The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-12-07

! was orphaned III my infancy al"
from my earliest recollection my
grandfather had made me his con
stant companion. lie was an tuner
ant preacher OF western Engand-hls
circuit calling him from walled Che''
ter on the west TO the novels 81 the
charcoal burners in mid England
aud during the years of his iunefancy
/ followed him in the pursuance OF
his duties through sun and ram ana
winter gale
repeat this In order to explain
lust how regarded my grandfather
in the light Of certain hcrcdltament
ne left to me, his diary, but which
he expressly forbade me opening
until had passed my twen,y'hith
birthday.
There were many things Witnessed
and heard In my boyhood for which
! could find no explanation until
broke the seal of this book wherein
the magnitude Of my grandiaih"rs
very soul stands revealed. The first
entry in the diary is as follows.
My beloved grandson, In this
diary are recorded events writ down
for thy especial cdifcation. Without
comment leave It with thee 20 Judge
whether have been the victim OF
terrible mind disorder, or whether !
am gifted with perceptions beyond
The usual ken Of man.
II was il the FIRST years Of my
study Of the occult long before thou
hadst come to gladden. thy grand
sircs heart. that / was journcyius to
Blorc Health when night came down
fate led me to the door Of a d"solat"
Inn slowly dropping to ruin In the
perpetual shadow Of a grove OF oak.
The aged host greeted me most
cordially. for at his inn guests were
not frequent and therefore tn" more
welcome. In the parlor back OF IN"
druudod bar / found his old wife and
his Gaushtrr. the only other persons
about the place, moving silently hero
md there preparing the evening meal
The daughter was young and llll ana
straight and strong and her hands
were coarscucd with outdoor work
for. II appeared she was now the
burden bearer Of the family
After tho supper was cleared away.
the aged parents entertained me with
"reminiscences Of a past glory OF
when the inn was new and the great
tide OF travel used to pass its door
Then in saddenod tones they told OF
how the opening o. new thorough
fare had diverted custom to other hos.
trlrics So when the daughter was
married To "a wplIto-1O young farmer
they closed the inn poriorc". and
went and made their home with hor
Hut one Inflated day the newly.
welded husband rode away To a
ncighboring market town and never
returned.
After due time the farm and tonc.
mcnts passed into the possession OF
the next hoirat.law. a cousin of tn"
husband aud the old couple with
thcir dowcrlcss daughter returned to
The deserted inn. now raCkcd and
wrecked with storm and long neglect
Thou canst see the gables OF the
farm over yOn above the trees said
the mother and we might be living
there now mid comfort and plenty II
Iishcth would only hcarken to us and
wed with Carver Elallard, the cousin
who succeeded to the estate
Then Lisbcth, lifting her sorrow.
laden eyes TO portrait of her hus.
band on the wall. said Mother.
thou nccdst not Ericve for the rich
living at the farm beyond Whitsun.
tide That day promise TO give my
hand to Carver ballard an he stll de.
srcs It,"
Then a gloomy silence fell like n
funeral pail over us. and we sat about
the FIRE absorbed in our own thoughts
until there came the sound Of a quick
step up the pathway and an i'm.
pcratiye knock at the door and Gar.
yer ballard entered. He was dark,
hard.fcaturcd. harsh-spoken man
whom any tender young woman might
well have Stunned.
could not understand It then but
intuitivcly felt that he was a man
with Il guilty conscience And In the
light of the reCCnt narration | fell
to comparing his features with those
of the picture hanging above his head.
AS my gaze wandered from one to
tic other there came to me a sense of
q presence IN the room, a conviction |
could neither define nor evade; and
while strove tC analyzc critically
this impression a strange metamor.
phosis seemed to come over my senses
and / felt myself drifting as It were.
into a state of double consciousness.
Still with that sense of a divided
ego. with the voices about me cchoing
vaguely through my brain, thought
myself riding along country road,
sunken and SCARED deep with old
cart ruts, a road | had never Travelled
before. Under the influence of this
unseen force, | appeared to come to
whore the crumbling shell Of an an
cient oak spanned the path | reached
into the hollow trunk and drew forth