The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1907-04-23


name. We're going into trade, Sir
Godfrey! And I'm not afraid to tell
YOU" She curtseyed to the portrait
and went out hanging on her hus-
bands arm. The eyes of Sir Geo1-
rey followed her.
odd Bodikins!" he said. There's
the spirit of a man in the wench. I'll
ask my solicitors If / can't regard her
as gentleman and appear to her"
He communicated with his solicit
ors by spectogram, but they advised
him that he had no right to alter the
terms of his VOW in the manner pro-
posed. He had distinctly undertaken
to appear only on the explicit invita-
ton of a gentleman connected with
the family, and nothing could make
man of a woman-not even an act
OF Parliament or rational costume.
Sir Godfrey was a law-abiding
ghost, and he accepted the decision
without a murmur; but he hoped
against hope that his unworthy de-
scendant might drop some expression
which he could construe as an invita-
ton. So he followed him all the
morning as he went over the old
place, arm in arm with his wife and
with their two little boys clinging to
her skirts. She kept smiling at them
over her shoulder, and If she wiped
her eyes 1t was when her husband
was not looking. Sir Godfrey came
to the conclusion that Sir Charles
was not a bad fellow, only a fool.
And he thought the syndicate's
daughter as fine a woman as Lady
Alice Mallinson, who held the castle
for King John at the time Of the
French invasion, and ever so much
sweeter.
She told the story of the siege to
her boys when she put them to bed.
(She had an old-fashioned idea of
the privileges of mothers, and Sir
Charles sometimes called her the
chief nursemaid.) Also she told them
about Sir Geoffrey himself, and the
VOW that he made, and the tourna-
ment that he won. and the treasure
that he was said to have buried. Sir
Geoffrey's ghost OF a heart almost
burst his ghost of a body az he
watched the boys listening with kind
ling eyes. Surely, he thought, they
would express a wish to see him,
these baby gentlemen of the family?
THAT is the story of d brave gen
tleman," she concluded. HE never
cried when he hurt himself, or when
his nurse wanted him to take his
medicine, and he never told stories.
You must be brave and good like
that, and then perhaps some day his
ghost will come and show you where
he put all his golden pennies. You
wouldn't be afraid Of him, would
you?"
Moo" said Harold, who was six;
mot 'fwaid, mummy; but I don't like
ghosties. / don't fink 1 want him to
come"
Don't want nasty ghosties,"
echoed Rudolf. who was four.
The ghost of Sir Godfrey turned
and glided slowly away He had
been prepared to like these toddling
descendants of his, and he felt more
hurt than he owned to himself that
they did not like him. He would go
back to Spectreland that very night,
he thought. There was no longer a
gentleman In the family. He waited
In the picture gallery till the next
morning, however, to take his invis-
ible Leave OF the syndicate's daughter,
and give her an old ghosts blessing.
He was sure she would come to look
at him in the faded portrait on the
wall.
She came, hanging upon the arm
of square-faced, white-haired man.
Sir Godfrey hoped at first that he
might be a gentleman OF the family,
but he found that he was only the
huckster whom people called syn
dictate. He was a blunt-spoken old
man, and he made the ghosts of Sir
Geoffrey's hairs stand on their ghost
ly ends by the way he spoke OF him.
so this is your precious spook,
Maisie?" he said. "a truculent old
rascal, by the look OF him. Looks as
If he had grit, though. To my mind
these old knights were a set of pirates
and thieves. If they lived nowadays
we should clap them I'm prison"
Rascal! Thief Prisonl" The
ghost of Sir Godfrey laid his hand
upon his ghostly sword and uttered
some inaudible expressions not found
in modern glossaries of ancient
speech.
"Oh, popper!" Lady Mallinson pro-
tested. They were Charles ances-
tors. you know"
He'd be better II he hadn't any,"
the old man growled "He might
have learned an honest trade, then.
instead of being the sort OF waster
that people call a gentleman An
cestors. indeed Now, look here,
Maisle. What is the use Of ances-
tors?"
Lady Mallinson squeezed his arm
and looked up I'm his rugged face.
What is the use of brave men?"
she asked softly. land the memory of
them? You ought not to ask, pop
per. They faced the hard things OF
their times, like you face them"
The old man smiled slowly.
Right. Maisiew he said. Right.
child. They faced the music like I'm
going to face IT, got driven in a cor
ner, and beaten down, and fought on
their knees. Good old knlghtsl Sir
Godfrey, 1 apologize to you. You
were a man, sir, from all that hear. ="
The syndicate took of an mag
mary hat. and Sir Godfrey bowed an
invisible bow Man to man ueanq