sufficed to keep me happy and COM
Portable for a half hour or more after
she passed out.
II had thought myself very sleepy
girl, but when. after somewhat
heightened brooding over the dying
embers in the open fireplace, I lay
down behind the curtains Of the huge
bed. 1 found myself as far from sleep
rs had ever been in my whole life.
"And l did not recover from this
condition for the entire night. For
hours l tossed from one side Of the
bed to the other in my efforts to avoid
the persistent eyes Of scarcely to be
perceived drawing facing me from the
opposite wall. 1t had no merit as
picture, this drawing. but seen as it
was under the rays Of gibbous moon
looking in through the half open shut
ter it exercised upon me a spell such
as cannot describe and hope never
again to experience. Finally I rose
and pulled the curtains violently to-
gether across the foot Of the bed. This
shut out the picture. but found it
worse to imagine 1t there with its
haunting eyes peering at me through
the intervening folds Of heavy damask
than to confront 1t openly; SO pushed
the curtains back again, only to rise
half hour later and twitch them des-
perately together once more.
II fidgeted and worried SO that night
that / must have looked quite pale
when my attentive hostess met me at
the head Of the stairs the next morn
ing, for her hand shook quite percep-
tibly as she grasped mine, and her
voice was pitched in no natural key
as she inquired how had slept. re-
piled as truth II not courtesy demand
ed, Not as well as usual whereupon
her eyes fell, and she remarked quite
hurriedly, L am so sorry; you shall
what appeared to be an unconscious
whisper. There Is no use; all feel 1t:
even the young and the gay;' then
aloud and with irrepressible anxiety.
You didn't see anything, dearr
"'No" protested in suddenly awak
ened dismay. "Only the strange eyes
Of that queer drawing peering at me
through the curtains Of my bed. Is 1t
is it haunted roomY
"Her look was shocked one, her
protest quite vehement. oh, no! No
one has ever witnessed anything like
a ghost there, but every one finds 1t
impossible to sleep in that bed or even
In the room. do not know why I'M
less it is that my father spent 50 many
years Of incessant wakefulness inside
its walls
"'And did he die in that bedT I
asked.
"She gave startled SILVER and drew
me hurriedly downstairs. AS we paus
ed at the foot she pressed my hand
and whispered:
eyes: at night, with the full Of the
moon upon him.
II answered her look with one she
probably understood as little as l did
hers. had heard of this father Of
hers. He had been a terrible old man
and had left terrible memory behind
him.
"The next day my room was changed
fn 4.
light of the charges have since heard
uttered against that house and the
family who inhabit 1t l am glad that
l spent one night In what. If it was
not haunted chamber, had certainly
very thrilling effect upon its Occu.
pants"
Second passage, the italics showing
where 1t was most heavily marked:
1.-The house contained another room
as interesting as the one 1 have al
ready mentioned. 1t went by the
name Of the library, and its walls were
heavily lined with books; but the fam
lily never sat there, nor was ever for
tunate enough to see 1t with Its doors
Enclosed except on the occasion Of the
grand reception Miss Callista gave in
my honor. l have fancy for big
rooms and more than once urged my
hostess to tell me why this one stood
neglected. But the lady was not COM
municative on this topic, and 1t was
from another member Of the house
hold l learned that its precincts had
been forever clOuded by the unexpect-
ed death within them Of one Of her
fathers friends, noted army officer.
why this should have OccasiOned a
permanent disuse Of the spot l could
not understand, and as every one who
conversed on this topic invariably gave
the impression Of saying less than the
subject demanded, my curiosity soon
became too much for me, ana / attack
ed Miss Callista once again in regard
to 1t. She gave me quick smile, for
she was always amiable, but shook
her head and introduced another topic.
But one night when the wind was
bowling in the chimneys and the sense
of loneliness was even greater than
usual in the great house, we drew to-
gether on the rug in front of my bed
room fire. and as the embers burned
down to ashes before us Miss Callista
became more communicative.
Her heart was heavy, she told me;
had been heavy for years. Perhaps
some ray of comfort would reach her
If she took friend into her confidence.
God knew that she needed one, espe-
cially on nights like this, when the
wind woke echoes all over the house
and it was hard to tell which most to
fear, the sounds which came from no
one knew where, or the silence which
settled after.
She trembled as she said this and
lnstinctively drew nearer to nv side
SO that our heads almost touched over
the flickering flame from whose heat
and light we sought courage. She
Seemed to feel grateful for this con.
tact, and the next minute, fiinging all