The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-29
Our Daily Sport Story

heart knew no other, but as one
 chastened by sorrow. who felt the need
 of comforting presence.
 We went abroad on our wedding journey and were gone six months. When we came back I went to live in Margaret's handsome home, and there I establish a "den" in which I worked often far into the night Of of this den I had my sleeping room. and Mar garet had a suite of chambers across the hall. There were many times when she wished to be alone and I respected her wishes and did not dis turb her. Our lives moved serenly. | with little of joy or sorrow in them. of our own making. and I was content
 to be near Margaret always, and to be her friend, if I could not be quite all | she wanted as a lover.
 |. The Vane mansion, as the old house | was called, and its old ghost story, as nearly all old houses have, but it was sidering. It never disturbed me in the slightest, and, though I was naturally timid, I never thought of ghosts haunting the place, no matter | how late I worked. One night. how | ever, I was made to think about the stories I had heard. It was very late and I was absorbed in a story I was l writing. had heard no sound to dis turb me, but felt a draft as if the | door were opened. My window was | down from the top and I fancled the
 wind had changed. I closed it and sat
 down at my desk again. Presently heard what seemed to be soft foot steps. They were passing down the hall thought of burglars and hesi- tated about going to sec I turned my light out and sat still. There was
 faint light in the hall. All became quiet
 and I peered out. There was nothing in sight and I slipped down to the fur
 ther end. Nothing there but a door
 leading to a small balcony overlook ing the back yard. Nothing had been taken and there was no sign of mid night marauders. I tried the door and
 1t was locked. I went back to my den
 and few minutes later I retired
 At breakfast I casually spoke to
 Margaret of ghosts. She laughed ner- vously and said they had been seen In
 the house and had been heard, but not for two generations. I asked her if l she were afraid. She said she didn't | know, but that she might be If the ghost came to her. Otherwise she was not inclined to give the matter any thought
 For two or three nights after this Margaret and I were out at the thea
 ter and social affairs, and if the ghost roamed then I was not there to hear But it came again during the follow
 ing week. This time it's soft tread
 moved up toward Margaret's room My
 first thought was of her, and as soon
 as could gather my strength, for confess that I was so frightened that
 I could not pull myself together at
 once, I hurried up the hall to her door,
 I called to her softly, once or twice,
 and went in. She was not fully awake and asked what was the matter. told her I had heard the ghost again. and 1t had come to her door. She laughed then. and became my com forter. Margaret. you know, was always stronger than I and had really more of physical courage than I had, She sent me back to my room with the promise that she would lock her door, and the ghost could not get In. I went away, and as I did so, I heard the
 key turn in the lock. Then searched the halls and found nothing as before. The next morning at breakfast Mar garet leased me so about my ghost
 that I was ashamed of myself and re- solved not to speak of it again. Sev- eral weeks passed, and at intervals I
 would hear the footsteps of the mys- terious visitor, and I had become ac customed to his ghostship and gave
 no heed. Now and again, after I had
 heard 1t moving along the hall toward Margaret's room, I would go there just
 before going to bed to see if her door was locked. It was always secure and I smiled at my fears and went my | way.
 But as I became careless of the ghost I began to notice that Margaret was becoming nervous and was losing
 color and spirits. thoughtlessly ] chaffed her as she had leased me, but