Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-17

! she passed out "1 had thought myself very sleepy I girl, but when, after a somewhat heightened breeding over the dying embers in the open fireplace, lay down behind the curtains of the huge bed, found myself as far from sleep as had ever been in my whole life.
 "And did not recover from this condition for the entire night. For hours \ tossed from one side of the bed to the other in my efforts to avoid the persistent eyes of a scarcely to be perceived drawing facing me from the opposite wall. It had no merit as n picture, this drawing, but seen as it was under the rays of a gibbous moon looking in through the half open shut ter it exercised upon me a spell such as I cannot describe and hope never again to experience. Finally | 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 it there with it's haunting eyes peertng at me through the intervening folds of heavy damask than to confront it openly; so pushed the curtains back again, only to rise q half hour later and twitch them des- perately together once more.
 'I fdgeted 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-s tibly as she grasped mine, and her voice was pitched in no natural key as she inquired how I had slept. re- piled as truth if not courtesy demand ed, Not as we'll as usual whereupon her eyes fell, and she remarked quite hurriedly, I am so sorry; you II have another room tonight adding in what appeared to be an unconscious whisper, There is no use; all feel it; even the young and the gay;' then aloud and with irrepressible anxiety, You didn't see anything, dearf
 Nor protested in suddenly awak- ened dismay. sOnly the strange eyes of that queer drawing peering at me through the curtains of my bed. Is 1t --is it haunted room ?
 "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 it impossible to sleep in that bed or even in the room. I do not know why un- less it is that my father spent so many. years of incessant wakefulness inside its wal1s.' 9
 "'And did he die in that bed?' I asked.
 .'She gave startled shiver and drew me hurriedly downstairs. As we paus- ed at the foot she pressed my hand and whispered
 "tYes; at night with the full of the moon upon him.
 .I answered her look with one she probably understood as little as I did hers. had heard of this father of hers. He had been a terrible old man ana had lett a terrible memory behind him.
 The next day my room was changed according to her promise, but in the light of the charges have since heard uttered against that house and the family who inhabit 1t I am glad that I spent one night in what, if it was not a haunted chamber, had certainly a very thrilling effect upon it's occu- pants
 Second passage, the italics showing where it was most heavily marked
 The house contained another room as interesting as the one I have all ready mentioned. It went by the name of the library, and it's walls were heavily lined with books; but the fam fly never sat there, nor was ever for tunate enough to see it with its doors unclosed except on the occasion of the grand reception Miss Callista gave in E my honor. I have a 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 municattve on this topic, and it was from another member of the house. hold learned that it's precincts had been forever clouded by the unexpect- ed death within them Of one of her fathers friends, a noted army officer.
 Why this should have Occasioned permanent disuse of the spot could not understand, and as every one who 1 conversed on this topic invariably gave the impression of saying less than the subject demanded, my curiosity soon became too much for me, and attack ed Miss Callista once again in regard to 1t. She gave me a quick smile for she was always amiable, but shook her head and introduced another topic. 1 But one night when the wind was bowling in the chimneys and the sense 1 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 CaIlista | 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 a friend into her confidence God knew that she needed one, espe- 'cially on nights like this. when the