The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-07
WHAT MARGARET AND |
 KNOW.

never believed in ghosts. never believed in anything much except Mar Earet Yane- I didn't even have faith in my own courage. If had might have made a winning fight for her against that wild fellow. Tom Brent. whom she ran away with and married. was such man as she should have had for her husband, while he was such a man as no woman should have mar Fied. Yet he possessed that peculiar fascination over good women which seems to be present in every bad man.
 Margaret Vane was rich and Tom needed money. So did for that mat ter, and worked with my pen to get 1t, while Tom got his by any means which promised profit. loved Mar garet and told her SO many. many times. She loved Tom Brent, and I suppose he told her that he loved her, as had done, although that was not necessary, for when the woman loves the man he need say little more than what must be said before the minister of the Gospel to establish the woman's claim upon him.
 oAEhN was AAdAlAGU4ANu 1AAoNA hPAAAN1s and drunkard, but Margaret over looked the handieaps to happiness and became his wife. God knows tried my utmost to dissuade her, but I was neither handsome, interruptions or a drunkard, and my prayers availed not.
 For a year Margaret was blindly happy, and Tom was unnaturally good. Then, as if fearful that she might not continue her affection for this reformed creature, he swung back into the old paths and began his old course by go- ing on a prolonged spree. Margaret suffered much during this defection, but brightened again when he sobered.
 After this he divided his drunks and had them in less pronounced form, but with much greater frequency. He also began to gamble. and he spent money to the hundreds of ways open to any one who has it to spend. Margaret, of course, was his chief source of revenue, and she furnished him with what he asked foolishly hoping that her kind ness would win him to her and hold him fast to better things.
 For five years this continued, and at last Brent became involved in dis graceful scandal in which a man was shot. a family broken up, and several thousands were missing. Brent's con- nection was not we'll defined, but 1t was enough to compel his absence, and he disappeared.
 Margaret went down with brain fever, and for weeks her life was des- paired of, but she rallied in time, and once more was we'll But how changed she was. We had always been good friends, and now she turned to me as the one who was nearest.
 She was an orphan, and no other had a better right to her guardianship than I had, now that her husband had proved unworthy of the trust she had reposed in him.
 Six months after he went away re- port came through the newspapers that l he had been lost in hotel fire in a 1 northern town. D.. .sEs&5$
 Margaret insisted on my going to in- vestigate I found that several un- recognizable bodies had been taken from the ruins and buried, and among the luggage saved was a trunk con taining effects which eonclusiveiy proved that Brent had a room in the hotel on the night of the fire, though he had registered under a different name claimed the trunk and took l it back to Margaret with my story. Her mind appeared to be at rest now and she began to Improve in health and spirits. But the cruel blows has been 1 struck, and it was not possible that she could be the same again 1 As time passed and she began to lean more upon me. took hope once more and very gently led her back to the paths we had trod in other days. must be very careful, as I could see, and l was.
 Margaret did not seem to realize at first that I was her lover still, but after many days she did, and when I asked her to marry me she consented. Not joyously, as one whose heart knew no other, but as one chastened by sorA i row, who felt the need of a comforting presence. .
 We went abroad on our wedding journey, and were gone six months. l w '-cn we CdltpS U6Sh WdS IO llNC VI Margaret's handsome home, and there established a "den" in which I worked often far into the night. Just l off this den, had my sleeping room, and Margaret had 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 l turb her, E-- ; 1 Our lives moved serenely, with little 1 joy or sorrow In them, of our own mals- ing, and I was content to be near Mar.
 garet always and to be her friend if ]
 could not be quite all she wanted as a lover. &~,~
 Vane Hall, as the old house was call ed, had it's own ghost story, as nearly all old houses have, but it was so vague as to be scarcely worth considering
 It never disturbed me in the slightest l and, though I was naturally tinlid, ] never thought of ghosts haunting the tIons, provided on the lower promende
 place, no matter how late worked.
 One night, however, I was made tc tthink about the stories I had heard
 It was very late, and was absorbed in a tale I was writing. had heard
 no sound to disturb me, but I felt 2 draught as If the door were opened My window was down from the top
 and fancied the wind had changed
 I closed 1t and sat down at my desl