The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1908-09-10

on humming.
1T is very strange" said Milllcent,
uneasily.
one night the preparation OF a lee.
ture kept me at my desk TIL very late.
A heavy rain was falling. the wind
walled and moaned around the house.
aud dead sprays OF woodbine ratified
drearily against the window panes.
My desk was curtained recess at
one end Of the book room. and In the
corner diagonally opposite. near the
fireplace. and Just beside Millicents
old English clock, stood the moon
table. / was using but one light this
evenlng-the green.shaded electric
lamp above my desk-and had partly
drawn the Japanese curtain.
Midnight came and passed. and my
work was sim unfinished. The rain
dripped monotonously upon the YER
anda roof. and the woodbine ratified
weirdly.
As ] opened a book 20 verify quo
iation / heard a soft voice.
There was singing in the room. Sing
ing-low and dreary. A sweet. famil
lar strain. Parting the curtain gen.
tly ] glanced across the dim spaces Of
the room 10 the corner family illu
mined by the hrelight.
He was sitting upon the moon table
the sweet singer. A frail slip OF a
boy. in black velvet. with a deep lace
collar and silver buckled shoes. lie
had dark hair and hazel eyes--long
spirituelle eyes-and very Roman
profile. He drummed lightly upon the
table with his long. nervous fingers.
and sang In a plaintiye soprano.
II was FAy's haunting. minor mel.
ody. The tune she hummed The
rhythm she tapped. Fay's strange
moon table boy song,
The old English clock IN the corner
struck the half hour. and the boy.
pausing In his song. regarded the tall
time piece gravely. The strands OF
the bamboo curtain that | had been
holding aside slipped through my
fingers with a faint rustllng noise, and
when ! parted them again the moon
table boy had vanished. The FIRE.
light cast ever-ohanging shadows upon
the wall; the rain drlpped heavily.
heavily. upon the roof. and the wood.
bine was tapplng-tappiDg- tapping
Dear child" said to the invisible
presence. / felt might still be lingering
In the moon table corner. your music
Is sweet indeed. and | like you passing
well. but | cannot have my wife fall
prey TO hysteria. neither can I permit
my daughter TO hobnob with ghosts
ergo. my charming moon table boy.
find myself compelled to send your
favorite article OF furniture back TO
the gable room"
So for the sixth time the lovely Hep
pelwhite table Journeyed back 10 it's
donor. carefully packed with plenty
OF straw. and lavish supply OF bur
lap. aud accompanied by a note tell.
ms Aunt Persis that. after all. we
found that the oak settle would be
more In keeping with our room.
The New Year found me again at
my grandaunt's. No allusion was made
TO the exchange OF furniture In the
gable room ! found the moon table.
Somehow ! was glad to see # there In
the cobwebby window-nook once more.
Somehow II seemed very fitting thing
that Owens table should be back In
Owens ROOM
"Good-by. beautiful table" muir.
INJURED. as ! turned away. "Good-by,
old gable room. Good-by. pretty
moon table boyi" And then tar
ried yet a moment to brush away a
large spider that was crawling slowly
across the delicate inlay.
Came a cllck--came rattle-and
then scraplng southland 10, before
my eyes a tiny drawer sprang open,
Somewhere in the ornamentation was
concealed a spring which my thrust
al the spider had set In motion. Yes.
little Fay. there was indeed "dwaw.
err In the moon table.
In the drawer was a scrap OF paper.
yellow and torn and solled. unfold.
ed II eagerly. yet very gently, lest II
crumble beneath my touch. II con.
tained several bars OF closely-wrltten
music. very evidently the work OF an
inexperienced composer. Very badly
made were the notes. with crooked
stems and blurred and ill-shaped
heads. Crazy rests were sprinkled
here and there adown the page. and
many blots rendered parts OF the man
uscript illegible. Turning TO the spin.
net picked il out iahoriously.
Tinkle-tinkle-tinkl came the
hollow, ghostly tones. Faintly--very
faintly--in whispering. spiritlike pl
auissimo, sounded the plaintive mel
ody. the hating. halfsyncopated
rhythm of the moon table boy songl
put the paper back. closed the
secret drawer. and went down to Ave
o'clock tea.