Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-12-06

to be amusing. And sometimes . day
or TWO would go by without our see
ing or hearing anything. and we should
perhaps have fancied that we had
fancied what we had seen and heard.
only there was always the feeling OF
there being something about the
that one could just not hear and not
see. Sometimes we used to try not to
talk about 1t, generally we talked
OF nothing else at all. And the weeks
went by. and Mabel's baby was born.
The nurse and the doctor said that
both mother and child we're doing we'll.
He and / sat late In the dining room
that night. We had neither OF us seen
OF heard anything for three days: u
anxiety about Mabel was lessened. We
talked OF the future--it seemed then SO
much brighter than the past. We ar
be moved he should take her ava to
the sea and 1 should superintend the
moving OF the furniture into the new
house he had already chosen. He was
gayer than l had seen him since his
marriage--almost like his old self.
q lot OF things about my having been
a comfort to them both. I hadn't done
anything much. OF purse but still I
am glad he said them.
Then l went upstairs. almost for the
first time without that feeling Of some-
thing following me. listened at
Mabel's door. Everything was quiet. I
went on toward my own room. and In
an instant I felt that there was some-
thing behind me-. I turned. 1t was
crouchlng there. 1t sank. and the black
iuidness OF 1t seemed to be sucked
under the doc OF Mabel's room.
Il went back. l opened the door a
listening inch. All was still. And then
I heard a ~stgh-c,ose behind me. 1
opened the door and went In. The
Il v,N ~.A r,,.1 Nho -, rr.~.r- -1~-- Aa-N-~N
was asleep too: she looked so pretty
like a tired child. The baby was cud-
died up into one Of her arms with ito
tiny head against her side. / prayed
then that she might never know the
%terrors that he and I had known, that
but pretty sounds. these dear eyes
never See any but pretty sights. / did
not dare to pray for a long time after
that. Because my prayer was an
; swered. She never saw, never heard
anything more in this world. And now
for her.
When they had put her In her coffin
l lighted wax candles around her and
laid the horrible white flowers that
people will send near her. and then I
saw he had followed me. I took his
hand to lead him away.
AT the door we both turned. 1t
seemed to US that we heard a sigh. He
would have sprung 70 her side i'm l
don't know what mad glad hope. But
at that instant we both saw 1t. Be-
tween US and the coffin. first gray.
then black, 1t crouched an instant, then
sank and liquefied. and was gathered
together and drawn till III ran into the
nearest shadow. And the nearest
shadow was the shadow of Mabel's
coffin. left the next day. His mother
caine She had never liked me-
MISS f.aStWick D9l1SeI I fbiot, CLIO
had quite forgotten US.
"Didn't Q see him again?" asked
h youngest of all.
only once" Miss Eastwick answ-
cred. and something black crouched
the between him and me. But It was
only his second wife crying beside hts
coffin. It's not a cheerful story. is Il?
ana 1T doesn't lead anywhere. rye
never told n else. I think ii was
seeing has daughter that brought it all
She looked toward the dressing room,
door. "Mabel's baby?"
with his eyes" "'
Inc Youngest OF all had Miss East
"lcK.s hands and was petting them.
Sauuehly tne woman wrenched her
nands away and stood at her gaunt
nelght. her hands clenched, eyes straIn-
ing. n was looking at something that
we could not see. and | know now
what lhe man In the bible meant when
ne said the hair Of my flesh stood up."
What she saw seemed not onite fto
reach the height of the dressing room
door handle. Her eyes followed ~
down. widening and widening. Mine
Followed them. all the nerves OF them
seemed strained to the uttern,ost. and
! Almost SAVIOR did I quite seea T
can't be certain. But we all heard the
quivering sigh. And to
each OF US 1t seemed to be breothei
just behind us.
II was who caught up the candle
u Popped all over my trembling hands
n was dragged by Miss twicl. to
Inc SIDE OF the girl who had tainted
ourlns the second extra. But 81 was tho
Youngest OF all whose lean arms were
round the housekeeper when we turreS
away that have been around her
many e time since in the new homo
wnere she keeps house for the younyest
The doctor. who came in thu mo.n-
Ing. said that Mabeis daushtcr had
oled OF heart disease, which she irhor1
ise1 .rom ner mother. It was that that
naa maze her faint during he sccond
xtra.~ But IshAve sometimes
whether may not have ;nherite1
solnetning from her father. r has,s
never been abl to forget he, noE "r
her dead face. sS 'ooA on