Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-01-28

| in the hall still. We couldn't hear
what they sayed much, but him he'd
scold in n low voice, and her she'd
cry faintlike SOS no one would hear.
The mister he used to go In town fire.
quent, If not oftener, and used to tell
pop still, you mind If some day he
don't come back no more. kin see 1t
at him how he's tired Of her yet Yes,
he'll go Off and leave her with that
child to keep, now you see oncet If he
DON'T | sayed to pop"
"The child was Eunice. supposeT
In his interest in her narrative, not
merely for Itself, but for any light 1t
might throw upon Eunice, Kinross for.
got to be Pete and leaned forward
across the table, regarding Mrs. Morn
ingstar with thoughtful frown. The
sound Of his own voice brought him
back to himself, and he again glanced
with apprehension at the girls. But
they, too. were so interested in the sto-
ry that even the fact Of the farm
hands idling in the kitchen while his
employer and Eunice worked In the
fields escaped their notice.
"Yes, 1t was our Eunlce," Mrs. Morn-
ingstar answered. "but that don't come
in yet. l mustn't get ahead Of my sto
~. Oncet when could hear they was
scrappin' peeped in the keyhole-nOt
| that | wanted to be inquisitive, but O
body likes to know, too, what's goin
on in their own hotel. Well, that there
woman could have easy got divorce
cheap if she's of just brang up some
remarks where he made"
"What rcmurksY inquired Kinross.
"Why," she exclaimed, "he run al
her with raZor!"
"RemarksT he questioned -hazily.
"And me, hollered and run. And II
| was just the next night the crime was
commit. 1t was the 9th Of July. We
was called to the room by the scream
| in of the little baby, and we had tt
break the lock, and there we found the
woman dead in her bed, lyin' In a poo
| of blood, and the man he had flew
There was envelope pinned to the
baby with some money in 1t. We con
ceited it was meant fur to pay any
one where would keep the child. Well
us We didn't give no one else the
| chancet. Me and pop we took anG
KEEP the child"
How much money was there" in
quired Kinross.
"That amt neither here nor there,
she answered curtly, coloring and look
Ing uncomfortable. 1t wasn't SO
wonderful much, considerin' all the
trouble we had to take raisin the
| child and the trouble we're havin
now," she added vindictively, "witf
her runnin' after our Abe the wa!
she's doin' To be sure" she conced
ed, 1--WE didn't raise her the way hel
| mother was raisin' her. l never die
see Il baby tended the way she done
n clean white dress every day-noW
mind! Yes, indeed! Oh, that baby
mustn't never get dirty when hel
mother had her! She must be clear
all the time and get washed all ovel
every day, mind you, stead of Oncet
a week, like us country people does Il
our babies. Then she practiced this
here hy-geen OH it-she must scald the
| milk to foomgate the germs. or what
| ever. and wash her mouth and eyes
| with borax water. You wouldn't be
| lieve anybody'd be that DUNN to take
| all that there trouble, would you? Bu
that there's hy-geen. hear lots o
towners believes In this here hy-gcen
Well. after we found the dead corp II
there I wouldn't do 1t to sleep at the
hotel till after the funeral was.
slep' to the neighbors' The news o.
| the crime got put out all over thu
country, and we had wonderful! bi:
| funeral. But not one mourner.' sh'
added in q shocked tone. mot ont
Grape WE'LL When there amt no Grape
wells it don't remind me of funeral
amt not? Well, the preacher he hat
wonderful solemn sermont. Ther'
was two or three sayed to me after
ward how they felt under his sermont
and one sayed how she liked to hear
solemn preachin' like hisn on funera
SO that her heart gets affected.
"As general kin stand a good BIT
don't soon 90 to bed sick, but tina
there crime sent me to bed fur near
week, with all the work layin'. POI
he was so much fur tellin' all about
to comers and goers, and 1t wOul'
work me up so to hear him come owe
1t all that | used to wish we didn'
keep hotel SOS there wouldn't be NJ
comers and goers to tell it to-"
She paused to take breath, but Kin
ross was ready with a question to urg
her on.
"How do you know that it was not
case of suicide rather than murder?'
"The coroncr's jury" replied Mrs
Morningstar, "sayed she didn't sue
code herself, but was murdered in tn
first degree"
ut Is the murdered woman VIII
haunts the roOm?"
81 don't know" she answered, turn
ing white again. 81 amt never sler
there. Oncet, before we quit hotelii
and began farmin' this here place, w
slept a travelin' man in that ther
room, and about the middle OF tn
night he walked us all with runnir
through the hall, screechin' he'd say
a ghost. And after that we never pu
no one In there no more. Their furnl
ture Is all there yet too. The neighbor
tells us that near every night any pei
son passin' our place late kin see
queer light in the winder of that ther
room. Our Abe seen 1t oncet too"
Peter" Daisy turned eagerly t
Kinross. "are you husky enough t
sleep in that room? If you ara you
tell us about the ghost. won't you, tt
morrow evening-if you meet her"
"Ain't you got afraid to sleep ther
now. Doc-Pete-after what tole yo
yet?' Mrs. Morningstar asked incredr
lousy.
"IIl tell you tomorrow morning" al
swered Kinross. Maybe I'll cut an
run, too. like the travelling man. fo
never can tell what you'll do whe
you're up against a ghost"
Say" Mrs. Morningstar suddenl
exclaimed, her eyes moving from on
to another of her listeners with a
anxiety amounting to distress, loo
at here. Yous won't speak nothin'
Eunicc, will yous. about this here
Us we always KEEP it from her.
would be ugly to tell her her pop mul