The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-11-11

the candle you will have with, you
raise it above your head, look right
in there, and-can you do anything
as heroic as that?"
"Oh, yes, if that's all, | said, flip
PANTY.
Cali right, dance, flirt, break az
many hearts as you please; but if ii
the meantime you do not join the
great majority of y&Esex who are
inconstant- come 6ele. on the sls'
at midnight, and ifts[lle IS a bathtut
in Bonneville, a chinese laundry, 8
barber and haberdasher, you'll see
me right there (pointhe), flesh as q
daisy, and wearing the handsomes1
tour in hand in Boonville. You
promise?"
81 promise; but supposing you have
not Inherited your grandmother's skill
in4Scromancy?'
'.BGt l have; l know it; am GER
taft of it. You must think about me-
of course; have faith, above all; obey
directions implicitly, and-youll see
what you'll see!'
81 generally do" l said sapiently
A few days after our memorable
conversation Charley babe me good
bye and full of courage and hope, and
with many promises and assurances
for the future, set out on the long
journey to his distant field of labor
and enterprise. Silence fell between
US, for my parents objected to any
correspondence between u.s. l danced
and flirted;- but on the 3lst of the fol-
lowing October l declined the most
seductive Halloween parties, in order
that, alone, at midnight, in front of
the old mirror, l might keep my tryst.
Had LIE forgotten me, amid strang-
ers and in the ardor of money-getting!
Had some other woman already led
astray the heart too young to have
anchored all its hopes upon one wo-
man, albeit rsyselI?
What did l expect it was a piece OF
folly; and yet, on the night Of the 31st
of October, the mystic night when
strange things used to be thought pos
sible, and weird influences were sup
posed to rise in their might to weave
their puzzling manifestations about
wondering, flesh encumbered mortals
on that night l slipped from my
bedroom a few minutes before 12
o'clock, and with fast beating heart
| felt my way down the stairs, through
the hall to the long parlor which open
ed upon it.
l reached the door, felt for the knob,
gently turned it, and opened the door
noiselessly. AS l did so l could have
sworn that some one glided behind
it.
| was in darkness, but involuntarily
[ turned my head. Had not some one
closed it? l could have swooned with
terror. Nonsense? At all events, it
was as bad to retreat as to 60 forward
now.
Again l turned my head to listen.
NY knees touched at last the mar
BILE shelf which held the mirror; l
stopped, and struck match upon its
under surface, lit the candle with
which l was provided, raised it well
above my head, and looked into the
mirrors depths.
No sound of joyous awe escaped
from my lips hardly, while that look
of fascinated horror filled my eyes.
My knees gave way like props sud-
denly withdrawn. should have fal-
len, but that strong mans aims were
about me; my head fell, perforce, upon
his breast, being unable to sustain it.
self.
In heavens name control your
SELF" be whispered, and neither face
nor voice was Charley's.
This adventure ought to have cured
me of al desire to keep unhallow. d
Halloween trysts; but on three success,
sive anniversaries looked in the old
mirror at midnight. l might ask, as
| I did on the first occasion, what did l
expect? and repeat what | said then:
that it was a piece of chlldishness.
but to renounc4 it seemed like renounc
ing Charley. | did it half play fully
half Loyalty, wistfully too, as sort of
memorial service to his image, which
still lived in my dreams and threw it's
radiance over my reveries. AS the
years went 10y the sentiment assumed
tinge of superstition, and the little
midnight service became obligatory.
What had become of him? l knew
not; darkness and silence had swal
lowed him; but the sea sometimes