The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1911-12-28
/ THE
SHADOW
La Story Of
| Kypnotism
Rv ETNFI p HAYNES
By ETHEL B. HAYNES

!
BY ETHEL B. HAYNES +
copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. l91l +
-f-f-s-ifss-ssi;fiiiss-
stella Brooks looked wistfully at
prospective buyer. I'm very anx-
to sell the place." she said slowly.
bur offer Is satisfactory to me, but
erdly think you will want 1t after !
told you about the shadow" As
uttered the last word all the color
Pok her cheeks. and she looked
older
ou needn't say a word about 1t IN
you want to relieve your mind
Ike 1t even If the shadow is a
assured MIR. Baker warmly.
mt an ordinary ghost" protest
alla. I'm fact 1t isn't ghost
/ tell myself can't believe
a and be a member Of the
at the same time, but it's very
hat the shadow should be there.
|e same"
~ 1t to me- please" requested
|ooks, and In silence Estella led
ky down the front steps to the
hat opened into the highroad.
she paused and turned. facing
ng farmhouse. with its low pitch
|of and many gabled windows.
ook there" she said simply. point
up at the roof Of the house. '"The
is behind the clouds, yet what Is
Ere to cast a shadow like that on
Che roofr'
Mr.. Thomas Baker scanned the red
stained shingles with a critical eye.
he glanced up at the sky. a mass Of
gray leaden clouds; he looked at Estel-
la standing beside him with every
muscle tensed. her wide brown eyes
staring at the roof.
~I can't see anything. Miss Brooks"
he said gently.
Estella turned a disappointed face
to his. II was afraid you couldn't see
anything, But It's there. right be-
tween the two chimneys. great black
shadow as plain as can be on the roof
I suppose it's only for the family to
see and remember
Tell me about It If you care to.
Miss Brooks. But I assure you that
II won't make any difference In my
decision. I'll take Wistaria farm II
you will accept my offer"
'T'l tell you about the shadow first"
said Estella. leading Ire way back to
the deep Shaded veranda. After
that, If you want to conclude the bar
gain. / am quite ready. My father
was a very stern man. cold by nature.
but possessing a powerful magnetism
that bound his family to him by cords
Of fear as we'll as love. My mother
died while I was little girl. and my
sister and / were brought up under
my fathers strict rule. AS Barbara.
my sister, grew older she seemed to
develop the same magnetism, and 30
It was that her will and my fathers
often clashed over little matters and
at last over larger affairs.
About ten years ago Barbara was
twenty and ] was twenty-five. My
sister met and fell in love with a
young man who wrote poems for a
living. He was spending the summer
In RiyerdaIe, and he wrote verses
about Barbara's beautiful eyes and
her lovely hair, and Of course he was
In love with her. My father discov-
cred the verses and forbade him the
house, arraigning him In the most
stinging terms. accusing him Of seek
ing to marry Barbara for the little
patrimony that would one day be hers.
calling him a beggarly scribbler and
saying other terrible things, although
he really was most manly fellow.
and l liked him exceedingly. As for
my sister. poor Barbara was deeply In
love with him from the beginning. and
when my father sent her lover away.
tossing the despised verses after him.
Barbara defed father to his face and
declared she would marry Allen In
spite Of everything.
THAT night she bads me farewell
and went away with Allen Searle and
was rlarried BY her own minister here
in Riverdale In the morning when
my father discovered her fight and
read the letter she had left for his
perusal he led me out to the gate
yonder and. pointing to the roof Of
the house. he said solemnly:
"'Estella. there Is a shadow on our
house Do you see that grim, black
shadow of disgrace staining its pure
roof? Look long at 1t. Your sisters
defiance of me and her elopement with
a penniless stranger has broken my
heart Mark well the shadow on our
roof. for 1t will never pass away-not
In your lifetime or miner
II looked and. Mr.. Baker. saw the
shadow. grim and black and shape
less. lying there where no shadow had