The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-31

II
But what of the other sights the
ixSgESlI little things see; the other beings
of which they are aware, un-
guessed by their elders? A childs secret
fears are a dreadful thing to think of, be-
cause with the impenetrable reserve of
childhood. he keeps them to himself, and
then suffers agonies of terror for which
there is no help, because nobody knows.
Here is a curious story from the past that
has been told before. and is mentioned only
because 1t happened in a family of the
strictest truthfulness and conscientiousness,
and peculiarly free from superstition.
Sometime in the first years of the nine
teenth century tiny girl came in with
frightened face and asked: Mamma, why
is Pangman in the box?''
What do you mean, child? Pangman is
out in the field with your father"
But 1 saw him in box, mamma. L saw
him. His eyes were shut, and he had a
white cloth around his head
In those days a child caught fbbing was
in serious position. Little discrimination
was made between willful lying and childish
imaginings. But there was something
about the little girls terror that impressed
the mother, and she addressed herself to
soothing and comforting the child, instead
of Furnishing her.
A few days afterward big brother Pang-
man was killed by an accident. When the
little sister saw him lying in his coffin with
bandaged head, she turned to her mother
and said: There, mamma, that is what 1
saw"
This good. old-fashioned story has an al
most cheertul sound in comparison with the
grewsome experience of little girl in the
last ap1 Of ha ME, ~
was an older chiid-ten or eleven years of
age. friend had said to the childs
mother: Since you have decided 10 move.
l wish you would rent mothers house. She
wants TO reserve the two south parlOrs and
the chambers over them, and one room in
the back part of the house for a kitchen,
but there will be great deal of room left
for you.
The house was an old building in colonial
style; four great parlors, separated by an
immense hall, with the bedrooms over
them, constituted the main part OF the
house. sweeping circular stairway as
cended through the center Of the hall. and
second hlght lea up into the cupola, which
surmounted the square roof. low win
dowless garrett surrounded the base Of the
cupOla, the only access TO IL being through
a single door off the stairs not more than
three feet high. transverse hall and
staircase connected n long rambling back
part of the house, which had several rooms
on each floor.
This was one of four or five old mansions
built by the Lawtons half a century be-
fore-a mastery, dominant race, the Law
tons, being the first rich men Of the West
ern city. 1t was whispered that there was
curse on the men OF the Lawton race that
some old woman they had wronged had
cursed their sons i'm the old days. IL was
certain that the sons were of little account
as is often the case with rich mems sons.
II was into this house and history that
the little girls family moved. She had an
affectionate mother, very sympathetic as
far as her lights went, but incapable, both
by character and training. of understanding
the possibility OF fear. size knew that her
Scotch-Irish husband suffered from super
stitious terrors, but ascribed them. as he