The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-08


Z-
1t sufficed to keep me happy and COM
Portable for q half hour or more after
she passed out.
Il had thought myself a very sleepy
girl, but when. after somewhat
heightened brooding over the dying
embers in the open fireplace, l lay
down behind the curtains of the huge
bed, / found myself as far from sleep
as had ever been in my whole life.
'.And 1 did not recover from this
condition for the entire night. For
hours I 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 a
picture, this drawing, but seen as it
was under the rays Of gibbous moon
looking in through the half open shut
ter 1t exercised upon me a spell such
as l cannot describe and hope never
again to experience. Finally I rose
and pulled the curtains violently to-
gether across the foot OF the bed. This
shut out the picture, but l found it
worse to imagine it there with its
haunting eyes peering at me through
the intervening folds of heavy damask
than to confront 1t openly; SO pushed
the curtains back again. only to rise
half hour later and twitch them des-
perately together once more.
II fidgeted and worried SO that night
that l must have looked quite pale
xr-hn Of ar mo ot
the head of the stairs the next morn
ing, for her hand shook quite percep-
tibly as she grasped mine, and her
voice was pitched in no natural key
as she inquired how had slept. I re-
piled as truth il not courtesy demand
ed, Not as we'll as usual whereupon
her eyes fell, and she remarked quite
hurriedly, 4 am SO sorry; you shall
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, dearY
"'No!' protested in suddenly awak
ened dismay. only the strange eyes
OF that queer drawing peering at me
through the curtains OF my bed. Is it
lis it haunted room?
"Her look was shocked one, her
protest quite vehement oh, no. No
one has ever witnessed anything like
ghost there. but every one finds it
impossible to sleep in that bed or even
in the room / do not know why un-
less it is that my father spent SO many
years Of incessant wakefulness inside
its walls
"'And did he die in that bed! I
asked.
s.She gave startled shiver and drew
me hurriedly downstairs. As we paus-
ed at the foot she pressed my hand
and whispered:
eyes: at night, with the full Of the
moon upon him.
81 answered her look with one she
probably understood as little as l did
hers. I had heard Of this father OF
hers. He had been terrible old man
enc mar er 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 it 1 am glad that
I spent one night in what, II 1t 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
IS interesting as the one / have al
ready mentioned. 1t went by the
name of the library, and it's walls were
heavily lined with books; but the fam
iy never sat there, nor was I ever for
Lunate enough to see 1t with its doors
Enclosed except on the occasion of the
grand reception Miss CalIista gave in
my honor. 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
on this topic, and it was
from another member OF the house
hold I learned that its precincts had
been forever clouded by the unexpect-
I'd death within them Of one OF her
sather's friends, noted army officer.
why this should have occasioned
permanent disuse of the spot 1 could
hot understand, and as every one who
on this topic invariably gave
he impression of saying less than the
subject demanded. my curiosity soon
became too much for me. and attack
ID Miss Callista once again In regard
o it. She gave me quick smile. for
he was always amiable, but shook
Ter head and introduced another topic |
But one night when the wind was |
rowling In the chimneys and the sense |
4 loneliness was even greater than |
Usual in the great house. we drew to- /
sether on the rug in front OF my bed |
DOM fire. and as the embers burned |
lown to ashes before US Miss Callists |
secame more communicative.